Astrill VPN in China 2026: Does It Work and How to Set It Up

Astrill is one of the few VPN companies whose reputation rests largely on one country. Expats in China have relied on it for years, mainly for two protocols it designed to work around the Great Firewall, and its prices reflect that standing.

That leaves a fair question before you pay: does Astrill VPN still work in China, and what has to be configured first? Yes, it works, and one setting makes most of the difference. Astrill has no refunds, though, so it pays to know the rest before you buy.

Does Astrill VPN Work in China?

Yes. Astrill VPN works in China, and it’s among the most dependable VPNs there. Its strength is obfuscation, a technique that disguises VPN traffic as ordinary web traffic so the Great Firewall can’t easily recognize and block it. Astrill builds obfuscation into two of its own protocols, StealthVPN and OpenWeb, and designed them with China’s network in mind.

We tested it on StealthVPN, and the disguise has a cost. Astrill had a 56% speed loss, so it isn’t the fastest VPN we’ve tested, but that was still enough for social apps and video calls. Instagram’s feed and Stories worked normally. When I made Telegram video calls, each one usually began with a blurry picture that sharpened after two or three seconds.

Even so, Astrill isn’t immune to outages. The firewall changes often and tightens around sensitive political dates, so it can fail for hours at a time. It’s one of the most reliable VPNs for China, but not a guarantee, so a second VPN makes a sensible backup.

Why Astrill VPN Works in China: Fully Explained

Many VPNs offer obfuscation, but Astrill builds its whole service around networks like China’s, from its protocols to the servers it puts near the mainland. Our Astrill VPN review covers the service as a whole, while the China-specific parts follow.

OpenWeb and StealthVPN Protocols

StealthVPN is Astrill’s obfuscated protocol. It’s based on OpenVPN, works over UDP or TCP, and wraps the connection so it resembles regular encrypted web traffic. That makes it the first choice in China.

OpenWeb, Astrill’s other in-house protocol, is connectionless, so it switches servers almost instantly. Astrill designed it for browsing on restrictive networks and pairs it with a built-in ad blocker. It’s a good fallback when StealthVPN won’t connect, and on phones, where the protocol menu is shorter, OpenWeb is often the practical choice. StealthVPN and OpenWeb use AES-256 encryption, the same standard banks rely on.

WireGuard and OpenVPN are in the app as well, and WireGuard is fast in most countries. In China, however, the firewall identifies them easily, so keep them for use outside the country.

Servers Near China and Paid Add-Ons

Astrill has servers in more than 50 countries, and a large share of them are in Asia, including Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore. Shorter distances mean lower ping. Astrill also labels some locations Supercharged for faster connections from China.

Two paid extras target users in Asia. A private IP costs a monthly fee and works like a dedicated IP address that no other user shares, which helps with services that block shared VPN IPs. The VIP add-on starts at $10 a month for 100 GB of prioritized traffic, and larger data packages cost more.

It also adds MultiHop, which sends your traffic through two servers for extra privacy. For a typical trip, the standard servers are enough.

What Astrill Logs

Internet traffic in China is monitored, so Astrill’s privacy notice deserves a close read. While you’re connected, Astrill records your connection time, IP address, and device, and it deletes that data when you disconnect.

It also keeps the last 20 connection records for each account, with the time, duration, country, and device, though not your IP address, to help its support team troubleshoot.

That’s more than strict no-logs VPNs keep. On top of that, no independent audit has verified Astrill’s policy, unlike those of NordVPN or ExpressVPN. Astrill is a brand of Veloxee Corp., a company registered in Liechtenstein.

Kill Switch, Smart Mode, and Device Limits

Astrill’s desktop apps include a kill switch that blocks all traffic until the VPN reconnects. App Guard applies the same protection to selected apps only. The mobile apps lack a full kill switch, so Android users should enable Always-on VPN in the phone’s settings instead.

Smart Mode is Astrill’s version of split tunneling, which lets you exclude chosen websites from the VPN. In China, it keeps local services like WeChat and Alipay on your regular connection, while blocked sites go through Astrill.

