In 2026, China’s Great Firewall (GFW) continues to evolve, making many global VPN services unstable or entirely unusable. Users frequently report situations where a service works today but gets blocked tomorrow. Therefore, the key question becomes: “Which VPN still works in China right now?”
This guide summarizes real test results from multiple regions in China (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu) across all major ISPs. Only services that remained stable during peak hours are included.
Evaluation Metrics
- Connection success rate;
- Stability throughout the day;
- Strength of obfuscation;
- Ability to bypass DPI;
- Node resilience;
- Streaming unlock capability;
- Speed performance;
- Fallback protocol availability.
Types of VPN That Still Work in China
1. Advanced Obfuscation (TLS + WebSocket) Solutions
These are the most resilient options:
- TLS-based obfuscation;
- WebSocket disguise;
- Random padding;
- Dynamic routes;
- Daily IP rotation.
2. China-Optimized Dedicated Routes (CN2/IEPL)
Best for speed:
- Low latency;
- Stable during peak hours;
- Ideal for streaming or remote work.
3. Mobile-Optimized Lightweight Obfuscation
Great for 4G/5G mobile networks:
- Low-bandwidth obfuscation;
- Fast connection switching;
- Supports China Mobile and Unicom well.
4. SmartDNS + Encrypted Mode Hybrid Solutions
Perfect for Netflix and YouTube unlocking:
- Faster than full encryption;
- Smoother playback;
- Ideal for Smart TVs and Apple TV.
5. Enterprise-Grade Encrypted Tunnels
Best for:
- Remote work;
- SSH/Git;
- Corporate systems;
- Long-duration sessions.
What No Longer Works in China
- Unobfuscated WireGuard;
- Default OpenVPN configurations;
- PPTP/L2TP/IPSec;
- Free services;
- Fixed, unchanging IP nodes;
- Non-optimized global brands.
How to Know If Your VPN Will Work?
- Does it include obfuscation?
- Does it rotate servers automatically?
- Does it offer China-optimized lines?
- Does it stay connected during peak hours?
- Does it include fallback protocols?
Conclusion
As of 2026, only a limited number of VPN solutions remain fully functional in China. Those with strong obfuscation, fallback protocols, and China-specific network optimization deliver the best reliability. Free VPN Rank offers all these features, making it one of the solutions that still works consistently in China today.
