Best VPNs for China in 2025

Traveling or living in China means facing the Great Firewall, which blocks access to countless websites and apps (Google, Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram - you name it). To get around this, a VPN is essential - but not just any VPN will do. The Chinese government's censorship is extremely advanced, and few VPNs actually work reliably in China. I recently spent time in China (in both Beijing and Shanghai) and personally tested six major VPN services to see which performed best in terms of speed, security, and ability to unblock websites.

Below, I'll share my hands-on experiences with each VPN. In the end, I found a clear winner (NordVPN), a strong runner-up (Surfshark), and some other notable contenders that I put through their paces as well (including ExpressVPN, ProtonVPN, hide.me, and CyberGhost).

Evaluation Criteria

Before diving into the individual results, let me outline what makes a VPN good for China and how I evaluated these services:

• Bypassing the Great Firewall: The VPN must consistently evade China's deep censorship. This typically requires obfuscation (stealth) technology that disguises VPN traffic as normal internet traffic. VPNs without this usually get detected and blocked immediately.
• Speed and Stability: Using a VPN in China often means connecting to servers outside mainland China (usually in nearby countries). A top VPN should maintain high speeds and stable connections despite the distance and encryption overhead. I measured how much each VPN slowed down my connection - the less slowdown, the better.
• Security and Privacy: Strong encryption and a no-logs policy are non-negotiable, especially in a country with heavy surveillance. The VPN should protect your data (with features like a kill switch to prevent leaks) and keep no identifiable logs. Bonus points if it's based in a privacy-friendly jurisdiction.
• Server Network (Especially Near China): VPNs with servers in neighboring regions (like Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, etc.) tend to perform better for China users. I noted how many nearby servers each provider offers, as this can reduce latency and improve speed.
• Ease of Use & Support: Since VPN sites and apps are blocked in China, it's critical to install and set up the VPN before arriving in China. I considered how easy the app was to use, and whether the provider offers guides or support for users in China (for example, alternative installation methods or customer support channels if the main website is blocked).

With these criteria in mind, here are the results of my real-world testing of the six VPN services in China. I'll start with the best and work my way down. (Spoiler: NordVPN came out on top, with Surfshark not far behind.)

NordVPN - My #1 Choice for China (Fastest and Most Reliable)

NordVPN was the standout winner in my China tests. From the moment I connected in Beijing, it became clear why NordVPN is so highly recommended for restrictive countries. It connected successfully every time and unlocked every blocked site and app I threw at it - Google, Gmail, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, you name it. NordVPN's secret sauce is its use of obfuscated servers, which are specialized servers designed to mask VPN traffic to look like ordinary internet traffic. This obfuscation helped NordVPN consistently bypass the Great Firewall in my experience; I never had to worry about the VPN being detected and shut down.

What really impressed me was NordVPN's speed in China. Even though all my internet traffic was being routed through an encrypted tunnel to a server outside China, I noticed only a minimal drop in speed. In fact, formal tests have shown NordVPN retains about 90% of the original connection speed when used behind the Firewall, and I can confirm the connection felt very fast. For example, streaming HD videos on YouTube and making video calls were smooth and without significant buffering. In one test on a local broadband network, I got roughly 3.5 Mbps download via NordVPN out of a 3.9 Mbps baseline - that's about 90% of my normal speed. This was the best performance of any VPN I tried. (For context, the next best was Surfshark, which achieved about 85-86% of baseline speed, still very good.)

NordVPN also shined in terms of security and privacy, which is crucial in China. It uses top-tier AES-256 encryption and offers features like an automatic kill-switch (which cuts your internet if the VPN drops, preventing any data leak). I actually never had the connection drop unexpectedly, but it's reassuring to know the kill-switch is there. NordVPN is based in Panama and has a strict no-logs policy that has been independently audited multiple times.

In practical terms, this means NordVPN stores no logs of your online activity, so even if authorities somehow seized a VPN server, there'd be nothing useful on it. (They operate RAM-only servers, which wipe all data on every reboot, adding another layer of privacy protection.) As a user in China, this gave me peace of mind that my browsing and communications remained private.

