These are the Best VPNs to Use in China

NordVPN was established in Lithuania, by Tomas Okmanas, with funding from his own incubator: Tesonet. The company has repeatedly proven its commitment to internet security and personal privacy. They moved to Panama to avoid the Five Eyes joint-spying program, established by the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. In 2019, they shut down all their servers in Russia, to avoid complying with the Russian Government's demands to join a government-controlled registry. Then, in 2022, they shut down all servers located in India, rather than comply with India's new consumer-data-storage rules.

NordVPN offers a choice of protocols: IKEv2/IPsec, OpenVPN, and the blazing fast NordLynx (a WireGuard-based protocol). The company runs top-tier obfuscation servers that often mask the fact that a user in on a VPN, in addition to masking the IP address. The platform also offers some special features, such as a Static-IP, a Dark-Web Tracker that helps determine whether your personal data has been leaked, a password manager that generates and saved alphanumeric passwords, and a secure cloud. A subscription for a Static-IP is a touch pricey, but it's an obvious necessity for businesses using VPNs.

To circumvent Chinese restrictions with NordVPN, you'll want to follow these steps: First, wipe your browser's history, cookies, and saved info, so the Chinese ISPs can't mine that data. Second, make sure to turn the VPN on before you open the browser. Don't use a browser client; use the Windows/iOS client. To make this easier, and to prevent exposure, NordVPN has an auto-connect feature that turns with the computer, so you're never online without a VPN. Third, and this advice comes directly from NordVPN, make sure to set the protocol to NordLynx.

AtlasVPN was founded in 2019, in the hopes of making "digital privacy and security accessible to all consumers, irrespective of their budget or tech-savviness." To that end, they developed one of the only freemium VPNs on the market. The free version works quite well, though 9Ranks doesn't recommend it for breaching the Chinese firewall. The paid version is excellent, offering unlimited access, 4K streaming capabilities, an ad blocker, email protection, and 24/7 customer support. It's also one of the least expensive VPNs on the market.

Despite its price point, AtlasVPN doesn't skimp on quality. It offers advanced protocols like WireGuard, as well as important features, like the MultiHop+ system that allows you to run your VPN through a VPN. The SafeSwap feature is essentially an IP tumbler that toggles several IP addresses connected to one server. This makes it extremely difficult for anyone to locate or trace you. The Atlas email-protection system scans for malicious attachments and other hacking methods. Normally you'd have to purchase a complete security package to get that tool.

When traveling to China, make sure to download AtlasVPN before arriving, as the government blocks the site and you won't be able to download the app. Set the protocol to WireGuard, and make sure the auto-connect is on. You don't want to accidently open your browser without a working VPN. You'll have to hunt for a good server, but you can let the app itself do that by setting it to auto-connect.

With over 3,000,000 users connecting to more than 90 server farms in 180 countries, ExpressVPN is one of the most popular and far-reaching VPNs on the market. ExpressVPN is so popular that is comes pre-installed on all laptops produced by Hewlett Packard and by Dynabook (formerly Toshiba). ExpressVPN has proven their commitment to privacy, by refusing to comply with the Indian Government's CERT-In data-collection rules. Instead, they withdrew all their servers from the country. An attempt to extract information from one ExpressVPN server in Turkey ended in failure, as there was no information to extract.

ExpressVPN is one of the only VPNs with its own proprietary protocol. The unique Lightway protocol was specifically designed to decrease power consumption while increasing speed, and the results are quite impressive. Users enjoy speed-losses of only 5%, even with baselines over 1000 Mbps. In addition, ExpressVPN offers the standard protocols, OpenVPN and IKEV2. All 3 protocols are available for the ExpressVPN mobile app, which is among the best mobile VPN apps on the market. In 2022, ExpressVPN released it's first hardware product: Aircove routers. These special routers carry ExpressVPN's proprietary software built-in, meaning all of your wi-fi activity is automatically protected.

9Ranks recommends you download and install ExpressVPN prior to leaving for China, because once you're there it will be much more difficult to download the app. Furthermore, 9Ranks advises you set the app to auto-connect, and set the protocol to "Automatic," so that the software immediately selects the best protocol and obfuscation method. You must also enable the Kill Switch (found in the General section of the Options menu), so you don't get caught out. As with any VPN, you should clear your browser history, cache, cookies, and searches, before turning on ExpressVPN. For optimal speeds, try a server in Hong Kong or Macau.

The Swiss Government is one of the only governments in the world that emphasizes the privacy rights of its citizens. From banking and financial services to email and written communications, the Swiss enjoy maximum privacy. VyprVPN's parent company, Golden Frog, has taken advantage of Swiss privacy laws by basing its services there. Your data on VyprVPN is constitutionally protected, and the safe harbors established by the Swiss mean that even other governments will have an extremely difficult time gaining access to your internet activity.

