Best VPN for China 2026: Astrill, ExpressVPN, Surfshark

Already in Shenzhen and unable to connect? Start with the connection troubleshooting guide.

Install your chosen VPN before you leave, sign in, and save its support instructions. Then make a separate plan for mobile data. A VPN cannot give an offline phone an internet connection, and a successful test at home does not prove it will connect from Shenzhen.

If you already pay for a VPN, check that provider's current China guidance before buying another subscription. For a short trip, the useful comparison is the full amount charged, the devices covered and the refund conditions. A low monthly figure on a two-year plan can be an expensive answer to a one-week visit.

Choose by your device and support options

This September 18 update is based on provider documentation. It is not a new connection or speed test in Shenzhen. The earlier version reported an April 10–15 field test; those results cannot establish which provider will work on your hotel or mobile network today. We have removed the conflicting success percentages and the current-speed ranking.

ExpressVPN: its current connection guide starts with Automatic, which usually selects Lightway. It also recommends updating the app and trying a recommended location. Our previous instruction to avoid Lightway and force OpenVPN was too categorical. In a restrictive network, follow support's current device-specific advice.

Surfshark: its China support section provides manual WireGuard instructions for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS. Save the relevant guide. That documentation does not establish a success rate on Shenzhen hotel WiFi or Chinese mobile data.

Astrill: review its current plans and confirm your device's features with support. Do not assume a feature shown for one operating system is available on another.

No provider is a guaranteed connection for the whole trip. Keep booking details and a way to contact your hotel available without relying on one app.

Set up before departure

1. Install from the provider's official website or verified app-store listing.
2. Sign in on each device you intend to use. Check that you can recover the account if your usual email or phone number is unreachable.
3. Save the support page and any instructions for your operating system locally.
4. Confirm how you will get online on arrival: roaming, a travel eSIM or a local SIM.
5. Save your hotel's Chinese name, address and booking confirmation. Have a contact method agreed with anyone meeting you.

Do not leave installation until a hotel login screen is your only route online. Downloads and access to overseas services can be restricted. The maps guide covers another useful preparation step: save the destination details you need, and check what your chosen map app actually offers offline for Shenzhen.

VPN, travel eSIM or roaming?

These solve different parts of the trip. A SIM or eSIM plan supplies a mobile connection. A VPN works over an existing connection. Access to a particular service depends on the plan, network and service itself.

Before buying a travel eSIM or using your home plan, ask:

• Will the exact apps I need work on this plan in mainland China?
• Does it allow tethering to my laptop, and is there a separate limit?
• Is my phone supported and unlocked?
• What happens when the data allowance runs out?

Do not assume every travel eSIM needs a separate VPN, or that every travel eSIM makes every app available. See the China eSIM guide for the plan checks. For work, confirm your employer's approved access method before the trip.

What about a free VPN for China?

Do not build an important call or arrival pickup around an app you have never used. Check who operates it, its privacy terms, data limits and available support. Paying does not guarantee access either; the point is to prepare an alternative and know how to get help.

Avoid downloading an unfamiliar installer from a message or a random mirror when you are stuck. Use the provider's own support channel.

If the connection fails in Shenzhen

First check whether the underlying internet connection works. A hotel may require a login page, or your mobile data allowance may have run out. Fix that before changing VPN settings.

Then update or restart the provider's app as its support guide directs, try a recommended location, and contact support if it still fails. If you have another connection available, test it to separate a local-network problem from an app problem. There is no fixed server-country order that is fastest for everyone.

For a failed payment, check the transaction history before trying again. Read the error message and check your card authorization and internet connection. Pausing a VPN can help diagnose a connection issue; it is not proof that Alipay or WeChat Pay blocks every VPN user. Continue with the payment setup guide or Alipay troubleshooting.

Paying for the subscription

Use the methods shown at your own checkout. Country, currency and buying through an app store rather than directly can change the available options. Our earlier claim that Astrill and LetsVPN were the only services accepting Alipay and WeChat Pay was not supported by the checkout evidence.

Check the upfront charge, renewal date and refund conditions before confirming. Keep control of your own account; do not send a stranger your password or buy shared login credentials.

Affiliate disclosure: the Surfshark link below is an affiliate link, so a purchase may earn us a commission. It does not establish that Surfshark will work on your connection.

Check Surfshark's current plans and terms →

Check the rules before you travel

Do not treat a travel blog as a guarantee that visitors are exempt from local internet rules. Read the UK government's China travel advice and your own country's current guidance. Business travelers should also confirm their employer's approved setup.

Do next

Choose your mobile data setup, save your hotel and map details, and prepare payments. Those are the things you will need before the first taxi ride.