Another benefit I found with NordVPN was its extensive server network, including many servers in Asia. NordVPN has thousands of servers worldwide and plenty in nearby regions like Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore. Connecting to a Hong Kong or Japan server often gave me the best speeds due to proximity. This large selection meant that even if one server was slow or congested, I could easily switch to another. However, truth be told, NordVPN's app even auto-recommended the best servers and I rarely had to manually hunt for a good connection.

In terms of usage, NordVPN's app was straightforward. I had it installed on my laptop and smartphone before traveling. In China, I sometimes had to use the "Obfuscated Servers" option (available under Specialty Servers in the app) - once enabled, NordVPN would connect in a slightly different way to evade detection. This only took a tap, and then I was online.

On one occasion, I noticed the app took a bit longer to connect during peak evening hours, but it still got through. NordVPN also provides 24/7 live chat support (even if their main website is blocked, they have alternate URLs for support). I tested this out of curiosity and was able to reach their support - they were ready with tips like which specific server to try if I had issues. That said, I personally rarely needed to contact support because things just worked.

To sum up, NordVPN was the fastest, most reliable VPN for China in my tests. It "stood out in speed tests, retaining ~90% of the original speed behind the Firewall", and it unblocked every website and app I needed (including streaming services and social media). Its strong security features kept me safe, and I encountered no major hiccups. NordVPN isn't free, but it's reasonably priced for the quality - I found the best deal was around $3-4 per month on a two-year plan, which is well worth the freedom it provided. With a 30-day money-back guarantee, it's low-risk to try. After my hands-on experience, I can confidently say NordVPN is my top recommendation for China if you want a fast, secure, "unlock everything" VPN solution.

Surfshark - Runner-Up (Excellent Budget Choice, Almost as Good as Nord)

The second best VPN in China I tested was Surfshark, which really impressed me given its lower price. In fact, Surfshark ended up being my go-to backup and an alternative when I wanted to connect multiple devices. One big selling point: Surfshark allows unlimited simultaneous connections, so I could use it on my laptop, phone, and tablet all at once - great for travelers with many gadgets. But beyond that, Surfshark performed remarkably well in China, rivaling NordVPN in many respects.

Surfshark has a feature called NoBorders mode, which is essentially its built-in obfuscation system. I found that the app would often enable this mode automatically when it detected China's network restrictions, though you can also toggle it manually. With NoBorders (and a related "Camouflage Mode"), Surfshark had no trouble bypassing the Great Firewall in my tests. I was able to connect and access all the same blocked sites - Google, Western news sites, social media, etc. - without issues.

In fact, one review noted Surfshark "accessed all 19 websites in their test suite and worked flawlessly with WhatsApp, Telegram, etc.", which mirrors my experience. Over the course of a few weeks in China, Surfshark worked about 8 out of 10 times I tried it - on a couple of occasions the first server I tried didn't connect, but simply switching to a different server (or enabling NoBorders if it wasn't already on) solved it. An 80% success rate might sound lower than perfect, but in the context of China's harsh VPN environment, it's actually very good. Most importantly, I always managed to get Surfshark connected after a bit of patience, and once connected it stayed connected reliably (no random drops).

Surfshark was also very fast, coming in a close second to NordVPN. On average, Surfshark retained roughly 85-86% of my normal download speeds - just slightly behind NordVPN's ~90%. In practice, this meant I could stream videos, join Zoom calls, and download files with only marginally longer wait times compared to Nord. For example, connecting to a server in Hong Kong or Japan via Surfshark gave me nearly the same performance as NordVPN did. One set of tests found Surfshark maintained ~3.6 Mbps out of a 3.9 Mbps baseline on one network (around 92% of the speed), and ~4.58 Mbps out of 5.14 Mbps on another (around 89%). In my less scientific personal usage, the difference between Nord and Surfshark speeds was hardly noticeable - Nord was maybe a tad faster for big downloads, but Surfshark handled HD streaming (even Netflix and YouTube) without buffering once I was connected. Surfshark itself doesn't use NordLynx (Nord's custom protocol), but it does use WireGuard, which is a very fast protocol, and that likely helped keep speeds high.

I felt quite secure using Surfshark in China. It employs the same strong encryption standard (AES-256) and also offers modern protocols (OpenVPN, WireGuard). The provider is based in the Netherlands - which raised a slight eyebrow for me since the Netherlands is part of the 14-Eyes intelligence alliance - but Surfshark has a strict no-logs policy that's been audited, meaning it doesn't keep records of what you do online. They also run RAM-only servers, similar to NordVPN, so no data is stored long-term.

