Does ExpressVPN work in China?

Does ExpressVPN ACTUALLY work in China?

Yes — ExpressVPN does still work in China as of 2025, but with important caveats:

• Not 100% reliable: Connectivity can vary depending on your city, ISP, and even the time of year. Around politically sensitive dates, the Great Firewall tends to tighten, and connections may drop more frequently.
• Obfuscation: ExpressVPN uses obfuscation (stealth) to disguise VPN traffic, which is why it still works in most cases.
• Device differences: It tends to work more reliably on desktop/laptop apps than on mobile networks, where blocking is stronger.
• Frequent updates: ExpressVPN actively maintains servers that can bypass the firewall, so if one location stops working, switching servers often helps.
• Fallback needed: Many expats in China keep a backup VPN (e.g., Astrill or a smaller China-focused provider) in case ExpressVPN has outages.

If you’re planning to use it in China, it’s best to download, install, and test it before you arrive, since the ExpressVPN website itself is blocked in the country.

How ExpressVPN compares wIth Astrill and 12VPN for use in China?

Here’s how ExpressVPN compares with Astrill and 12VPN for use in China (2025):

ExpressVPN

• Strengths: Easy to use, polished apps, strong global privacy reputation, works across many devices, good speeds on international streaming.
• Weaknesses: Sometimes unstable during sensitive periods; mobile networks in China can be hit-or-miss; not China-specialized.
• Best for: Travelers or casual users who also want a reliable VPN outside China.

Astrill

• Strengths: Long-time “expat favorite” in China; proprietary StealthVPN and Smart Mode designed to beat the Great Firewall; stable on both desktop and mobile.
• Weaknesses: Expensive (more than double ExpressVPN in many cases); no free trial; customer support less polished.
• Best for: Full-time expats or business users who need maximum stability inside China.

12VPN

• Strengths: Focused specifically on China users; relatively lightweight and simple; strong reputation among long-term residents.
• Weaknesses: Less well-known globally; smaller server network; support can feel limited compared to big brands.
• Best for: Users based in China who prioritize reliable connections over extras like huge server lists.

Takeaway

• General traveler / all-around VPN → ExpressVPN
• Daily expat life, long stay, or mission-critical work → Astrill
• Budget-friendly China-focused option → 12VPN

More about “Best VPNs to use in China”.

ExpressVPN performance in China in past 5 years

Over the past 5 years (2020–2025), ExpressVPN’s performance in China has looked like this:

2020–2021

• Worked fairly consistently on desktop and Wi-Fi connections.
• Mobile networks (especially China Mobile/Unicom 4G) were less reliable.
• During sensitive dates (e.g., political anniversaries), users reported temporary blocks, but switching servers usually solved it.

2022

• Increased censorship around the Beijing Winter Olympics caused noticeable disruptions.
• ExpressVPN rolled out more obfuscation updates, keeping most users online after switching to recommended servers.
• Overall performance: usable but not flawless.

2023

• More aggressive deep packet inspection by the Great Firewall.
• Many VPNs went down temporarily; ExpressVPN still functioned but with slower speeds and more frequent drops.
• Became less favored by long-term expats compared to Astrill.

2024

• Improved stability after backend upgrades; desktop apps saw more reliable connections again.
• Mobile still weaker than desktop, but switching to certain server locations (like Japan, Singapore, or US West) helped.
• Users in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai reported better uptime than those in smaller cities.

2025 (current)

• Still works in China, but not the most reliable option.
• Performance is cyclical: good stretches punctuated by sudden blocks around politically sensitive dates.
• Works best if you install the app and download the latest configs before arriving in China, since its site is blocked domestically.
• Expats who prioritize stability often keep Astrill or 12VPN as a backup, while travelers still find ExpressVPN convenient for short stays.

In short: ExpressVPN has managed to survive the Great Firewall for 5 years straight, but reliability has gradually weakened compared to China-specialized VPNs. It’s good enough if you want a general VPN that also works elsewhere, but not the top choice if China is your main base.

Which cities / ISPs in China have shown the best vs. worst performance with ExpressVPN

Here’s a breakdown of ExpressVPN performance in China (cities & ISPs) based on expat and traveler reports over the past few years:

Best performance (more reliable connections)

• Beijing (China Unicom broadband) — Desktop connections on home/office Wi-Fi work relatively well, especially with Japan or US West servers.
• Shanghai (China Telecom broadband) — Consistently decent for both browsing and streaming, though speeds dip during sensitive events.
• Shenzhen / Guangzhou (China Telecom) — Proximity to Hong Kong makes nearby servers (HK, Singapore) more stable.

Moderate performance (usable but less consistent)

• Chengdu, Chongqing (China Telecom / Unicom) — Works fine on broadband, but mobile ISPs often throttle.
• Hangzhou, Nanjing, Suzhou — Mixed results; sometimes stable, sometimes sudden drops.
• Tier-2 cities with fiber broadband — Desktop usually works, but mobile 4G/5G is patchy.

