The Chinese Great Firewall is a painful spot for many VPNs. With its frequent updates, it’s only getting stronger, managing to kill pretty much any provider. Plenty of users online mention Astrill VPN as the most reliable choice for China.
In fact, you’ll often see people claiming that only this provider works 100% of the time. But does Astrill VPN work in China as many users say? The answer is YES. However, to make Astrill VPN work in China, you still need to know a few things. Some of them are outlined in our Astrill VPN review. In this article, however, we’ll focus on its ability to work in this censored country and talk about why it’s so successful compared to other providers.
Astrill VPN Works in China With This Easy Trick
When talking about VPNs for China, Astrill VPN frequently tops the list. It’s reliable and simple to set up. Unfortunately, it’s very expensive but according to our tests, it works. Here’s how to use Astrill VPN in China successfully.
- Subscribe to Astrill VPN.
- Set up the VPN on your device by installing it and signing in to the app.
- Enable the kill switch to ensure connection loss doesn’t expose your IP.
- Use the StealthVPN or OpenWeb protocol.
- Connect to a server of your choice and go online safely and securely.
If you find Astrill VPN too expensive and would rather not buy it, NordVPN is a perfect alternative that works in China in 2024. Astrill VPN offers no refunds, so think carefully before purchasing it and giving away your money.
Is Astrill VPN Working in China?
As said at the beginning, this provider is among the most reliable Chinese VPNs. If we compare it to CyberGhost which has no obfuscation, it’s easy to see why this provider works. It indeed utilizes obfuscation to conceal your VPN traffic and make it look like “normal” traffic.
In 2024, our testers did quite a lot with this provider in China. They reported immense success with the service, as it easily bypasses the Great Firewall and allows for unblocking censored sites. In addition, Astrill VPN is safe and offers excellent security features with a no-logs policy.
The situation is clear. Astrill VPN is working in China!
Why Is Astrill VPN Working in China?
Now, we promised that we’ll explain why this provider is so good in this country compared to its many rivals. Let’s quickly go through some crucial features that make this provider incredibly reliable for circumventing censorship.
OpenWeb & StealthVPN
The highlight of this provider lies in the presence of in-house protocols. We’re talking about proprietary protocols made by this company. If you take a look at NordLynx from NordVPN, you’ll see how great it is, even when talking about bypassing censorship and firewall restrictions.
Well, Astrill VPN developed OpenWeb and StealthVPN, both of which the company nearly perfected. These two protocols are made with added obfuscation, which is why Astrill VPN works in China. StealthVPN, in particular, is known for some impressive results.
This protocol, when enabled, allows users to enjoy the free internet in this country 10/10 times. Even OpenWeb, another TCP-based protocol, works flawlessly. It has multiple layers of encryption and authentication, allowing it to be among the safest options.
In addition, OpenWeb uses AES-256 encryption, which is the highest level. StealthVPN, on the other hand, supports both UDP and TCP protocols. It’s based on OpenVPN in its core but thanks to obfuscation, even the most advanced firewalls can’t detect it.
Our tests indicate that both protocols are very reliable. We had no IP or DNS leaks while using them and they worked incredibly well in China and plenty of other similar countries. Best of all is that both protocols are available for major platforms, such as:
- Windows
- iOS
- Android
- macOS
- Linux
- Routers (StealthVPN)
This allows you to use Astrill VPN in China regardless of the selected device.
Bank-Grade Encryption
Speaking of encryption, Astrill VPN takes no chances. AES-256 encryption is the base of every protocol and it’s the same level of encryption used by the banks and military across the planet. However, it’s worth noting that, when using OpenVPN, you can select the level of encryption.
Users can then opt for 128-bit or 196-bit encryption for performance gains. A lower level of encryption means faster speeds but with modern VPNs, that’s not always the case. Thus, if you’re using Astrill VPN in China, our suggestion is to stay with OpenWeb/StealthVPN and the default level of encryption.
Plenty of Servers in Asia (Close to China)
Is Astrill VPN working in China, after all? Well, it’s pretty clear that it does. Unlike its competitors, the provider takes the utmost care of people in China. It has 10 Gbps, RAM-only servers across nearly 60 worldwide countries. But the point is that a big portion of the server fleet is in Asia.
These servers are here by default and aren’t paid additionally. We found plenty of them in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and other neighboring countries. However, there are two more features we’d like to discuss. One is the ability to buy a dedicated IP.
Users can get a dedicated IP from China for just $5 a month. These IPs are called “Supercharged” and are offered in 6 locations in this country. The word “Supercharged” is here to imply that they’re optimized for speeds and performance, which is crucial in a country like this.
Another feature is a VIP add-on. It’s extremely expensive and costs from $10 to $100 a month, offering from 100 to 1,000 GB of traffic a month. These servers offer reduced latency and blazing-fast speed for people in Asia, especially gamers.
A VIP add-on prioritizes performance above all and even includes MultiHop for added security. It will allow you to double your encryption by routing your traffic through two servers, resulting in additional privacy online. Once again, Chinese residents will find this feature very handy.
No-Logging Policy
The Chinese authorities have no problem trumping your privacy. They’ll monitor your every step online, read your messages, and spy on your voice/video calls. Besides, TOM-Skype, a popular Chinese version of Skype, is made with this in mind.
Well, Astrill VPN maintains a no-logging policy, so storing your personal data isn’t a thing. Astrill VPN is working in China well because it respects your privacy and is based in Seychelles. With no obligatory data retention laws in this country, the company isn’t coerced into storing logs.
Its no-logging policy is crystal-clear and the provider is against storing sensitive info. This includes your IP address, DNS requests, geolocation, timestamps, connection logs, etc. Alas, the VPN has no external audits like NordVPN or ExpressVPN, which is still one of the main downsides.
Various Security Features
Aside from advanced protocols, the VPN has a boatload of security features we mentioned in our Astrill VPN vs NordVPN comparison. One of them is WireGuard, a protocol used by many providers for its speed, security, and connection stability.
The provider even has OpenVPN, which comes with tons of customization options. Chinese users will like its ad blocker which can also block malicious sites. Astrill VPN is working in China well also because it has an automatic kill switch.
It will shut down all traffic to prevent potential leaks, preventing the Chinese authorities from tracking you online. Other notable features include split tunneling, also called application or website filter. This will allow you to tunnel only selected apps or sites while the others will remain intact.
Astrill VPN is fully compatible with Onion over VPN, making it great for browsing the darknet. Plus, the VPN Sharing feature lets you share the VPN connection with other devices at no additional cost or hardware requirements.
Fast Speeds
Astrill VPN isn’t the fastest VPN by any stretch. However, it holds its ground against the best VPNs pretty well, offering solid speeds across the board. Its 10 Gbps servers are very fast, especially when using WireGuard or OpenWeb protocols.
If you want a faster VPN, consider NordVPN. But keep in mind that Astrill VPN is working in China a bit better, so it’s a better option in this country.
Unlimited Connections
Finally, Astrill VPN comes with unlimited simultaneous connections. This is overwhelmingly important in China. You want every device to be protected by the VPN at all times. Thanks to this feature, all your devices will be encrypted and ready to get on the internet without limits.
How to Use Astrill VPN in China?
Using a VPN in China often requires a few tweaks. It’s not the same as, let’s say, using a French VPN where you just need to connect and call it a day. Due to the Great Firewall, enabling certain features and turning on obfuscation is often required.
Thankfully, Astrill VPN makes this process very simple and requires no special knowledge to be used in China. Here are the steps you need to follow:
- Subscribe to Astrill VPN. This is a premium-only VPN and offers NO free trials of any sort.
- Install the VPN on your device. We recommend using either Windows or macOS apps, as they’re the most feature-rich and have everything the provider has to offer.