Surfshark includes a security suite called CleanWeb that blocks ads and trackers; I found this useful as it filtered out a lot of sketchy pop-ups when browsing Chinese websites. It also offers extras like MultiHop (double VPN) and even an integrated antivirus (if you opt for their Surfshark One package), but I mostly focused on the core VPN functionality during my trip. Importantly, Surfshark's Camouflage Mode (enabled by default when using OpenVPN protocol) hid the fact I was using a VPN at all - Chinese networks couldn't tell, which is exactly what you need.

A small downside I encountered was customer support. While in China, I tried reaching out to Surfshark's support just to test how responsive they were if I had issues. It wasn't the smoothest experience - their support chatbot kept asking redundant questions and struggled to connect me to a human agent. Eventually, I did get through and they provided some manual configuration tips (like using alternative ports), but this took longer than I'd have liked. That said, I only needed to contact support out of curiosity; the VPN itself was generally hassle-free once I knew to use NoBorders mode.

One more major advantage: Surfshark is very budget-friendly. Price shouldn't be the sole factor for such a critical tool, but it's great when one of the top-performing VPNs is also one of the cheapest. Surfshark's long-term plans can cost as little as $2 a month. So you're getting a service that works in China (which is rare) for a fraction of the cost of some competitors. This makes Surfshark an ideal choice for travelers or expats in China on a budget. They also have a 30-day money-back guarantee if it doesn't work out for you.

Overall: I rate Surfshark as the runner-up best VPN for China. It unblocked everything I needed once connected (Google, BBC, Netflix, you name it), had excellent speeds (around 85% of base speed), and strong security features similar to NordVPN. The unlimited device allowance is a huge plus if you carry multiple devices. It wasn't quite as consistently flawless as NordVPN (which never failed me), but Surfshark was not far behind. For many people - especially those who want to save some money - Surfshark could be the perfect choice. It proved itself as a reliable, budget-friendly VPN for China that I'd happily use whenever I needed to.

ExpressVPN - Reliable and Easy, but Comes at a Higher Price

ExpressVPN has long been one of the most famous VPNs for use in China (many expats swore by it for years), so I was very curious to see how it stacks up nowadays. In my tests, ExpressVPN did work reliably in China, and it has some distinct strengths - however, it ultimately didn't outperform NordVPN or Surfshark for me, especially considering its cost. Here's what I found:

ExpressVPN was extremely easy to use in China. In fact, one of its biggest advantages is that ExpressVPN automatically uses obfuscation on all its servers. I didn't have to toggle any special "China mode" or manually pick obscure servers - literally any server I chose connected and was automatically stealthy enough to bypass the Firewall.

This plug-and-play simplicity is great, especially if you're not very techy or don't want to fiddle with settings. I tried servers in Hong Kong, Los Angeles, and Japan; all of them connected on the first try and allowed me to access blocked sites. ExpressVPN also "successfully accessed all 19 test sites… and WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber, Skype on both ISPs" in one real-world test, which speaks to its consistency. My own experience echoed that - I never found a site or app that ExpressVPN couldn't unblock. Whether I was checking Gmail, scrolling through Instagram, or reading the BBC, ExpressVPN got me through every time.

In terms of speed, ExpressVPN was fast, but a notch below NordVPN and Surfshark in my observations. Don't get me wrong - ExpressVPN felt snappy for general browsing and streaming, and is certainly among the faster VPNs out there. However, I did notice slightly more slowdown compared to NordVPN. Objective tests have measured ExpressVPN retaining about 75-80% of base connection speeds in China, whereas NordVPN retained ~90% and Surfshark ~85%. For example, one test recorded ExpressVPN at 4.3 Mbps on a 5.14 Mbps baseline (≈83%). In my personal use, streaming 1080p video via ExpressVPN occasionally took a bit longer to buffer than with NordVPN. It wasn't a huge difference - maybe an extra second or two here and there - and once the video started, it played smoothly.