Astrill is also stricter on devices than most VPNs, with five simultaneous connections, one of which can be a router. That’s low next to the VPNs that cover more devices. VPN Sharing softens that by passing your computer’s VPN connection to other devices on the same network.

How to Use Astrill VPN in China?

Plan to set Astrill up at home, since its website doesn’t load in China. Subscribe, install the app on each device, and sign in with the email and password you chose at checkout. Astrill offers no free trial, so the one-month plan is the lowest-risk way to try it.

There are apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, iPhone, Android, and routers, and the desktop versions have the most settings. Before connecting, open the protocol menu and select StealthVPN. If it fails or feels slow, switch to OpenWeb, and don’t use WireGuard or OpenVPN while you’re in China.

After that, connect to a location near the mainland, or to a Supercharged server. If a server doesn’t connect, try another location before you change any other setting. On a computer, finish by enabling the kill switch in the app’s settings. Then make a test connection, since troubleshooting is far harder once the firewall is in the way.

How to Download Astrill VPN in China

If you’re already in China without Astrill, the official website won’t load. Astrill keeps a mirror site that loads in mainland China, but mirror domains change, so note the current address before you travel. Mobile data is another option.

Roaming data on your home SIM and many travel eSIMs connect through networks outside the mainland, which is often enough to download the app. A trip across the border to Hong Kong, which has an open internet, also works, and our guide to a VPN for Hong Kong covers the local rules.

iPhone users face one more step. VPN apps aren’t listed in Apple’s Chinese App Store, so download Astrill with an App Store account from another country, ideally before the trip.

Astrill VPN Not Working in China? Try These Fixes

When Astrill won’t connect, or connects without loading anything, work through these steps:

• Switch protocols. Move from StealthVPN to OpenWeb, or change StealthVPN between UDP and TCP.
• Change the server. Try another nearby country or a Supercharged location.
• Reconnect for a new IP address, since the firewall sometimes blocks a single IP.
• Alternate between hotel Wi-Fi and mobile data. China filters them differently, so one often connects when the other fails.
• Update or reinstall the app from the mirror site if the current version keeps failing.
• Contact Astrill’s support, which answers by live chat and email around the clock.

Around sensitive political dates, every VPN struggles, and patience is the only fix. Connections usually recover within a few days.

A Cheaper Alternative to Astrill VPN: NordVPN

Price is Astrill’s biggest drawback. The monthly plan costs $30, and the two-year plan comes to about $12.50 a month, paid in one go with no refund if it doesn’t suit you. Add the five-connection limit and the missing audit, and it’s hard to justify for a short trip.

For most travelers, NordVPN is the more sensible choice. It’s less proven in China than Astrill and requires more preparation, but it costs less than a third as much. Our Astrill VPN vs NordVPN comparison covers the full head-to-head.

Why Use NordVPN Instead of Astrill VPN in China?

NordVPN’s China setup centers on obfuscated servers, now based on NordWhisper, which masks the VPN as everyday web traffic. Use one in Hong Kong or Japan, and generate IKEv2 credentials in your Nord Account for a backup connection that works without the app.

Both methods take setup before departure, because NordVPN itself warns that China can block its apps. Our guide on how to use NordVPN in China walks through each step. Outside China, NordVPN is the stronger all-rounder.

Its NordLynx protocol makes it one of the quickest VPNs available, so 4K streaming and large downloads are comfortable once you’re home. It’s also easier to trust. Its no-logs policy has been audited by independent firms several times, and next-gen antivirus on its Complete plan blocks malicious sites and downloads.

For a closer look, see our report on NordVPN’s safety.

Visit NordVPN

Verdict

Astrill’s track record in China comes from StealthVPN. Set it as your protocol, connect to a nearby or Supercharged server, and keep OpenWeb as the fallback. With that done, Astrill connects through the Great Firewall more reliably than most VPNs.

Do it all before you fly, because the official website and app stores won’t help once you’re there. Whether it’s worth the money depends on how long you’ll be in China. For people living in China and online every day, its record justifies the premium.

For a short trip, the price and the no-refund policy are hard to defend. Otherwise, NordVPN costs far less and works in China once it’s set up correctly.

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FAQ About Astrill VPN China