Since 2017, the large majority of VPN providers’ websites have been blocked in China. Besides, Google Play doesn’t work either, and the App Store doesn’t let users located in China download any VPN apps.

You can run Astrill on your WiFi router and connect all devices in your home or office to our secure VPN, for example all your phones, Windows, Mac and Linux computers, Apple TV, Smart TVs, etc. Whenever you invite someone through Astrill VPN application and he/she joins Astrill through your invitation link and pays for any subscription package, you are entitled to get a free month of access and it is credited instantly after their purchase is processed. Note: Free Trial accounts users cannot benefit from this opportunity of inviting friends for free one month.

Because of this, many people find themselves in the conundrum that to purchase a VPN in China, you first need a VPN.

Nonetheless, if you are already in China and need to download or purchase a VPN, there are still ways of doing so. In this article, we will explain how to do it and provide links accessible from China for some VPNs.

All of the VPNs that we mention in this article have good performance in China, but if you want to find out which VPN is best for you, I recommend reading this article first.

Important: We test these links periodically to check if they have been blocked and if they are still accessible from China. However, if you find that a link doesn’t work, please leave us a comment at the end of the article and we’ll update it as soon as possible.

How to download a VPN in China

The majority of VPN provider websites are blocked in China. Even so, the main providers have created “mirror” websites (exact copies of the website with a different URL) that are accessible.

Below is a list of the links to the mirror sites of some of the main VPNs:

Keep in mind that these websites are also often blocked by the Great Firewall of China. If the link doesn’t work, let us know in the comments section and we’ll change it as soon as possible.

Important: Remember that Gmail is also blocked in China and you need an active email account to be able to register a VPN service. Make sure that you can access your email account in China before purchasing a VPN.

Windows and Mac

Downloading a VPN for Windows or Mac in China isn’t a problem as long as you can access the VPN provider’s website:

1. Access the website of your chosen VPN
2. Purchase a plan based on your needs
3. Access your account
4. Download the software for Windows or Mac from its website
5. Install the software on your computer
6. Connect your VPN and freely access the Internet in China!

Android

Downloading a VPN on Android isn’t very complicated. Because Google Play doesn’t work (unless you have an active VPN), you need to download the .apk file.

1. Access your chosen VPN provider’s website and purchase a plan
2. From your phone, access the VPN provider’s website
3. Download the .apk file
4. When the download finishes, open the file (avoid using Google Play to open the .apk file)
5. Open the app and connect the VPN
6. Use WhatsApp, Google Play and any other app blocked in China!

iOS

Downloading a VPN onto an iOS device in China can be a bit tedious, but if you follow a few simple steps, it isn’t hard.

1. Access your chosen VPN provider’s website and purchase a plan
2. Look up or ask for the manual configuration settings for the VPN (preferably LTP2 or IKEv2)
3. Go to Settings–>General–>VPN–>Add VPN Setting and add the configuration that your VPN provider has given you.
4. Activate the recently configured VPN
5. Go to the App Store
6. Look for and install the VPN app
7. Disconnect the manually configured VPN and use the app
8. Use all of the apps that you want in China!

Important: If you can’t find the app even with the VPN connected, it’s possible that you will have to change the country of the App Store, and to do so, you will have to create a new Apple ID.

Download ExpressVPN in China

Windows and Mac

1. Go to Express VPN’s website through the link that we provide
2. If you still haven’t done so, purchase a plan with ExpressVPN
3. Sign on to your ExpressVPN account
4. In your personal account, you will find the link to download the software and the activation code
5. Download the program, install it and activate it with the code

Android

1. Sign on to your ExpressVPN account
2. Look for the download link for the .apk file (in Configure ExpressVPN) and download it (don’t use Google Play)
3. Once the app is installed, open it and activate it with the code that you will find in your account

iOS

First of all, you will have to configure the VPN manually. To do so, use this configuration:

• Type: L2TP
• Description: ExpressVPN
• Server: You will find the list of servers in your account in the manual configuration section
• Account: your username (email)
• RSA SecurID: This has to be deactivated
• Password: The password for your account
• Secret: 12345678
• Send All Traffic: This has to be activated

Once you have manually connected the VPN, download Express VPN’s app from the App Store.

Download VyprVPN in China

You can easily download the software on its website in the VPN apps section by selecting your operating system.