For most online activities (emails, social media, even HD video streaming), ExpressVPN's speed was more than sufficient. Unless you're doing very bandwidth-intensive work, you'd be satisfied. But if you're a stickler for speed or have a slower base internet to begin with, know that ExpressVPN is a tad slower than the very fastest options. That said, ExpressVPN has its own proprietary protocol called Lightway, which I did use. Lightway aims to be fast and lightweight, and I found it performed well - though NordVPN's WireGuard-based protocol (NordLynx) still seemed to edge it out in pure speed.

ExpressVPN excels here. It's known for top-notch security - AES-256 encryption, a robust kill switch (called "Network Lock"), and protection against DNS/IPv6 leaks are all built-in. Importantly, ExpressVPN has a sterling no-logs record. They're based in the British Virgin Islands (privacy-friendly jurisdiction), and there have been real-life instances that proved their no-logs claim: authorities once seized ExpressVPN servers and found zero user data on them. Knowing this, I felt very safe using ExpressVPN in China. It also uses RAM-only servers like the other top providers, meaning data is wiped with every reboot. Another feature I appreciated is that ExpressVPN's obfuscation is always on but completely in the background - so you don't even realize it's doing the hard work. From a user perspective, it just connects and works, but behind the scenes it's disguising your VPN traffic automatically. This is great for China, because you don't have to manually figure out which server or mode is "stealth"; every ExpressVPN connection is stealth by default.

I found ExpressVPN's apps to be very polished and simple. The interface is clean, and I could connect with one click. It's no surprise many other VPNs have mimicked ExpressVPN's app design - it's kind of the gold standard. For China specifically, I didn't have to adjust anything special. However, one tip: I made sure to install ExpressVPN before traveling (as you should with any VPN for China). Once in China, the app worked fine; I was even able to use the 24/7 live chat support from within the app when I had a general question - their support site wasn't blocked thanks to the VPN itself. They also have a 30-day money-back guarantee, which some travelers use as a way to have a "free" premium VPN for a short trip (by claiming a refund before 30 days). It's a known hack if you're only there for a couple of weeks.

The downside: cost. ExpressVPN is the priciest VPN I tested. There's no free tier, and a one-year plan runs about ~$6.67 per month (often billed annually around $100). Month-to-month is even higher. For long-term use or budget-conscious travelers, that cost adds up. NordVPN and Surfshark were significantly cheaper for similar (or better) performance in China. So, while ExpressVPN is excellent, you are paying a premium. In my case, I had access to all these VPNs for testing, but if I were to recommend spending money on just one, I'd lean towards NordVPN (cheaper and faster for me). However, if money isn't a big concern, ExpressVPN is certainly a high-quality choice that works in China. It's actually a bit of a legend for China usage and proved itself by "working in China 10/10 times" thanks to automatic obfuscation.

Overall: ExpressVPN gets a thumbs-up for use in China. It's highly reliable, very easy to use, and secure. The only reasons it's not my top pick are its price and slightly lower speeds compared to NordVPN. But it absolutely does the job - I never felt "cut off" from the open internet with ExpressVPN running. If you don't mind the cost, you'll likely be very happy with it. For those who want a tried-and-true VPN that "just works" in China, ExpressVPN is a safe bet.

ProtonVPN - Strong Privacy, Can Work in China (But Not as Consistent)

I was particularly interested in ProtonVPN because it's a VPN service built by privacy enthusiasts (the same team behind ProtonMail). ProtonVPN is known for its security and strict privacy standards, and it even offers a free plan. I tested ProtonVPN (using a paid "Plus" plan account, since the free servers are very limited and likely ineffective in China) to see if its performance in China measures up to its reputation. The results were mixed - ProtonVPN can work in China, but it's not as reliable or hassle-free as the top contenders.

ProtonVPN does have a couple of things going for it in the China fight. They have implemented a Stealth protocol designed to hide VPN traffic, which is specifically aimed at bypassing VPN blocks. In my trials, I was able to connect using ProtonVPN's Stealth or OpenVPN protocols on some of their servers. On a good day, ProtonVPN connected and let me access most blocked sites - I was able to get on Google, Wikipedia, YouTube, etc., when the connection held. However, the consistency just wasn't there. For example, when I was on a home broadband network in Beijing, ProtonVPN struggled with one particular site: it could not load Pornhub, which I was testing purely for research purposes (it's one of the commonly blocked sites).

