As of 2026, the Great Firewall of China (GFW) is undergoing continuous changes, causing numerous international VPN services to become unreliable or completely inaccessible. Users often experience instances where a service is operational one day but then blocked the next. Consequently, the crucial question arises: “Which VPN services remain functional in China at this moment?”
This guide compiles actual testing outcomes from various locations in China (including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Chengdu) across all primary ISPs. Only those services that retained stability during peak usage times are featured here.
Assessment Criteria
- Rate of successful connections;
- Consistency throughout the day;
- Level of obfuscation;
- Effectiveness against DPI;
- Resilience of nodes;
- Capability to unlock streaming;
- Performance speeds;
- Availability of fallback protocols.
Categories of VPN That Are Still Functional in China
1. Sophisticated Obfuscation (TLS + WebSocket) Options
The following are the most robust alternatives:
- TLS-based obfuscation techniques;
- WebSocket camouflage;
- Randomized padding;
- Dynamic routing;
- Daily rotation of IP addresses.
2. Dedicated Routes Optimized for China (CN2/IEPL)
Ideal for speed:
- Low latency;
- Consistent during peak traffic;
- Perfect for streaming and remote work tasks.
3. Lightweight Obfuscation for Mobile
Excellent for 4G/5G networks:
- Obfuscation designed for low bandwidth;
- Rapid connection switching;
- Well-suited for China Mobile and Unicom.
4. Hybrid Solutions Combining SmartDNS and Encrypted Mode
Great for accessing Netflix and YouTube:
- Quicker than complete encryption;
- More seamless playback;
- Perfect for Smart TVs and Apple TV devices.
5. Encrypted Tunnels for Enterprises
Best suited for:
- Remote work setups;
- SSH/Git operations;
- Corporate applications;
- Extended session lengths.
What Is No Longer Effective in China
- Unobfuscated WireGuard connections;
- Standard OpenVPN settings;
- PPTP/L2TP/IPSec protocols;
- Free service offerings;
- Fixed IP addresses that do not change;
- Global brands that are not optimized.
How to Determine If Your VPN Will Function?
- Does it offer obfuscation measures?
- Is there automatic server rotation?
- Are there China-optimized connections available?
- Does it maintain connectivity during peak hours?
- Incorporate fallback protocols?