Android

Download the .apk file that you will find in the VPN Apps section and select Android. The download link is found just below the “Get it on Google Play” icon.

iOS

First of all, you will have to manually configure the VPN with the following settings:

• Type: L2TP
• Description: VyprVPN
• Server: us1.vpn.goldenfrog.com (a list of servers is available on Vypr’s website)
• Account: the email address for your VyprVPN account
• Password: the password for your VyprVPN account
• Secret: thisisourkey

Once you have manually connected your VPN, you can download the VyprVPN app directly in the App Store.

Download NordVPN in China

Download Astrill From Inside China

You can easily download the software on its website in the VPN Apps section by selecting your operating system.

Android

Download the .apk file that you will find in the VPN Apps section by selecting Android. The download link is found just beside the “Available on Google Play” icon.

iOS

First of all, you will have to manually configure NordVPN:

1. Go to NordVPN’s webstite
2. At the end of its website, click on tutorials
3. Click on IKEv2/IPsec, which is below the iOS section
4. Follow the instructions step-by-step

Once you have manually connected your VPN, you can download the NordVPN app directly from the App Store.

Download Ivacy in China

Windows and Mac

You can easily download the software from its website by going to the VPN Apps section and selecting your operating system.

Android

We couldn’t find the .apk file on its website. As a result, you have two options:

1. Download the app from an app repository that does work in China, such as apkplz.net
2. Configure the VPN manually and then download the app from Google Play. For more information, you can click here (you will need an active VPN).

iOS

First, you will have to manually configure Ivacy with the following parameters:

• Description -> Ivacy VPN
• Server -> opt-cn1.dns2use.com
• Remote ID -> opt-cn1.dns2use.com
• Local ID -> Leave blank
• Authentication -> Username
• Username -> Email address
• Password -> Ivacy password

Once you have manually connected your VPN, you can download the Ivacy app directly from the App Store.

Download Surfshark in China

Windows and Mac

You can easily download the software on its website by going to the apps menu and selecting your operating system.

Android

The .apk file can be downloaded easily from its website. Just go to the apps menu and select “Android” and you will see a button that says “Download .APK.”

iOS

First, you will have to manually configure Surfshark. Unfortunately, to do so, you are going to have to download files from a website that is blocked in China.

Because of this, the only solution is for you to contact the technical department so that they can send you instructions and files to manually configure the VPN on iOS.

Once you have manually connected your VPN, you can download the Surfshark app directly from the App Store.

Download Astrill in China

How To Download Astrill On Mac In China Computer

You can download the app for Windows and Mac directly from its website in the applications section (downloads) by selecting your operating system.

Android

The .apk file is easy to download from their website, Just go to the Download menu, select Android App, and tap the Download Astrill VPN button.

iOS

First of all, you will have to manually configure Astrill by using the following settings:

• Type: L2TP
• Description: Astrill L2TP
• Server: lakv.asn247.net (a list of servers is available in the members area)
• Account: the email address of your Astrill account
• Password: the password of your Astrill account
• Secret: way2stars

Once you have manually connected the VPN, you can download the Astrill app directly from the App Store.

Download StrongVPN in China

You can easily download the software on its website in the VPN Apps section by selecting your operating system.

Android

Click here to download the .apk file.

iOS

First, you will have to manually configure StrongVPN. A list of instructions on how to do this is found at the bottom of the iOS page.

Once you have manually connected the VPN, you can download StrongVPN’s app directly from the App Store.

VPNs that can’t be downloaded in China

How To Download Astrill On Mac In China Latest

There are some VPNs that we usually recommend that at this time don’t offer the possibility of accessing their website from China. Therefore, you won’t be able to purchase them or download their apps easily if you’re already in China.

• VPN Area
• PureVPN
• TorGuard VPN
• TunnelBear VPN

[Photo Credits (Creative Commons CC0): Pixabay.com]

We try to keep as less personal information as possible. Some information is however necessary for technical functioning of the services. What we keep and how long we store it is explained in details below:
Our system keeps track of active sessions - connection time, IP address, device type and Astrill VPN application version during the duration of your VPN session. Once you disconnect from VPN this information is removed permanently from our system. This information is solely used to limit the number of devices connecting from single account simultaneously. You can check all active sessions from member zone and you can erase them at any time.
Astrill also counts amount of traffic used by clients in order to plan network expansions. No personally identifiable information is kept - only number of transferred bytes.
Additionally to this, we keep last 20 connection records which include: connection time, connection duration, country, device type and Astrill client application version number. This information is only used by our customer support to identify potential issues with VPN connection and provide adequate support. This information contains no personally identifiable information (for example we don't keep IP addresses or your physical location). This information is automatically removed in case of no activity in past 30 days.