Does PureVPN work in China?

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

Status: degraded
Confidence: low
Last verified: Aug 11, 2026
Method: Install before arrival (site blocked on China Telecom, Unicom, CERNET; China Mobile AS9808 clean); enable obfuscated servers; expect ISP-dependent results and server switching. Vendor's own China guide admits it 'cannot promise uninterrupted access.'

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 PureVPN? It is partially working in China right now. Check the method notes above before you buy. Get PureVPN

What we're seeing

Per-ASN OONI data from July 1 to August 10, 2026 shows the same split as three weeks ago: www.purevpn.com is clean on China Mobile (36 OK, 0 anomalies) and blocked on China Telecom, Unicom, CERNET and Shanghai Mobile, with no step change in either direction. PureVPN's own China guide (updated January 28, 2026) recommends obfuscated servers and admits it cannot promise uninterrupted access. No fresh in-country tunnel report exists in either direction, so the July verdict and its low confidence stand.

Sources for the above:

user_report (Aug 11, 2026): OONI community measurements, per-ASN, 2026-07-01 to 2026-08-10. China Mobile AS9808: 36 OK / 0 anomalies. China Telecom AS4134: 2 OK / 19 anomalies. China Unicom AS4837: 0/13. CERNET AS4538: 0/10. AS24400: 0/20. Website reachability only; a blocked vendor site does not prove the tunnel fails. 2.
forum (Aug 11, 2026): V2EX search via sov2ex API (fetched in full). No China-availability thread newer than Dec 2025; a Jan 2024 comment ("decent lines but lacks obfuscation, recently heavily blocked") and a 2023 claim of ~50% of nodes working from the mainland are background only, older than 30 days.
user_report (Aug 11, 2026): OONI daily series, same window: 1-3 anomalies most days alongside 1-2 OKs (the OKs are the AS9808 probes), no zero-OK streak, no step change around or after 2026-07-22. Confirms the block is steady-state, not a new escalation; per-ASN decomposition above is the ratio check (pinned ASNs: 9808, 4134, 4837, 4538, 24400). 3.
vendor (Aug 11, 2026): Vendor China guide (page dated "last updated 2026-01-28" despite August title): recommends obfuscated servers and server switching, and admits "not every VPN can manage it, including PureVPN" and that uninterrupted access cannot be promised. A vendor hedging downward is credible for the degraded direction. 4.
user_report (Jul 21, 2026): OONI last 30 days: 56/85 anomalous, 1 confirmed; Telecom/Unicom/CERNET blocked, China Mobile AS9808 0/25 anomalous

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.