- Open the app and sign in with the email/password you provided in the first step.
- Now, choose either StealthVPN or OpenWeb protocol before you connect. Users reported that StealthVPN works well but OpenWeb is also great for circumventing censorship. Try StealthVPN first and if you have issues, switch to OpenWeb. Don’t use WireGuard because it’s not going to work.
- Finally, connect to the server you want and enjoy going online safely and anonymously.
A Cheaper Alternative to Astrill VPN: NordVPN
So, is Astrill VPN working in China in 2024? Yes, it is, but it has a few annoying issues. For one, it’s very expensive. Its monthly plan costs $30 a month, while even the longest 2-year plan will have you pay $300 upfront. You’ll agree that 90% of people won’t be able to afford it.
And even if they could, paying $300 for a VPN service sounds silly. Another thing is that Astrill VPN has no third-party audits and the user experience isn’t very polished. For China, though, it’s extremely reliable and currently represents the best choice.
But if you’re like most other people and you can’t afford it, perhaps, it’s good to know about NordVPN. It’s just a slightly less reliable provider in China. However, it also has obfuscation and in some cases, it can work just as well as Astrill VPN compared to CyberGhost which won’t work at all.
What Does NordVPN Offer?
As a formidable alternative, NordVPN offers 6,300+ servers in 111 countries – more than Astrill VPN. We found it to be surprisingly good for streaming, torrenting, and bypassing various firewalls. For example, it’s also a reputable VPN for Hong Kong, as it offers plenty of servers there.
If you’re in China, for example, you’ll get a large number of servers in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, Korea, and even Japan. This allows you to connect to nearby servers and enjoy excellent speeds. While we’re at it, NordVPN is the fastest VPN – bar none – even faster than Astrill!
Users of this provider enjoy 4K movies and shows on Netflix, with torrenting being fast thanks to the NordLynx protocol. This protocol uses obfuscation and NordVPN actually works in Turkey, Russia, the UAE, Iran, and plenty of other censored countries.
What’s also impressive is security. This provider uses advanced technology, such as RAM-only servers. In addition, there’s Private DNS for taking care of your DNS requests and ensuring your ISP isn’t spying on you. Of course, AES-256 encryption and a kill switch are also available.
They’ll fully encrypt and protect your traffic, preventing it from being traced by hackers and snoopers. Like Astrill VPN, NordVPN also supports OpenVPN, plus, it has in-built SmartDNS for unblocking streaming sites in the US and the UK.
To cut it short, it’s a better and more reliable provider as a whole. And price-wise, it’s significantly cheaper. Just take a look at its 65+% discount and a few free months for the two-year plan below. You’ll manage to snatch NordVPN at just under $3.5 a month (currently) compared to Astrill’s annual plan at $15 a month!
Not to mention NordVPN’s 30-day refund policy for all plans. With Astrill, all purchases are definite and you can’t get a refund. With NordVPN, you have more freedom and you can use it risk-free. Take your time and read our article about why NordVPN is so safe and secure – you’ll be amazed.
Does Astrill VPN Work in China – Conclusion
For people wondering whether Astrill VPN is working in China, we can confidently say YES. Truly, this is an amazing provider that not only works in the country but also has plenty of great add-ons to complement your experience.
It’s a premium provider, but a very expensive one, which makes it unaffordable for the majority of users. Those who can afford it, however, swear by Astrill VPN and claim it’s the #1 VPN for China. Thanks to OpenWeb, StealthVPN, and super-fast Chinese servers, it’s easy to see why it’s so good.
But if you’re on the other side of the spectrum and you find it too expensive, don’t fret. You can always choose NordVPN instead, although it’s slightly less reliable in China. It’s ~70% cheaper than Astrill in the two-year plan and allows for a 30-day money-back guarantee.
It’s even better if you don’t strictly need a VPN for China, as NordVPN is a far better provider outside of this scenario.