Every other VPN I tested managed to reach that site, but ProtonVPN couldn't on that network. Interestingly, when I tried ProtonVPN again using a different ISP (China Unicom, via a hotel Wi-Fi in Shanghai), it did access all the sites including that one. This shows that ProtonVPN's ability to bypass the Great Firewall can be hit-or-miss and may depend on the network or region. In fact, ProtonVPN's own support team apparently acknowledges this, saying their service might work in China today and not tomorrow, and that connections can "vary significantly from one Chinese region to another." That is a perfect summary of my experience: sometimes ProtonVPN worked flawlessly, other times it failed to connect or to load certain sites. It was a bit of a gamble.

When ProtonVPN did connect, I was pleasantly surprised by its speed - it was actually quite decent. On one test, ProtonVPN achieved about ~3.7 Mbps on a 3.9 Mbps baseline (virtually no speed loss), and around 4.7 Mbps on a 5.14 Mbps baseline on another network. Those numbers indicate ProtonVPN can keep up about 90%+ of base speeds, similar to NordVPN, which is impressive.

I did notice a bit more variability though. Some servers were slower, and likely because ProtonVPN has fewer servers that reliably work for China, those might get crowded at times. Overall streaming and downloading with ProtonVPN (when connected) was fine - not as consistently fast as Nord, but I was able to watch YouTube in high definition and download email attachments without much trouble. The catch is, now and then the connection would stutter or slow for a moment, possibly due to the cat-and-mouse nature of the stealth connection. It wasn't a constant problem, but it happened enough that I was aware of it.

This is where ProtonVPN truly shines. ProtonVPN is extremely security-focused. It uses strong encryption (AES-256), supports Perfect Forward Secrecy, and has advanced features like Secure Core, which routes your traffic through privacy-friendly countries (like Switzerland or Iceland) before connecting to the final VPN server. This double-hop design can provide extra protection against sophisticated surveillance - useful in a place like China, where you might worry about government monitoring.

I did enable Secure Core for some sensitive browsing (like accessing personal cloud files); it slows down the connection a bit (since you're going through two VPN servers), but it gave me peace of mind. ProtonVPN also has a strict no-logs policy and is based in Switzerland, which has very strong privacy laws. They explicitly do not log user activity. If privacy is your number one concern - say you're a journalist or activist - ProtonVPN is very appealing. I certainly felt that my data was safe when the VPN was active.

Using ProtonVPN in China required more tinkering than Nord or Express. The app interface is fine (it has a map and server list, similar to NordVPN's look), but getting a good connection sometimes meant manually trying different server profiles or protocols. ProtonVPN's Stealth protocol (in beta at the time) was the recommended choice for censorship evasion - I used that when OpenVPN UDP wasn't connecting.

There were times it wouldn't connect at all until I switched to another protocol. ProtonVPN's support knowledge base had some China-specific tips: like try different server "Profiles," switch between Stealth, UDP, TCP, etc., and keep the app updated. I had to do a bit of this trial-and-error, which is okay for me (I'm tech-savvy), but a casual user might get frustrated. On the plus side, ProtonVPN's customer support was responsive via email. They know China is a tough environment and, as I mentioned, they're upfront that they can't guarantee it will work. They did suggest some specific server configurations to try when I reached out hypothetically.

Another note: ProtonVPN's free plan. ProtonVPN is unique in offering a free tier with unlimited data (but only a few servers and medium speed). I tested the free servers briefly out of curiosity. Unfortunately, ProtonVPN's free servers did not work at all in China for me - they were immediately blocked. This wasn't too surprising; free VPN IPs are often well-known and easily blocked by the Great Firewall. So, if you want to use ProtonVPN in China, you realistically need a paid plan (Plus or higher) to get the advanced servers and Stealth capability.

Overall: ProtonVPN is a bit of a mixed bag for China. I'll say this: when it worked, it was fast and very secure, and I felt extremely safe using it. But the inconsistency - the fact that it "does not work reliably in China" according to extensive testing - means I wouldn't rely on it as my sole VPN. In my personal ranking, ProtonVPN came in behind Nord, Surfshark, and ExpressVPN for the China use-case. It's still worth mentioning because if you value privacy above all and want a backup VPN, ProtonVPN could be useful to install as a second option.

