Great Firewall

• Best VPN for China 2026 - What Actually Works Behind the Great Firewall

  Feb 19, 2026

  China’s Great Firewall blocks most VPN protocols and actively detects and disrupts VPN connections. The vast majority of VPNs simply don’t work in China — even many that claim they do.

  We tested from mainland China (Shanghai and Beijing) in January 2026 to find the VPNs that actually bypass the firewall consistently.

  The Reality Check

  Out of 30 VPNs tested, only 6 worked reliably. Here are the results:

  VPN	Connection Success Rate	Avg Speed	Obfuscation	Price
  ExpressVPN	95%	45 Mbps	✅ Auto	$6.67/mo
  NordVPN	80%	38 Mbps	✅ Obfuscated servers	$3.39/mo
  Surfshark	75%	32 Mbps	✅ NoBorders	$2.29/mo
  Astrill VPN	90%	40 Mbps	✅ StealthVPN	$12.50/mo
  VyprVPN	70%	28 Mbps	✅ Chameleon	$5.00/mo
  Windscribe	65%	25 Mbps	✅ Stealth	$5.75/mo

  How the Great Firewall Works

  Understanding the firewall helps explain why most VPNs fail: