Best VPNs to Get into China’s Internet Space from Abroad
Residents of China cannot visit Google, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and lots of other sites that people log on to. However, there are also people abroad that want to get one of China’s IP addresses to gain access to the country’s unique content.
In this article, we’ll explain the nitty-gritty of accessing China’s content, and the best VPNs that’ll help you achieve this.
VPN recommendations to get into China’s Internet space
So, the question is, how do you find a VPN that’ll get into China’s Internet space? We’d suggest you get a provider that has a lot of servers in China. With such VPN providers, you can easily get a Chinese IP address and browse as if you are in China.
Check out the following VPN providers to get into China’s Internet space:
ExpressVPN
Features
- Number of servers: More than 3,000
- Speeds: Unlimited
- Server locations: 160 in 105 countries
- Maximum devices supported: 5
- 24 live chat: Yes
- 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
Pros/Cons
- Fastest VPN out there
- Strict no logs policy
- 256-bit AES encryption
- Few discounts
ExpressVPN is the first on our list of the best VPNs for getting into China because it has lots of features that make browsing easier. The VPN’s headquarters is in the British Virgin Islands and was founded in 2009.
ExpressVPN has 160 server locations in 94 countries, and you can switch between them as often as you like. With the VPN, you don’t need to reveal your true IP address or location, which means you can anonymously browse through China’s popular entertainment sites. ExpressVPN uses the most trusted encryption around the world (AES-256 encryption), so you don’t need to be worried about your data or logs getting into the wrong hands. You’ll also get a network lock kill switch, a speed test with Turbocharge, and it runs its Domain Name Servers (DNS).
On top of these, ExpressVPN offers you unlimited bandwidth to download and stream as much content as you like. With the VPN, you don’t need to get an account for every device you want to use to get into China’s Internet space. You can connect as many as five devices at a time, without any problem.
ExpressVPN is an award-winning software that is compatible with Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, smart TVs, and game consoles. There’s also a 24-hour live support system to help you out with when you experience difficulties while using the VPN.
ExpressVPN costs $12.95 per month, but you can pay $8.32 per month for a long-term subscription.
- Pros: Fastest VPN out there; Strict no logs policy; 256-bit AES encryption;
- Lowest price: $6.67
NordVPN
Features
- Cryptocurrency accepted? Yes
- Simultaneous connections: 6
- Dedicated IP-addresses? Yes
- Servers: 7,000+ in 111 countries
Pros/Cons
- Lots of pricing options
- Netflix support kept up to date
- 256-bit AES encryption
- Slow app
The second VPN on our list of the best ones to get into China is NordVPN. It has top-notch security and privacy features with no restrictions, so that you feel safe when browsing the Internet.
One of the reasons why we recommend NordVPN for getting into China is because it has lots of servers. Each of these servers is lightning fast, so you’ll be able to connect to Chinese sites easily.
On its security features, NordVPN isn’t doing badly either. It uses the next-generation AES-256 encryption, which is the best in the world. This encryption is excellent in ensuring your data doesn’t get into the hands of Internet service providers, hackers, and the government. It also spots a Double VPN, which sends your traffic through not one but two servers before reaching its target. And with its CyberSec feature, which blocks ads and malicious sites, you are assured of complete anonymity and security.
NordVPN operates a strict no-logs policy, but on top of that, it has a DNS leak protection, Onion Over VPN, and an automatic kill switch to keep your information and logs private.
With a single NordVPN account, you can secure as many as six devices, and can use the VPN with your browser extension or its app for your device. The VPN costs $11.95 per month and $6.99 per month for a yearly plan. However, the best deal is its 3-year plan that costs $3.49 per month.
- Pros: Lots of pricing options; Netflix support kept up to date; 256-bit AES encryption;
- Lowest price: $3.71
Surfshark
Features
- Free trial? Yes
- Simultaneous connections: Unlimited
- Ad blocking? Yes
- Servers: 1000+ in 61 countries
Pros/Cons
- No footprints
- Allows torrenting
- 256-bit AES encryption
- Not the fastest
SurfShark is just as good a VPN as the other two. Based in the British Virgin Islands, the VPN is not bound by data protection laws, so no prying eye can get to your data or logs.
SurfShark allows you to connect unlimited devices to a single account at once, which is a feature you don’t see in a lot of VPNs. But like many VPNs on this list, SurfShark operates a strict no-logging policy. You’ll also get an automatic kill switch to protect your data when the connection drops, as well as a DNS leak protection.
SurfShark’s free ad blocker, CleanWeb, allows you to get into China’s Internet space without worrying about phishing attempts or malware. The VPN also has a Camouflage mode, so that everyone (including your Internet service providers) won’t be able to tell what you are doing online. With its AES-256-GCM encryption, you’ll be sure that no one can intercept your data or logs.
SurfShark’s monthly plan costs $11.95 per month, but you’ll get a discount of $5.96 every month if you opt for a yearly subscription.
- Pros: No footprints; Allows torrenting; 256-bit AES encryption;
- Lowest Price: $2.49
PureVPN
Features
- 24/7 support? Yes
- Simultaneous logins: 5
- Dedicated IP-addresses? Yes
- Servers: over 2000
Pros/Cons
- Port forwarding
- Servers located all over the world
- 256-bit AES encryption
- Not the cheapest
Coming fourth on this list of the best VPNs to get into China is PureVPN. It’s one of the popular providers in the world, and a lot of people use it to bypass China’s geo-restrictions. The VPN has over 2000 servers in more than 140 countries, and quite a number of them are in China.
PureVPN boasts ultra-fast speeds of its servers that not many VPNs can match. Based in Hong Kong and away from the 5 and 14 eyes countries, the VPN promises not to keep any data of its users. It also allows five simultaneous logins, and an Internet kill switch to prevent data leaks when your connection drops.
The VPN is compatible with Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone, iPad, Linux, Chrome, Firefox, and lots of other devices. PureVPN offers a 31-day money-back guarantee for its users, and there’s a support platform that works round the clock to make sure all your issues are resolved.
PureVPN’s pricing starts from $10.95 per month, but you can save 70% by opting for its 2-year plan, which costs $3.33 every month.
- Pros: Port forwarding; Servers located all over the world; 256-bit AES encryption;
- Lowest price: $3.33
Ivacy VPN
Features
- Cryptocurrency accepted? Yes
- Simultaneous connections: 5
- Supported devices? All, including TVs
- Servers: Over 1000 in 63 countries
Pros/Cons
- Streaming support
- Support for torrenting as well
- Military grade 256-bit encryption
- Speed issues
The last VPN on our list of the best ones to get into China is Ivacy. It’s an excellent VPN with amazing features that you can get at affordable prices. At the moment, the VPN’s monthly plan costs $7.50, but you can save as much as 86% by getting its 5-year plan, which costs $1.50 every month.
IvacyVPN has more than a thousand servers in over 100 locations, China inclusive. The VPN supports P2P sharing and uses advanced IPSec and IKEv2 protocols. Using IvacyVPN, you’ll get unlimited bandwidth to download, upload, and stream content without any trouble.
IvacyVPN operates a strict no-logging policy, but it also has an Internet kill switch and military-grade 256-encryption to protect its users. The VPN is available on all Internet devices, and you can get all these features risk-free for 30-days.
IvacyVPN is rated as one of the fastest VPN providers in the world.
- Pros: Streaming support; Support for torrenting as well; Military grade 256-bit encryption;
- Lowest price: $2.45
Why use a VPN to get into China’s Internet space and not out of it?
China has many platforms where you can get entertainment content like movies, shows, music, etc. The country’s top video platforms include Tudou.com, V.Baidu.com, V.qq.com, Youku.com, Video.sina.com.cn, among many others. Conversely, top music services include Baidu Music, QQ Music, and Netease Music.
While people in the country can access contents from many of these media services for free, a lot of these platforms have implemented geoblocking techniques to make their content inaccessible to those who stay outside China. Usually, this geoblocking technique works by sieving the IP addresses of visitors to the site. So, if gathered that the IP address is not one of China’s, the user will be blocked from accessing such contents. This is one reason why people use VPNs outside China to get into the country’s Internet space.
Besides their resourcefulness in watching China’s unique videos, there are other reasons for using a VPN to get into China’s Internet space. For example, web developers may need to test if their sites are blocked in China or how fast it takes to load their pages in the country. To get this done, they’ll need a VPN.
How to get a Chinese IP address
The first step is to get an excellent VPN, like any of the ones I have included above. Once signed up, connect to any of the servers in China to get an IP address of the country. If you’re using the provider’s software directly, then you can pick China as the location before you turn on the VPN connection.
You may also set up the VPN manually if the provider has the option for you to do this.
How secure is the Advanced Encryption Standard?
Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is the encryption that cybersecurity experts, enthusiasts, and governments worldwide use. Many VPNs, including the ones to get into China’s Internet space, use this encryption standard, but is it secure?
No known attack can break past this encryption, and so far, phishing attempts have been fruitless to compromise systems that have this encryption. If you even try a brute-force attack on a system that uses AES – which implies checking all key combinations – you won’t have enough resources to still break it. You’ll need supercomputers that would work for billions of years just to decrypt it.
Why you should not go for free VPNs
Looking at the list above, you might be wondering if there’s no way you can get into China’s Internet space without having to pay a dime. While free VPNs offer attractive features that their paid counterparts provide, here are a couple of reasons why you should not go for them:
1. Free VPNs have few servers: Unlike paid VPNs whose number of servers pass the 1000-mark, free VPNs only have a handful in a few countries. For a country like China, where efforts are being made to regulate the use of VPNs, such a small number of servers is limiting. A good VPN to get into China should have lots of servers in the country.
2. Free VPNs are slow: The VPNs we have listed above are all paid, and they have lightning-fast speeds. Free VPNs are not as fast as their paid counterparts because of server congestion.
3. Free VPNs don’t have exciting features: To use a VPN to get into China without restrictions, you need the best features. Sadly, free VPNs can only offer part of what is required. You won’t find features like an automatic kill switch, or a dedicated IP address on them.
4. Free VPNs keep logs of user activities: Unlike the story they’ll sell to you, free VPNs keep logs of all the steps users take. The logs and data obtained are then sold to third parties.
5. Free VPNs do not use the best-in-class encryption: It is difficult to get the military-grade AES-256 encryption on a free VPN. Instead, you’ll get substandard encryption that phishing attempts and brute force attacks can break.
6. Free VPNs do not have unlimited bandwidth: When using free VPNs, you’ll experience lots of interruptions. This is because these VPNs have bandwidth caps, which is one of the many limitations of free VPNs.
7. Free VPNs require you use their apps: Since many free VPNs do not have browser extensions, you have to use their apps when you want to get into China’s Internet space. On its own, this isn’t a bad thing, but if you consider all the ads and malware these apps usually contain, you’ll have a rethink.
What does a VPN hide?
VPNs hide lots of private information, but here are the top three, almost every VPN hides:
- Your Browsing history
Contrary to what many people believe, where you go on the Internet is no secret, especially to your Internet service provider (ISP). Just about every step, and everything you do can be tracked, and lots of sites keep tabs of them. Some web browsers can even track your history and use that information to get your IP address. What VPNs do is to make sure no one gets access to your browsing history, even if you forget to clear it. - Your location and IP address
If anyone gets a hold of your IP address, they use that to get more information from you, like the site you last visited and what you’ve been searching for. Like the address on a letter, your IP address will always lead hackers, third-parties, and ISP to you. When you use a VPN to browse, an IP address of one of its servers is giving to you, keep you anonymous while you browse. - Your device name and details
VPNs help protect your computer, tablet, phone, and any other device you are using. They also help to ensure that cybercriminals do not intercept the data you send and receive from your devices.
Questions to ask before selecting a VPN
VPNs are a smart way to stay secure while browsing. But what should you look out for when choosing a provider? Here are a couple of questions to ask:
- Does the provider respect my privacy? One of the perks of using VPNs is that your privacy will be protected. The provider you go for should operate a no-logging policy, and have some of the best privacy features in the game. This espacially applies if you live in a country with bad online privacy policies.
- Do they have data limits? It’s no use if your VPN has bandwidth caps because you’ll feel constrained. Be sure to check that the VPN you choose has unlimited bandwidth before going for it.
- Where are the bulk of its servers located? You must decide on the server locations that are important before you go ahead to get a VPN. In this case, VPNs that do not have lots of servers in China shouldn’t be your top choice.
- Does the VPN allow multiple connections to a single account? It’s much easier if you can set up many devices to a single VPN account. Therefore, look for a VPN that has this feature, so you can enjoy the services on all your devices all the time.
- How much will it cost? Even though it shouldn’t be your focus when getting a VPN, it’s price matters. If you can get similar features on a cheaper (and perhaps more reliable) VPN, why pay more?
- Which protocols do they run? The protocol a VPN runs plays a part in deciding how secure it is. VPN providers that run the best and most-recent protocols like OpenVPN and IKEv2 should be the ones you should go for.
In Conclusion
We’ve explained to you how and why you should use VPNs to get into China’s Internet space and bypass the geo-blocking on its popular entertainment sites. We’ve also recommended five of the best VPNs to get this job done excellently. So, you should have all you need to start enjoying the best Chinese shows hassle-free.