Using a VPN is a simple way to protect your private data on unsecured networks, make it harder for your data to be monitored by your ISP, and to make it harder for advertisers to track you online. VPNs have also been used to circumvent government censorship, which can have high stakes in China. We’ll explain the issues and look at which providers offer VPN servers in the country.
Behind the Great Firewall
China keeps a tight hold on communications in the region. Sites and services are sometimes blocked, preventing anyone within the country from accessing them. The main tool for this filtering is the so-called Great Firewall of China.
While we know that a VPN is a useful privacy tool, we don’t know what—if any—repercussions you stand to take from using a VPN. It is worth noting that the Chinese government has a history of dealing harshly with internal critics.
Will a VPN Keep You Safe in China?
The short answer is that we don’t know whether a VPN can protect you in China. When confronted with a well-funded and state-backed organization that’s determined to monitor your communications, it’s not likely you will be able to completely hide your activities. Which is why we stress: using a VPN in any region with repressive policies could put you in danger.
We also don’t know if a given VPN will work in China because PCMag does not have the ability to test in the region. In order to assemble this list, we looked through our top-rated services and singled out the ones that maintain servers in China or Hong Kong. These are not VPNs guaranteed to work or protect you in the region. In fact, elsewhere we’ve gone into great detail on why we’re not picking a specific VPN as our top choice for use in China.
When it comes to operating in China, some VPN providers offer additional tools. Some companies offer specialized servers for the region, designed to be accessible and secure. Some companies include a stealth or obfuscation mode in their apps, which disguises VPN traffic as HTTPS traffic, making it harder to identify and block. We’ve noted these additional features where available.
A few VPN services provide access to the Tor anonymization network. When you route your traffic through Tor, it’s much harder to trace back to you and you can access hidden sites on the Tor network. Note that you don’t need a VPN to access Tor—it’s a free service that provides its own tools. It’s unclear to us whether or not Tor is currently accessible within China.
Similar to Tor are multihop connections. Instead of just going through one VPN server, a multihop connection routes your traffic through two servers. The goal is that even if one of these servers is somehow compromised, your privacy would still be assured.
How to Circumvent Censorship
The theory works like this: If you’re in a region that censors the internet, you can get around that censorship by using a VPN to connect to a server in a different country. This tunnels your web browsing from your machine to the VPN server, which doesn’t have the censor’s restrictions.
In practice, it may not be that easy. VPN traffic may be blocked, or it might attract unwanted attention from the authorities—precisely what you’re trying to avoid.
Note that if you want to access the outside internet from within China, you shouldn’t connect to a VPN server in China. The whole point is to access the internet from somewhere else. Connecting to a VPN server in China does have some uses, for example if you need to communicate locally, or access a service that is only available within the country. It may also offer additional privacy protections, but there’s no way we at PCMag can be certain that it would be effective.
Is It Worth It?
We sincerely hope that these VPN companies can live up to their word and provide a safe and secure service for people who truly need it, whether they’re looking to keep their communications private from their governments or simply to protect themselves from snoops on an unsecured Wi-Fi network. In the end, however, it’s going to be up to you, the user, to decide if the risks are worth the benefit using a VPN can provide you in China.
In addition to this list of VPNs for China, you can also read our feature on the best VPNs for Hong Kong, if you’re specifically interested in privacy and security in that semi-autonomous city.
Where To Buy
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ProtonVPN
Pros: Best free subscription.
Flexible, low-cost plans.
Focus on privacy and physical security.
Slick, accessible client.
Multihop VPN to secure locations.
Tor connections.
ProtonMail bundle available.
Cons: Fewer servers, locations than most.
Full access to servers and features only at highest pay level.
Bottom Line: ProtonVPN might seem small, but it has a lot more to offer than many of the bigger players. The free version is the best we’ve tested, and paid subscriptions are affordable as well.
CyberGhost VPN
Pros: Offers seven licenses with a subscription
Strong privacy policy
Rare split tunneling and multihop features
Large, well-distributed server fleet
Cons: Expensive
Limited access to high security No-Spy servers
Disappointing speed test scores
Bottom Line: CyberGhost offers an excellent VPN product with a strong stance on privacy, a robust network, and a generous number of simultaneous connections. It’s expensive, however.
ExpressVPN
Pros: Large, diversely distributed fleet of servers
Strong privacy and information security practices
Split tunneling
Supports OpenVPN protocol across all platforms
Simple interface
Cons: Expensive
May be challenging to inexperienced users
Would benefit from widely distributed audits
Bottom Line: ExpressVPN’s dedication to privacy is impressive, and its fleet of far-flung servers outclasses much of the competition. That comes at a hefty price, and many may not need its worldwide access.
Hotspot Shield
Pros: Hefty services bundle
Transparent, helpful privacy policies
Excellent speed test scores
Slick, smart desktop app
Cons: Expensive
Free version supported by targeted ads
No transparency report or audit
Limited OpenVPN support
Bottom Line: Hotspot Shield VPN is super fast with a slick interface, but it comes with caveats.
Mullvad VPN
Pros: Requires no email or account information
Radically transparent
Extremely affordable
Some advanced features, like multihop connectionsCons: Cramped, awkward desktop interface
Servers in a small range of countries
Account number system may confuse some customers
Bottom Line: Mullvad VPN secures your connection while protecting your privacy behind the scenes, all for an unbeatable price.
NordVPN
Pros: WireGuard VPN technology
Multihop and Tor connections
Easy to use
Numerous server locations
Strong customer privacy stance
Cons: Expensive
Bottom Line: NordVPN wraps a slick client around a strong collection of security features and an enormous network of servers. It’s an excellent VPN that has invested heavily in improving its security infrastructure and practices.
Surfshark VPN
Pros: Unlimited simultaneous connections
Rarely seen multihop and split-tunneling tools
Well-designed app
Excellent speed test scores.
Cons: High price
Must complete broader audits of its service
Bottom Line: Surfshark VPN’s high price is balanced against unlimited devices per account and an excellent set of features.
Golden Frog VyprVPN
Pros: Strong commitment to customer privacy
Latest VPN technology
Good geographic distribution of VPN servers
Snazzy new client
Affordable annual subscription
Cons: Expensive monthly option
Few additional privacy features
Poor speedtest results, pre-WireGuard
Bottom Line: VyprVPN offers the latest VPN technology in a simple and approachable package, along with excellent global coverage. It’s expensive, however, unless you commit to an annual subscription.
HMA VPN
Pros: Excellent speed test scores
Friendly, simple interface.
Handy IP shuffler
Split Tunneling
Cons: Expensive, monthly subscription not available in certain regions
Needs to continue to improve its privacy practices
Unclear where servers are located
No recent transparency reportsBottom Line: HMA offers great speeds and a peerless number of server locations; but it isn’t clear about where those servers are located, and it charges a pretty penny for its service.
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