VyprVPN offers several protocols, including IKEv2, OpenVPN, WireGuard, and a proprietary technology called Chameleon. Each protocols has its benefits, with WireGuard offering the fastest speeds, and Chameleon offering the best scrambling and unblocking. The service also includes its own Network Address Translation (NAT) Firewall, designed to protect your device from intrusive inbound traffic. In other words, if and when then Chinese Government tried tapping into your computer, this firewall will protect you.

When in China, you'll want to use the Chameleon protocol, because it's specifically designed to circumvent censorship. It's also designed to evade Deep Packet Inspection (DPI), which is when the firewall inspects the contents of inbound and outbound data packets and filters "undesirable" material. Chameleon, along with Smart IP, scrambles the packets, making it extremely difficult for the firewall to identify the data therein. You will suffer some speed-loss, which is a problem with the Chameleon protocol in general. However, the Chinese will likely not even notice you're on a VPN, and you'll have access to most of the sites and platforms blocked by the Golden Shield.

A good VPN doesn't have to be extremely complicated. Sometimes all you want is a straightforward and easy-to-use VPN that does it's job without confusing you. That's what TunnelBear is for. It's a perfectly adequate VPN that doesn't pretend to be anything more. It will effectively hide your IP address, and it will get past any restrictions the Chinese have in place. It will work with most devices, and it won't cost you and arm and a leg. However, it doesn't have any of the advanced features some users requires, and it is exposed to Five Eyes spying.

TunnelBear uses the top protocols: OpenVPN, IKEv2, and WireGuard. Unfortunately, they haven't integrated all 3 for all systems. For example, you can use either WireGuard or IKEv2 on Windows and iOS, but neither is available for Mac or Android. OpenVPN works across all devices, but it can't offer the speeds you'd get from WireGuard. The important feature, with relation to China, is what TunnelBear has titled "GhostBear." This feature runs on the Tor project, "Obfsproxy," which masks the camouflages your traffic, so that the firewall can't even recognize it's traveling via VPN.

If you plan to use TunnelBear while in China, make sure to download it prior to your trip. You'll find it's extremely difficult to find a reliable download link once you've arrived. You'll also want to make sure TunnelBear (using GhostBear) is activated before you open your browser for the first time. Also, make sure to clear your browser history and cache before you use that browser in China. You might even want to try a browser you've never used. You'll want to use a nearby server, because GhostBear slows things down a lot. Consider using a server from Hong Kong, Japan or South Korea.

PrivateVPN is based in Sweden, and offers an inexpensive option for those who need a good, user-friendly (though admittedly slow) VPN service. Keep in mind that the Swedish Government participates in the "14 Eyes" spying program, so you will be slightly exposed, but you're far better off having the Swedes spy on you than the Chinese. Furthermore, PrivateVPN's privacy policy is quite strict. The company doesn't log any traffic or user data, so even the Swedes aren't going to find much when they spy on you.

When it comes to protocols, PrivateVPN lists several options, including OpenVPN, IKEv2, and L2TP. You shouldn't have any trouble unlocking streaming services likes Amazon Prime, Disney+, HBO, Hulu, and Netflix. The platform also offers torrent-friendly servers, so if you're into downloading movies, you're in luck.

When in China, make sure you've set the protocol to L2TP, and make sure to active the Stealth mode, which will help hide the fact that you're on an VPN. PrivateVPN isn't the fastest VPN around, but if you connect to a nearby server, the speeds are good enough. 9Ranks recommends you connect to a server in Japan in at all possible. If not, try one in Hong Kong, though the Chinese have been cracking down heavily on internet activity in that region. If you can't connect to either country's servers, consider Canada as your back-up option.

Surfshark's stated goal is to develop "humanized privacy and security solutions." To that end, they developed a powerful VPN service that received several accolades, including CNN's Best VPN of 2020, and VPN Solution of the Year - 2022, at the CyberSecurity Breakthrough Awards. In 2022, the Indian Government ordered Surfshark to comply with the country's new Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), which would have required Surfshark to keep user logs and other data for 5 years. Surfshark immediately shut down all its servers in the region, stating they “proudly operates under a strict ‘no logs’ policy, so such new requirements go against the core ethos of the company."

Surfshark uses the most advanced protocols available: OpenVPN, IKEv2, and WireGuard, and even offers a manual WireGuard connection. You'll get the best speeds with WireGuard, and it's the best choice for tough firewalls, including China's. They also use RAM-Only servers, which greatly decrease a hacker's opportunities to breach a system, because so little data is present at any given time. In addition to its award-winning VPN, Surfshark offers a security suite that includes Alert (a data-leak system), Incogni (a personal-data removal system), and the aptly named Search (an add-free, private search engine). The entire bundle, titled Surfshark One, is available as add-on to a standard VPN subscription.

While there's no question Surfshark can breach China's firewall, the native version of the desktop app sometimes gets bogged down. If all you're planning to so is stream videos on Netflix, the native version should work fine. If you're a serious user, however, 9Ranks recommends you contact Surfshark's customer support, which is available by live chat, 24/7. They will help you manually configure your VPN, and provide you with special (secret) IP addresses they've recently tested and know will work. They'll also give you helpful tips on how best to surf the internet while in China.