Does NordVPN work in China?
Mostly no. Despite the marketing, NordVPN is blocked for most people in mainland China. Its obfuscated servers occasionally connect but are not reliable.
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NordVPN in China at a glance
- Status this week
- Mostly blocked
- Price
- From ~$3.50/mo
- Protocols
- NordLynx, Obfuscated servers
- Best for
- Use outside China. Inside China, bring something else.
Despite the marketing, NordVPN is mostly blocked in mainland China. Obfuscated servers occasionally connect but most Reddit reports say it is not worth relying on.
Good
- Cheap
- Good outside China
Not so good
- Mostly blocked in China
- Obfuscated servers unreliable
How to set up NordVPN for China
- If you want to try it, install NordVPN before you travel.
- Switch the protocol to OpenVPN (TCP), which is required for obfuscated servers, then turn on Obfuscated servers in the advanced settings.
- Connect to an obfuscated server in Hong Kong, Japan or Taiwan.
- Carry a VPN that is working this week. Do not travel with NordVPN as your only option.
More detail: how to set up a VPN before your trip and what to try if your VPN stops working.
Better options than NordVPN this week
- Does Astrill work in China? · From ~$12.50/moWorking
- Does Surfshark work in China? · From ~$2.50/moWorking
- Does ExpressVPN work in China? · From ~$8/moHit or miss
Head-to-head
NordVPN in China: questions
- Why doesn't NordVPN work in China?
- NordVPN's servers and its NordLynx protocol are well known to the Great Firewall, so they are blocked. Obfuscated servers help a little, but most reports say they fail more often than they work.
- Does NordVPN say it works in China?
- Its marketing suggests obfuscated servers can help in restrictive countries, but it does not promise it will work in China. Reports from people on the ground are mostly negative.