Does Proton VPN work in China?

As of Aug 11, 2026, Proton VPN is partially working in China.

Status: degraded
Confidence: medium
Last verified: Aug 11, 2026
Method: Stealth protocol + Alternative Routing required, installed before arrival; connections intermittent (July 2026 testing on file put success around 3 in 10 attempts; nothing found this cycle contradicts that).

Verified working in China right now

Astrill (low confidence, StealthVPN (TCP mode) required; install and sign up before arrival (website confirmed blocked in-country, OONI, daily through 2026-08-10); occasional server switching expected.)

Set on Proton VPN? It is partially working in China right now. Check the method notes above before you buy. Get Proton VPN

What we're seeing

OONI data through August 10, 2026 shows the split that defines this cell: protonvpn.com is blocked on every major mainland ISP (3 OK against 20 anomalies on China Telecom, similar on Unicom, CERNET and China Mobile Shanghai), while the control-plane host api.protonvpn.ch is essentially clean on the same networks (24 of 24 OK on China Telecom). Sign-in and server-list fetch still work where the marketing site does not, which is the degraded-not-blocked signature. Proton's support page still prescribes Stealth plus Alternative Routing, installed before arrival, and July 2026 testing on file put connection success around 3 in 10 attempts; nothing found this pass contradicts that.

Sources for the above:

vendor (Aug 11, 2026): Proton's own China page: recommends Stealth + Alternative Routing, install before arrival, servers in Japan/HK/Singapore; explicitly says no VPN can guarantee reliability in China. Page carries no last-updated date. Vendor claim, weak on its own. 2.
user_report (Aug 11, 2026): Same window, control-plane host api.protonvpn.ch: essentially all OK on the same mainland ASNs (AS4134 24/0, AS4538 10/0, AS4837 9/0, AS9808 36/0, AS56044 18/0; AS24400 24 OK / 1 anomaly). Sign-in and server-list fetch reachable, which is what separates degraded from blocked. Daily time series shows no step change through 2026-08-10, i.e. no new escalation since our 2026-07-22 verification. 4.
news (Aug 11, 2026): Affiliate review (near-zero weight per policy), dated August 2026: says Proton "works sometimes, unpredictably" with Stealth + alternative routing to Japan/Singapore/HK. Recorded only because its unreliability framing happens to match, not as supporting evidence.
user_report (Aug 11, 2026): OONI community measurements, CN, 2026-07-01 to 2026-08-10. protonvpn.com (marketing site) blocked on all major mainland ISPs: AS4134 China Telecom 3 OK / 20 anomalies, AS4837 China Unicom 1 OK / 10 anomalies, AS4538 CERNET 0 OK / 7 anomalies, AS24400 China Mobile 2 OK / 19 anomalies. Website block only; does not by itself prove the tunnel fails. 3.
news (Jul 21, 2026): Updated Jul 2026 on-the-ground test: connected about 3 of 10 attempts with Stealth + Alternative Routing; not reliable in 2026

Common questions

Is using a VPN legal in China?

Only government-licensed VPNs are legal. The 2017 rules ban unlicensed services, and authorities have penalized individual users. Enforcement against visitors is rare but not zero. We report availability, not legal advice.

Do VPNs still work in China after the 2026 firewall upgrade?

Mostly no. As of July 2026, Astrill with StealthVPN is the only VPN we verified working. NordVPN and Proton connect intermittently with obfuscation. Most others are blocked or unreliable.

Can I download a VPN from inside China?

Usually not. Vendor websites are blocked in-country and Western app stores are unreachable without a VPN. Install and sign up before you arrive, and carry a backup.