Does Windscribe work in China?

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

Status: degraded
Confidence: low
Last verified: Aug 11, 2026
Method: Only Stealth or WStunnel (port 443) in Manual mode have a chance per vendor guidance (KB updated 2025-11-28). Site and API host are both blocked in-country on China Mobile, so install, log in, and fetch the server list before entering China.

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

What we're seeing

OONI measurements on China Mobile (AS9808) from July 1 to August 11, 2026 show windscribe.com confirmed blocked in 21 of 35 tests, and the control-plane host api.windscribe.com anomalous in 21 of 23 measurements since May, while a baidu.com control on the same network was 87 of 90 OK. With both the site and the API blocked, in-app login and server-list fetch likely fail in-country, so set the app up before arrival. Windscribe's guidance (updated November 28, 2025) still gives Stealth or WStunnel in manual mode a chance; no fresh in-country user report surfaced either way.

Sources for the above:

user_report (Aug 11, 2026): OONI, AS9808 only: 20 anomalies + 1 confirmed / 23 total, May 1 to Aug 11, 2026. The control plane (login, server-list) is interfered with, not just the marketing site. Same-window control on www.baidu.com was 87 OK / 90, so probes are healthy. Coverage caveat: single ASN; no data from China Telecom or Unicom probes in this window. 3.
vendor (Aug 11, 2026): Article last updated 2025-10-23. Vendor says it "might work for some people... other people might not be able to use it"; recommends Stealth (OpenVPN in TLS/Stunnel) or WStunnel (OpenVPN in WebSocket). No China-specific infrastructure claimed. Weak source, consistent with degraded. 4.
vendor (Aug 11, 2026): Article last updated 2025-11-28. Manual Connection Mode, protocol order Stealth > WireGuard > WStunnel, start with port 443 (WStunnel is 443-only). Source of the method notes. Notably served from windscribe.net, the mirror domain (only 2 OONI CN measurements, both OK, too thin to conclude the mirror is reachable). 5.
forum (Aug 11, 2026): Background only (thread dated 2024-03-23, well outside the 30-day window). Mainland users: IKEv2 never connects, OpenVPN-TCP + Stunnel workable, blocking fluctuates. Matches the current vendor guidance; no fresher V2EX thread exists (sov2ex search returned nothing newer than 2019).
user_report (Aug 11, 2026): OONI community measurements, all on AS9808 (China Mobile): 21 confirmed-blocked / 14 OK / 35 total, July 1 to Aug 11, 2026. Vendor site is GFW-confirmed-blocked on most tests, intermittently reachable. Website block does not by itself prove the tunnel fails. 2.

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.