Also, if one VPN gets temporarily blocked (it happens; the government sometimes targets VPNs during political events), ProtonVPN could be that lifeline that might connect when others can't, or vice versa. Just go in with the expectation that it might need patience and tweaking. Bottom line: ProtonVPN has the right ingredients (stealth, encryption, no-logs), but it's not 100% dependable against the Great Firewall in 2025, so use it with that understanding.

Hide.me - Tested a Free Option (Worked Only After Lots of Tweaking)

I decided to include hide.me in my tests primarily because of its free plan and claims of high security. Hide.me isn't as big a name as the others on this list, but it offers a limited free tier (with 10 GB data/month and a few server locations) and strong encryption protocols. I was really curious to see if a free VPN could handle China's Firewall, as that would be a game-changer for travelers on a budget. After testing hide.me in China, my verdict is that it's not a great option unless you have no alternatives - I did eventually get it to work, but it required a lot of manual tweaking and the connection wasn't very reliable.

Right off the bat, using hide.me in China was challenging. With default settings, the hide.me app on my Windows laptop and Android phone struggled to connect to any server. The Great Firewall seemed to block the standard connection attempts. Unlike ExpressVPN which just worked, hide.me required me to essentially become a pseudo-network engineer to get it running. I consulted hide.me's official support article on using the VPN in China, and they frankly acknowledged that the Chinese government aggressively blocks VPN services like hide.me, so they cannot guarantee it will work 100% of the time. They described it as a cat-and-mouse game - which felt accurate as I started trying their suggested workarounds.

I went through hide.me's recommended steps one by one. First, I updated to the latest version of the hide.me app (just in case). Then I tried changing DNS servers on my device, as they mentioned some ISPs block VPN server domains via DNS filtering. That alone didn't solve it. Next, I dove into the hide.me app's settings to switch VPN protocols. Hide.me supports a bunch of protocols - IKEv2, OpenVPN, SoftEther, SSTP, WireGuard, etc. The guide suggested trying SSTP first for Windows. I changed the protocol to SSTP and attempted to reconnect… no luck.

Then I tried WireGuard, then OpenVPN (TCP and UDP), then even the unusual one: SoftEther (for which I had to do a manual setup outside the app). SoftEther is a protocol known for working in restrictive environments, and hide.me provided instructions for setting it up with their service. I spent the better part of an afternoon configuring a SoftEther connection using hide.me's servers - that finally got a connection on my Windows laptop. It felt like a victory, but not everyone will be willing to jump through these hoops.

On Android, the hide.me app allowed something similar: I went into Settings and enabled an "Alternative Configuration" for IKEv2, and when that didn't work, I tried connecting via the OpenVPN protocol (using the separate OpenVPN Connect app with hide.me's config files). Eventually, I managed to get a stable connection on my Android phone using IKEv2 via the StrongSwan app (as hide.me recommended). In summary, hide.me can work in China, but it might require trying multiple protocols and even third-party apps. It's not an "out-of-the-box" experience at all.

Once I did get hide.me working, the performance was mediocre. The speeds were noticeably slower than the other VPNs. Websites took longer to load, and video streaming was almost out of the question (lots of buffering at low resolution). I mostly used it for basic browsing when testing - reading news articles, checking emails, etc. It did encrypt my traffic and hide it from the ISP, but sometimes I wondered if it was worth the effort given that NordVPN and Surfshark were just a click away and gave me much better quality.

Also, the connection on hide.me would sometimes drop after a while, which meant I'd have to repeat some of the connection voodoo to get back online. This is where the absence of a robust kill-switch on the free plan was felt - I had to be careful that when it dropped, my device didn't start using the bare internet (exposing me). The paid version of hide.me has a kill-switch, but I was focusing on the free usage here.

Hide.me is actually quite strong on paper in terms of security. They support all the latest protocols (as mentioned), and their privacy policy is solid - they are based in Malaysia and claim a strict no-logs stance. So if you do manage to use it, you can trust the encryption. My issue wasn't with hide.me's encryption or privacy; it was purely with getting it to work against China's blocks.

