My subscription with ExpressVPN is about to expire. It’s fine but I don’t know if it’s the best VPN provider anymore. I plan to stay in China for another year or so and a VPN is necessary. Which VPN provider(s) do you consider to work best in China? Or should I just stick with ExpressVPN?
Nord VPN and Astrill are the other two I see recommended a lot.
AstrillVPN. Never let me down, and all my friends with Express got fucked several times during crackdowns.
I can use the USA - China Optimized 1 server 95% of the time, and in case that one’s not working, China Supercharged 2 covers the gap.
Only once (beginning of the Hongkong crisis) were both down for like a day or 2, but I could easily use the server in Singapore.
Or literally any of the European ones, but they are a bit slower due to the distance.
I found NordVPN to be respectable. Though, oddly, it seemed far more stable and reliable as the VPN for my Android phone than for my Windows PC. I was there in June, and I had to use the “obfuscated server” feature the entire time. Part of the reason I got it was that it’s one of the best VPNs for Netflix.
I’ve been curious about Lantern. It’s technically not a VPN - it uses some other process - but I know a native Chinese who got her PhD at an American university who swears by it. I experimented with the free version while I was in China, and it seemed to work well, but I’m curious more about long term use.
SGreen - Chinese VPN much cheaper than express and works so much better!
ShadowsocksR, V2Ray and Trojan-GFW
East or west pandapow is best
I was hoping we wouldn’t talk about llirtsa only because I’m stupid and greedy and I hope they they wouldn’t
catch on.
I’m quite happy with OpenInternetGlobal, easy to setup and they use shadowsocks servers, so theoretically faster than VPN
I think Nordvpn is a good option, maybe windscribe
I’d stick with expressVPN I’ve used them in China recently and was all good
Ditto, Astrill. Had it for years with few if any problems. Their customer service has always been good.
Upgrade to the Stealth VPN option, too, in case you ever need it.
Can you use it with Netflix? My subscription to Express is about to expire and I’m thinking of getting Astrill as well.
Just a sort of ignorant question…why do you trust China servers with all that’s being going on?
I found NordVPN to be respectable. Though, oddly, it seemed far more stable and reliable as the VPN for my Android phone than for my Windows PC. I was there in June, and I had to use the “obfuscated server” feature the entire time. Part of the reason I got it was that it’s one of the best VPNs for Netflix.
I’ve been curious about Lantern. It’s technically not a VPN - it uses some other process - but I know a native Chinese who got her PhD at an American university who swears by it. I experimented with the free version while I was in China, and it seemed to work well, but I’m curious more about long term use.
NordVPN never worked for me in the province I went to. Since the firewall is regional, it really depends on your luck.
Honestly, when I’m at the library and astrill/express is dying no matter what server I switch too, I’ll see someone still accessed to YouTube with their local vpn. Thanks for the name.
Do you really want a VPN with servers managed by a Chinese company? All your traffic is routed straight through the government.
Can you help me set that up? Maybe with Streisand?
We wouldn’t talk about…what?
Agree. Express used to be good until users (and the company) made it a viable target for blocking, with positive reviews etc. Why make it easy for them by identifying solutions for bypassing the GFW? Start posting that your VPN sucks, never works etc. Confusing the Internet Police is best, after all.
I myself use a satellite messenger to communicate. Don’t forget to wrap a Lipton’s teabag around the antenna.
Upgrade? It was enabled by default in my plan. Isn’t it supposed to be?