Does Proton VPN Work in China? (2026)

ProtonVPN doesn’t reliably work in China because the country’s Great Firewall restrictions interfere with the VPN’s standard operating procedure.

While ProtonVPN is highly recommended for all your VPN needs, you may want to consider alternatives if you’re planning a trip to China.

Read on to understand why ProtonVPN doesn’t work in China and the reliable alternatives to put your money on instead.

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Why Is ProtonVPN Blocked in China?

China deliberately blocks apps and websites it deems inappropriate.

As a result, VPNs have become a reliable way to help users access sites blocked by Chinese censorship.

Consequently, the Chinese government has waged war against VPN service providers leading to ProtonVPN suffering a blockade about four years ago.

However, the fact that ProtonVPN doesn’t work in the region doesn’t mean you can’t unblock your favorite websites and stream Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, or BBC iPlayer from behind the firewall. You just have to use reliable alternatives, as shared below.

Best ProtonVPN Alternatives to Use in China

The best VPNs for China include ExpressVPN and NordVPN. Read on to find out why.

ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is popular for its excellence in bypassing censorship, security, and performance. It also deploys robust unblocking services in highly-censored regions like Russia and China to ensure continued access to the free web, streaming services, and more.

ExpressVPN’s most significant selling point is its obfuscation technology on all servers and protocols. This disguises your VPN traffic as regular HTTPs traffic, making it undetectable during Deep Packet Inspections (DPIs). Hence, China Unicom, China Telecom, or your preferred Chinese ISP can’t crack down on your VPN usage.

The best part about ExpressVPN’s obfuscation is that it’s fast. That’s unlike other VPNs, which suffer a considerable speed loss once obfuscation is enabled. 

So, you’ll bypass China’s restrictions and still enjoy fantastic speeds!

However, ExpressVPN can be expensive. Luckily, I’ve got these one-time discounts to help you save on your first subscription.

NordVPN

NordVPN is the other alternative I’d pack for a trip to China. It wasn’t part of my test there, though, so I can’t share first-hand results from behind the Great Firewall.

What it does have is a strong network on China’s doorstep. NordVPN has no servers in mainland China, but it runs physical servers in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore – the short hops you’d normally route through from the mainland.

One subscription covers 10 devices, with apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android, so your phone and laptop are both protected. Install it before you fly in; my NordVPN China guide walks you through the setup.

If you’d rather keep the same IP address every day, NordVPN’s paid dedicated IP add-on is available in Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea.

Speaking of price, grab these NordVPN discounts – the 2-year Basic plan works out at $3.49 a month.

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ProtonVPN Alternatives Work in China

ProtonVPN ceased operation in China in 2019, and its service is a hit-or-miss for unblocking content in the region as the Great Firewall becomes more stringent.

Luckily, ExpressVPN and NordVPN are strong ProtonVPN alternatives for keeping up with your favorite online content from China.

Leverage the 30-day money-back guarantee offered by ExpressVPN, and weigh it against NordVPN, to find out the best for you.