Which VPN works in China in 2026, and how to set it up before your trip

Which VPN works in China is a question that cannot be answered with one brand name: what gets throttled there is not services but protocols. Plain WireGuard and OpenVPN do not get through at all; what works is traffic disguised as ordinary HTTPS — in NvoVPN that is the VLESS/Reality stealth mode. But the protocol matters less than preparation: in China you cannot download the app, and often cannot open a VPN site, so the four steps below need to happen before you board the plane.

1. 1

   Install the app and sign in while still at home

   Install NvoVPN on every device you are taking with you: Windows, macOS, Android, iPhone and iPad. Connect at least once so the app gets its server list, and stay signed in. Signing in with Google will not work in China — Google is blocked; if you registered with Google or Apple, set a password in your account, under "Settings".

2. 2

   Turn on "Maximum reliability"

   On the app's home screen, turn on the "Maximum reliability" toggle — the connection will go straight through stealth mode, without spending time trying the main protocol first. The same setting is under "Settings" → "Application" → "Stealth mode" → "Always on". You will not notice a difference at home; in China it saves up to a minute on every connection.

3. 3

   Save a backup client and the subscription link

   Install v2RayTun (iPhone, Android) or Hiddify (all platforms) and add the subscription link from your account → "Stealth mode" — with the "Connect in one tap" button, or by pasting the link. If the NvoVPN app cannot connect, you will have a second route with the same servers. While you are at it, make sure the subscription will not run out during the trip: the site for renewing it often does not open from China without a VPN.

4. 4

   Check that everything connects

   Press the shield and open "What is my IP" — you will see the server's address, not your provider's. Then connect through the backup client. There are no filters at home, so this only checks the app and sign-in, not getting past blocks — how to connect once you are there is below.

What does not work in China without a VPN

All of Google — Search, Gmail, Drive, Maps, YouTube; Instagram, Facebook, X, WhatsApp, Telegram; Netflix and Twitch; Wikipedia and most foreign news sites; some messaging and work tools like Slack and Discord. Russian-language sites open hit or miss: some are reachable, others fall under the same filters. Local apps — WeChat, Alipay, Didi, Baidu Maps and Amap, Taobao — work without a VPN, and you will need them.

Which VPNs work in China, and why an ordinary one does not get through

China's filtering system (the "Great Firewall") works on several levels at once: it spoofs DNS replies, blocks the addresses of foreign data centers, inspects packet contents and resets suspicious connections. It spots protocols with a recognizable "fingerprint" instantly: plain WireGuard and OpenVPN do not connect, and Shadowsocks is unstable. In spring 2026, filtering tightened again — analysis of how "random" traffic looks and inspection of encrypted DNS were added. According to independent tests from 2026, the most resilient option remains VLESS with Reality technology: the connection looks like an ordinary visit to a large public website, and the filter has nothing to tell it apart by. How this works is in "Why VPNs stop working and how stealth mode works".

How to get past blocks in China: connecting once you are there

1. Open the app and press the shield. NvoVPN's servers closest to China are in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, and the app usually picks those; European ones work too, but with higher latency.
2. Give the connection up to a minute: if the main protocol is throttled, the app switches to stealth mode by itself and shows "Connected in disguise mode". With "Maximum reliability" on, this happens right away.
3. Not connecting? Change the server. Still nothing? Open the backup client with the subscription and try another server from the list. Another option is switching between the hotel Wi-Fi and mobile data: carriers and providers filter differently.

Roaming: a way to get by without a VPN

In international roaming, your traffic goes to your home carrier's gateway and only reaches the internet from there. Chinese filters do not inspect it, so with a Russian or European SIM card in roaming, Google, WhatsApp and Telegram open with no VPN at all — you get your own country's internet with all its rules. The NvoVPN app works in roaming just as it does at home, over the main protocol. The downside is the price of roaming data. Travel eSIMs come in two kinds: ones that connect to Chinese networks directly get filtered like everything local; ones that route traffic through Hong Kong never see the filters — check with the seller how the plan works.

Chinese apps through the VPN

WeChat, Alipay and maps work with the VPN on too, but some local services are reluctant to accept requests from a foreign address — payments or ride-hailing can act up. Then exclude them from the tunnel: "Settings" → "Connection" → "App-based split tunneling" — add WeChat, Alipay, Didi, and they will go direct while everything else goes through the VPN. On iPhone there is no per-app split tunneling — it is easier to just turn the VPN off for a minute.

About the rules

Unauthorized VPN services have been banned in China since 2017 — liability falls primarily on providers and infrastructure operators; the amendments to the cybersecurity law that took effect on January 1, 2026 target them too. No cases of foreign tourists being punished simply for using a VPN are publicly known, and millions of visitors use one every day. This describes the practice and is not legal advice: rules change, so check current sources before your trip.

FAQ

Which server should I choose? "Auto" — the app picks the nearest working one. Manually: Kazakhstan or Kyrgyzstan for speed, Europe if you need a European address.

Is the trial enough to test it? Enough to test the connection, yes, but you need to test from China, not from home: there are no filters at home. Get a plan before the trip; paid plans come with a 30-day refund.

What about iPhone? Install the NvoVPN app from your region's App Store before the trip; in Russia, through TestFlight — see the iPhone guide. If you have a Chinese Apple ID, its store has no VPN apps — you will need an Apple ID from another region.

Is hotel Wi-Fi unfiltered? No, hotel and café networks are filtered just like everything else. Sometimes mobile data gets through better than Wi-Fi, sometimes the other way around — try both.

How fast will it be? Slower than at home: China's international links are congested, and stealth mode spends part of the bandwidth on disguise. Messengers, email and maps work fine; high-quality video not always.

Related guides: Why VPNs stop working and how stealth mode works · A Russian IP address abroad · Why your VPN is slow and how to speed it up