I wanted to share my experience with using VPNs in China. I arrived in Beijing and then went on to Tianjin, so this info is based on that area. Here’s a quick overview of what I found.
NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and ProtonVPN do not work at all.
Mullvad VPN works okay for me with a ping of 281ms, Download speed of 4.87 Mbps, and Upload speed of 45.5 Mbps. It connects reliably and has a good price. It allows up to 5 devices and connects primarily to servers in Sweden, and then in the UK and US.
LetsVPN works great, connects instantly, and is stable. The prices are pretty good too. It’s a bit surprising how well it works. My ping is 48ms, Download speed is 38.9 Mbps, and Upload speed is 43.5 Mbps. It connects to servers in Beijing, but the downside is it only allows two devices.
By the way, I was using VPNs on my secondary phone with all the China Apps. I also used it on my MacBook and iPad. I initially thought I would use a VPN on my main phone, but the eSIM I got from TSimTech (China Premium, on the App MobiMatter) works well without it. It reroutes traffic through Hong Kong, and everything works like it does back home with fast speeds and no problems. The only downside is that it’s only for one phone and doesn’t provide a phone number for calls or messages.
In the end, it may be best to combine options if it fits your budget. Hope this helps someone who plans to visit China soon.
I’m in Tianjin too and LetsVPN has been my go-to. It’s reliable but I can’t set it up on my router yet, which I’d like to do. Without a VPN, I get 1000 Mbps on the Chinese WiFi, but when I turn on LetsVPN, my speed drops to 50 Mbps max. Any tips to improve this?
I have Mullvad too but can’t find a decent server. I only get around 0.3 Mbps, which is pretty much useless. What servers do you use?
If you want a reliable connection all the time, you need to stay updated with the latest protocols and learn a bit about networking.
VPN services like LetsVPN work because local regulations are a little lenient. However, this means they could also be turned off easily. Astrill uses outdated protocols that are easily detected and can face shutdowns too. They don’t seem to improve much. Mullvad tends to use old technology (OpenVPN and WireGuard) that countries like China and Iran cracked down on long ago.
The newer option XRay-REALITY is hard to detect, but no commercial providers are using it yet.
There are many talented people working hard to stay ahead of censors, especially in places like China and Russia. The creator of SOCKS5 was a Chinese guy who was arrested over ten years ago.
If you are tech-savvy and comfortable setting up servers, you can find something that works regularly without hassles. Most people don’t want to go through that, which means they have to deal with continued connection problems.
Mori said:
Thank you for sharing your experience It’s helpful before moving to China Can I ask if Surfshark works well? And does LetsVPN handle streaming?
I tried Surfshark, but you have to regularly contact customer service for help with OpenVPN settings and that can be annoying.
Mori said:
Thank you for sharing your experience It’s helpful before moving to China Can I ask if Surfshark works well? And does LetsVPN handle streaming?
I don’t think Surfshark works properly, and I doubt that Netflix works with LetsVPN