Worst performance (frequent drops / blocks)

• Mobile ISPs nationwide (China Mobile & China Unicom 4G/5G) — Strongest restrictions, VPNs often disconnect or fail to handshake.
• Harbin, Urumqi, Kunming, other western/provincial cities — Reports of higher blocking rates and slower connections.
• Public Wi-Fi (cafes, airports, hotels) — Often heavily filtered, ExpressVPN may fail to connect at all.

Patterns

• Desktop + broadband (Unicom/Telecom in major cities) = best chance of stable ExpressVPN usage.
• Mobile data (especially China Mobile) = weakest reliability, sometimes unusable.
• Sensitive periods (Party Congress, anniversaries, international summits) = sudden drops nationwide, regardless of city or ISP.

In short: If you’re in Beijing/Shanghai/Shenzhen on Unicom/Telecom broadband, ExpressVPN is usable most of the year. If you rely on mobile networks or live in smaller cities, you’ll face much higher failure rates.

ExpressVPN server locations vs. regions/ISPs in China

Here’s a pairing guide for ExpressVPN server locations vs. regions/ISPs in China (based on long-term user reports):

North China (Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei – mostly China Unicom/Telecom)

• Best: Japan (Tokyo/Yokohama), US West (Los Angeles, San Francisco)
• Backup: Singapore
• Notes: Japan routes are usually fastest; US West works well for streaming.

East China (Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Suzhou – China Telecom dominant)

• Best: Singapore, Japan
• Backup: US West
• Notes: Singapore servers often give smoother connections here than Japan.

South China (Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Dongguan – Telecom/Unicom, near HK)

• Best: Hong Kong, Singapore
• Backup: Japan
• Notes: Hong Kong servers are convenient, but during sensitive periods they are targeted first — Singapore is more stable fallback.

West China (Chengdu, Chongqing, Xi’an, Kunming – Telecom/Unicom)

• Best: Japan, Singapore
• Backup: US West
• Notes: Japan usually lowest latency; Singapore can be faster when Japan is blocked.

Northeast & Northwest (Harbin, Urumqi, Lanzhou, etc. – Unicom/Telecom/Mobile)

• Best: Japan
• Backup: US West
• Notes: These regions often see heavier throttling; performance is weaker than east/south China no matter which server.

China Mobile (nationwide, 4G/5G users)

• Best: Japan TCP, Singapore TCP
• Backup: US West TCP
• Notes: Mobile networks block UDP aggressively — switching ExpressVPN protocol to TCP (Lightway TCP or OpenVPN TCP) improves success rate.

Rule of thumb:

• Japan = fastest for most users
• Singapore = best backup when Japan is blocked
• US West = most stable for streaming/media access
• Hong Kong = fast but fragile (easily blocked)

Step by step connection playbook

Here’s a practical ExpressVPN “connection playbook” for China (2025) you can follow when servers drop:

Step 1 — Start with fastest option

• Try Japan (Tokyo/Yokohama) – Lightway UDP.
• If blocked, switch to Lightway TCP.

Step 2 — Regional fallback

• Switch to Singapore – Lightway TCP.
• If unstable, test OpenVPN TCP instead.

Step 3 — Long-haul fallback

• Use US West (Los Angeles, San Francisco) – OpenVPN TCP.
• Slower ping, but usually bypasses blocks reliably.

Step 4 — Experimental / situational

• Hong Kong – Lightway TCP (very fast when it works, but often targeted first).
• Other nearby servers (South Korea, Taiwan) sometimes work but less consistent.

Step 5 — If all fail

• Restart router and app → switch protocol → try again.
• Use broadband/Wi-Fi instead of mobile data if possible.
• If completely down during sensitive periods, wait a few hours and retry.

Quick decision tree

1. Japan UDP → Japan TCP
2. Singapore TCP → Singapore OpenVPN
3. US West TCP
4. Hong Kong TCP (bonus when available)

This sequence minimizes wasted time and avoids dead servers.

How to choose ExpressVPN protocols?

Default protocol order

1. Lightway UDP
2. Lightway TCP
3. OpenVPN TCP

Server sequence (try in order)

• Japan (Tokyo/Yokohama) → UDP → TCP
• Singapore → TCP → OpenVPN TCP
• US West (Los Angeles / San Francisco) → TCP
• Hong Kong → TCP (fast when available, often blocked)

Tips

• Desktop + broadband (Unicom/Telecom) = best stability
• Mobile (China Mobile/Unicom 4G/5G) = use TCP only
• Restart app/router if blocked
• Keep multiple configs downloaded before arrival
• During sensitive periods (Party Congress, anniversaries, major events), expect temporary outages

Emergency backup

• Astrill (StealthVPN / Smart Mode)
• 12VPN (China-focused, lightweight)