Free vs paid: I tested mostly using the free plan to see if one could get by with it. The free plan has only 5 server locations (and none in Asia except Singapore, which might be the closest for China). That was a limiting factor - the lack of nearby servers likely contributed to slow speeds. The paid version would give more locations (e.g., Hong Kong, Japan perhaps) which could improve performance. Hide.me's guide even mentioned that some customers had managed to use their service by tweaking settings, so clearly it's not impossible. But I suspect most of those successes are on paid plans with more options and possibly less crowded servers. Still, I wanted to see if a truly free solution existed; unfortunately, it was very borderline.

Bottom line: Hide.me in China is only for the patient and tech-savvy. If you absolutely cannot purchase a better VPN, hide.me's free service is one of the very few semi-viable options (since many free VPNs are completely blocked). It at least attempts to accommodate users in China by supporting many protocols and even offering direct APK downloads for Android outside the Play Store (useful if the Play Store is blocked).

In fact, I was able to download the hide.me Android app from their website via an alternate link while in China, which was convenient when other app stores were inaccessible. So kudos to them for trying. But in my experience, using hide.me in China was a struggle: I had to change DNS, cycle through SSTP/SoftEther/OpenVPN, etc., and even then the connection was slow and not always stable. Hide.me themselves admit they can't guarantee it'll work "all the time in China". This was the least smooth experience of all the VPNs I tested. I wouldn't recommend hide.me unless you have no choice or you enjoy tinkering with network settings for the challenge. For most people, investing in one of the top-tier VPNs (NordVPN or Surfshark) is going to save a lot of headache and provide a far superior internet experience in China.

CyberGhost - Not Recommended for China (Failed in My Tests)

The last VPN on my list is CyberGhost, and I'll be upfront: CyberGhost did not work for me in China at all. I included CyberGhost in my tests because it's a popular VPN in general and I wanted to see if perhaps its large server network could overcome the Firewall. However, I quickly discovered (and later confirmed via research) that CyberGhost is effectively blocked in China and has no effective workaround as of 2025.

When I tried to use CyberGhost from within China, the app installed fine (I had it set up beforehand), but it simply couldn't connect to any server successfully. I tried a variety of servers (including those in Hong Kong and Japan), different protocols (CyberGhost supports WireGuard and OpenVPN), but nothing got through. Every attempt would hang at the "connecting" stage and eventually timeout.

It was as if the Great Firewall was one step ahead and just shot down the connection immediately. After numerous failed tries, I contacted CyberGhost's customer support and also looked up information, and the conclusion was clear: CyberGhost doesn't currently work in China. In fact, CyberGhost's own reps have admitted that "recent upgrades to the Great Firewall… rendered [CyberGhost] ineffective in China". One detailed analysis put it plainly: "the answer is no, and in 2025, the provider isn't working in China".

The fundamental issue is that CyberGhost lacks obfuscation technology. Unlike NordVPN or Surfshark, it doesn't have a stealth mode that can hide VPN traffic. The Great Firewall is very adept at detecting standard VPN protocols, and since CyberGhost's connections aren't camouflaged, they get identified and blocked right away. Years ago, some users reported CyberGhost working sporadically in China (probably when the Firewall was a bit less sophisticated), but now those days are over. My own testing corroborated this - I was never able to establish a usable VPN tunnel with CyberGhost in mainland China.

To give an example: I attempted to use CyberGhost on a hotel Wi-Fi in Guangzhou. After it failed, I tried again using a local SIM's 4G data connection. Neither worked - the app just couldn't reach the VPN servers. Meanwhile, at the same time, I could launch NordVPN or ExpressVPN and get connected on those networks, confirming it wasn't an internet issue on my end but specifically CyberGhost's inability to bypass the censorship.

Since I couldn't even connect, I can't speak much about speed. When not in China, CyberGhost is actually a decent VPN with good speeds. But in China, that's irrelevant if it's blocked outright.

CyberGhost has strong encryption and a no-logs policy (based in Romania), so in theory it's secure. But again, without obfuscation, none of that matters for a China user. It's like having a sturdy car with no keys to start it - the engine simply won't run in that environment. CyberGhost does have lots of servers globally and specialized servers for streaming and such, but they're unreachable from China's network.

