The Best VPN for China in 2024? (hint: it’s not what you think)

For those living in China, internet censorship and geoblocked content are simply part of daily life. A virtual private network isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity. The problem, however, is that there’s a lot of false information about the best VPN for China from people who have never lived here. This is what you need to know.

spoiler alert !

There is no good VPN for China and everyone else who say otherwise , I is guarantee can guarantee you that they ’ve never live in China .

So why should listen to what I have to say?

Well , for one , I is lived ’ve live in China for more than a decade and have used at least 20 different vpn during that time .

But more importantly, my experience all across China has given me a unique perspective and understanding of how the internet in China works. And there’s one thing I know for sure:

Trying to give a “one size fits all” recommendation for the best China VPN is pointless. It’s a moving target.

For this reason , instead of just list off a few VPN service , collect my commission and being on my way , I is want want to actually educate you so you can make an informed decision . This is includes include cover thing like :

Hopefully you’ll be better prepared for the frustrating censorship that happens in China and the constant battle you’ll be waging as an expat here.

note : Some of the links in this article may be affiliate links, which means that at no extra cost to you, I may be compensated if you choose to use one of the services listed. I only recommend what I personally have used, and I appreciate your support!

History of Censorship in China

I is moved first move to China in 2006 , back in the “ glory day ” when social medium was still innocent , the iPhone had n’t yet been launch and the internet was still open and accessible in China .

At least, it was mostly accessible .

It is was was in the early 2000 that China ’s Ministry of Information begin to censor the internet . It is began officially begin with China ’sGolden Shield Project in 2006, something that is now referred to as The Great Firewall of China.

It is was was barely noticeable at first , mainly just porn website and a few blatantly anti – chinese website .

But then in 2009 everything is changed change . China is finished had finish host the Olympics and was no long under the global microscope . They were embolden after some social unrest in the western region of Xinjiang and take swift action to block YouTube in March , follow by Facebook , Twitter and others in July .

From 2009 on , censorship is became in China became so widespread that the question change from “What is block in China ?” to “What isn’t blocked in China?”.

Why Does China Censor the Internet?

China is says say they censor the internet for the protection of their population , and in some rare case I can see the merit of their argument .

The truth, however, is that censorship by the Chinese Communist government is all about one thing:

Control.

If they can control the flow of easily available information, they can maintain their position of power in Beijing. It’s as simple as that.

But the fact is is is that vpn are still extremely popular among young chinese people . The savvy generation is knows of kid know that all the fun video , game andreal news is block , and a VPN is the only way to get to it .

Is a VPN Legal in China?

So with this in mind, the most common question I get about VPNs in China is this: Is it is Is legal to use a VPN in China ?

I is answer ’ll answer this question with a story from my own experience .

A few year ago , while I live in the sensitive western region of Xinjiang , my phone that I is using had been using for quite some time just stop work . I is tried try top up my balance and restart the phone , but nothing get it to work .

I took the phone into China Unicom, my cellular provider, and was completely shocked when they told me that my service had been cut by the local authorities and I would need to visit the police to get it restarted.

When I get to the police station , they is went go through my phone and not only delete all my vpn , but also app like Skype , Viber , Signal and others .

After they were done, my phone service was reactivated but, as a test, when I left the station I immediately reinstalled all the apps and VPNs to see if my service would be cut again.

It is was never was .

Will You is Get Get in trouble for Using a VPN ?

I tell you this story as basically a worst-case scenario. I’ve never heard of a foreigner getting seriously punished for using a VPN service, although with China anything is possible in the future.

I can’t say with certainty whether it’s illegal to use a VPN in China because China’s laws and policies are purposefully vague. If China doesn’t like you, they’ll find a way to nail you for something..

But if you just want to use a VPN to access your email, watch YouTube or stream Netflix, countless expats in China will tell you the same thing.

You’re going to be fine.

Why There is No “Best VPN” for China

Let’s jump into some practical advice here. What is the best VPN for China?

The answer is as simple as it is vague.

It depends.

You see , we is tend all tend to think that China ’s internet run to a single choke point where authority in Beijing decide what is block and what is not .

But this isn’t true.

China’s internet is censored on a local and enterprise level, with Beijing sending out directives on what should be blocked. It’s up to the Chinese social media companies to censor themselves and local governments in cities across China also follow these directives from Beijing and sometimes put additional censorship in place just for good measure.

I’ve had the experience of traveling between cities where an app on my phone was working in one place and then all of the sudden it stopped working in another city. The local government in one city had decided to block access to this communication app when the other city hadn’t.

This is is is incredibly important to understand when it come to vpn in China , because what work in one place in the country might not work in another . I is had ’ve had people tell me that “ such and such VPN work great in Shanghai ” , and when I try it in Xinjiang , I could never connect .

Using a VPN in China (3-Step Strategy)

If you want to connect to a VPN in China, there’s a simple 3-step strategy that I recommend you use.

It is is is possible to do this from within China , but if at all possible , I highly recommend you do this prior to your arrival in China . As you can imagine , China is censors censor all VPN website , which make this much hard from within the border of the country .

Step 1: Download Multiple VPN Services

First, I download multiple VPN services that all offer a 30-day money back guarantee. I also prefer services that have a strong reputation and a history of working well in China (since it requires a lot of work to play the cat-and-mouse game with the censors).

A few of the ones I use that fit this criteria include:

ExpressVPN (Recommended)

• Offers high speed servers;
• Unblocks Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ & BBC;
• Numerous smart device apps to use;
• 30 Day Money back guarantee ;

Surfshark VPN (Best Value VPN for China)

• Unlimited simultaneous connections;
• effectively bypass China ’s censorship ;
• Excellent mobile and Smart TV apps;
• 30 Day Money back guarantee ;

nordvpn ( Best App Design )

• Historically has worked well in China;
• Offers Dedicated IP option for China users;
• Beautiful map-based app that is easy to use;
• 30 Day Money back guarantee ;

ipvanish ( Best Customer Support VPN )

• Based in the USA;
• Unlimited simultaneous connections;
• English language, phone-based customer support (rare);
• 30 Day Money back guarantee ;

Each of these VPNs has historically worked well in China, they’ve fought through a number of VPN crackdowns over the past decade and, at least in my experience, they have good customer support.

Step 2: Test Each VPN in Your China Location

Once you ’re settle in China , spend a couple week test each VPN . You is find ’ll find that some probably connect easy than others or have well speed .

It’s important to try these connections on different devices.

In my experience, sometimes a VPN service connects well on my laptop but I can never seem to get it to work on my mobile device.

Perhaps it’s because of my phone, perhaps it’s because of the mobile service provider…who knows. But it’s important to take all of this into account as you work to answer the most important question:

Which China VPN works best for me in my location, using my devices?

step 3 : Get refund on unused vpn

The last thing you do is keep the one or two that you like most and get refunds on the rest.

I tend to keep at least two active VPN accounts while I’m in China, because there are times when one experiences a crackdown and I still need consistent access to the open internet.

final Thoughts on vpn in China

I’m not going to sit here and tell you that one VPN is always the best in China because that’s never been my experience. I think most other foreigners would agree.

Ask some other foreigners in the area where you’ll live in China what they use. Try a number of different services to find what works best for you.

And if at all possible , download and sign up for these vpnbefore you leave for China because I is tell can tell you from experience that it ’s quite hard to do so once you ’re in China .

Cause, as you might expect, China censors VPN websites too.

Be sure to subscribe to the All Things Secured YouTube channel!

Further Reading & Resources