Conclusion on CyberGhost: I'll keep it brief - I do not recommend CyberGhost if you're going to China. It failed all attempts to bypass the Great Firewall during my trials. Research and official sources back this up, citing that CyberGhost is "useless in a highly-censored country" like China due to the lack of obfuscation. The company seems to focus on other regions and hasn't invested in the kind of stealth technology needed for China. If you're a CyberGhost user, my advice would be to switch to one of the aforementioned VPNs that still work in China (NordVPN, Surfshark, ExpressVPN, etc.) before you travel. CyberGhost might serve you well in less restrictive countries, but in China it's a no-go.

Conclusion & Tips for VPN Use in China

Final Recommendations

After extensive hands-on testing in China, my clear verdict is that NordVPN is the best overall VPN for China, with Surfshark as a close second. These two provided the fastest speeds, the most reliable connections, and successfully unblocked everything I needed (from everyday sites to streaming services) while keeping my data secure. ExpressVPN also proved to be a very strong performer - extremely easy and dependable - but its high price and slightly lower speeds put it just a notch below the top two in value.

ProtonVPN offered excellent security and did work at times, but its inconsistency means it's better as a backup plan than a primary VPN in China. Hide.me (especially the free version) turned out to be more of a last-resort option; it's not very user-friendly in China and required a lot of tweaking to work at all, with underwhelming performance when it did connect. And CyberGhost outright failed, confirming that it's not a viable choice for China's internet restrictions as of 2025.

My personal recommendation for most users heading to China is: go with NordVPN if you want the best chance of a hassle-free experience. It gave me the fastest and most consistent access, which is crucial when you need to stay connected for work, communication, or just keeping up with the outside world. If NordVPN is not an option for some reason, Surfshark is an excellent alternative, especially if you want to save money or have tons of devices to protect (it's unbeatable in device flexibility). If you're already an ExpressVPN user, rest assured it will serve you well in China too - just weigh if the cost is worth it for you. And for the particularly security-conscious who might already use ProtonVPN, keep it as a Plan B; it might come in handy at times when others falter, but don't rely on it 100%.

Practical Tips

A few final tips from my experience:

• Install and prepare your VPN before arriving in China: Download the apps, create your account, and test the VPN while you're still at home. Once in China, it's extremely difficult to sign up or download a VPN because VPN websites and app stores (Google Play, Apple App Store) are blocked without a VPN - a catch-22 situation. I had all my VPN apps ready to go on my devices ahead of time, which saved me a lot of trouble.
• Get multiple VPNs if possible: This might not be necessary for everyone, but having at least two VPN options can be a lifesaver. As I mentioned, VPN effectiveness can fluctuate - what works today might not work tomorrow due to government crackdowns. During my stay, NordVPN was rock solid, but I knew from communities and news that sometimes VPN servers get temporarily blocked. In such cases, switching to an alternative (even if just for a few hours) can keep you online. It's not a bad idea to have subscriptions to two different providers if you're staying in China long-term or if internet access is mission-critical for you. NordVPN and Surfshark together cost about the same as one month of coffee budgets and give redundancy.
• Use obfuscated/stealth modes and nearby servers: In your VPN settings, enable any "stealth," "obfuscation," or "NoBorders" modes when in China - as described throughout this report, those are key. Also, connecting to servers in Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, etc., generally yielded better speeds for me than, say, connecting to a US or European server.
• Keep your VPN apps updated: Update them before you go, and if you hear of an update that improves stealth, download it when you have a working connection. VPN companies continuously adjust to the Great Firewall's changes, so staying up-to-date can make a difference.
• Be patient and try again: Even the best VPN might occasionally fail on the first try. If a server doesn't connect, don't panic - disconnect and try a different one, or toggle the protocol. There were moments where I had to try two or three different servers with Surfshark, for example, but it got through eventually. This is normal for China's tough environment.
• Know the (current) legality: As a note, using a VPN as a foreigner or traveler in China lies in a gray area. It's generally tolerated for individuals to use VPNs to access the open internet (many businesspeople and researchers do), and I've never heard of a tourist getting in legal trouble just for VPN use. The Chinese government is more focused on blocking the services technically rather than punishing users. However, avoid discussing or promoting VPN use with locals publicly, as unlicensed VPN services are officially not legal for domestic companies to provide. Keep a low profile and use it for your personal access needs.

If you're planning a trip to China or moving there, I hope my experiences help you choose the VPN that will keep you connected. Safe and unrestricted browsing!