BEST VPN FOR CHINA | UPDATED JAN 2015 W/ DISCOUNT CODES

原文链接：Best VPNs for China

Over the past 4 months 12 months I have been testing a number of VPN services (VPN = “Virtual Private Network”). Some of them have performed well and a couple have been a surprise disappointment. My goal was to take an unbiased perspective on what were thebest VPNs for China.

This has not been a simple review process for me – and I hope that the effort I put into this can give you confidence that what I am sharing are my honest opinions on these companies. Currently there are just too many “review websites” who spent 5 minutes trying out a service or worse yet, are owned by particular VPN company in an effort to disparage their competitors.

I originally did this research for my primary website, FarWestChina.com, which is why you’ll see the FWC intro before each video. I’ve gone into extensive detail on good VPN options for China on that site as well.

So without further ado, here is a short list (not a comprehensive list, mind you!) of some of the top VPNs – some high-security VPNs and some cheap VPNs for those on a budget – that I have personally used. They are listed here in no particular order and the links are affiliate links, which means that at no additional cost to you, I can be supported in my efforts to provide this free content. Thanks!

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REVIEW OF EXPRESSVPN

I had quite a few people share with me how much they like ExpressVPN so I was interested to give them a try myself. From what I had heard, there were two things that separated ExpressVPN from the competition: high-speeds and unbelievably easy install.

The speeds during my personal test period were the same as I experienced with all the other VPN services, but one thing’s for sure: their software is by far the easiest to install and use. They have beautifully-designed apps for Mac, Windows, Android and iOS. Just download and click “connect” and you’re good to go. Every VPN should be this easy, but unfortunately they’re not. If you’re one of those who consider themselves the antithesis of “tech-savvy”, ExpressVPN is worth the money.

You can see screenshots of their software in the video review I did below or on their website which you can find here. (For a more details, pros vs cons, etc., check out myin-depth review of ExpressVPN)

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REVIEW OF 12VPN (WITH DISCOUNT CODE)

12VPN is one of my favorite VPN services for various reasons, not the least of which is that is has consistently provided me with excellent service. Their software is very simple and easy to use, their customer service has been good and their pricing is below the average.

No other VPN service has communicated with me as well as 12VPN has. I receive monthly updates on service and when there was a problem with one of the submarine lines crossing the Pacific Ocean, I not only got an email telling me about it, they also took the time to explain why it mattered. Very cool.

You can learn more about what they offer by checking out my review below or browsing the 12VPN website (here is theChina-friendly link as well).

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REVIEW OF VYPRVPN

Started in 2006, VyprVPN has become one of the most popular VPNs for people in restrictive countries like China, Iraq and many others. One of the reasons is because of their proprietary Chameleon 256-bit encryption protocol which avoids detection while giving you high security.

One of the things I really like about Vypr is their array of beautiful apps, from Windows to Mac to iOS to Android. What’s better, they all speak to each other so that if you tell your iPhone that you prefer a certain server, your Mac application will follow suit. I’ve never seen that before!

My only complaint with Vypr is that 1) they don’t accept Bitcoin or any other anonymous form of payment and 2) they do admit to minimal logging of user data. This should only concern you, however, if your primary purpose of using a VPN is illegal downloading, otherwise this isn’t a bad thing. I explain more in the video below:

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REVIEW OF PRIVATE INTERNET ACCESS

Ever since 2009, Private Internet Access has been providing one of the most simple ways to connect to a VPN. They’re a pretty new company compared to some of these other service providers but they are one of the cheapest around.

What I like most about Private Internet Access – and you’ll see this in my video tutorial below – is that from the moment I clicked “buy” to the moment I was actually connected to the VPN was less than 5 minutes. It’s super fast.

My only complaint is that the install process for mobile devices is manual. I walk through what I had to do with my iPad in the video below (jump to 6:15) but that’s just one of the things you give up when you pay such a small monthly fee.

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REVIEW OF WITOPIA VPN (WITH DISCOUNT CODE)

There is no other VPN service that has the longevity and reputation as that of Witopia. They’ve been around for over a decade – longer than any other popular VPN service out there – which means they have their fair share of raving fans as well as trolls.

The advantage of going with Witopia is that you have access to the largest selection of servers across the world and they have the cheapest prices of all the VPNs I tested. Their software is beautifully designed as is their website – plenty of useful install guides and a great FAQ section.

How cheap are they? Find out for yourself by checking out their website (for those within China, follow this China-friendly link).

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REVIEW OF JUNGL VPN

Chances are you’ve never heard of Jungl VPN. Before last year, I hadn’t either. There are actually hundreds of small VPN services that cater to specific niches and it would be crazy to try to review them all. Jungl came highly recommended to me, especially here in China, so I decided to give it a try.

The results surprised me. While the service is one of the most expensive that I’ve come across, the level of security and the personal customer support have been amazing. I’ve now used them for over 6 months – both on my laptop and my cellphone – and any time I’ve come across any problems they have been the fastest to respond and fix them.

Learn more about what they offer – including one feature you won’t find with any other VPN – in the video review below, or go to the Jungl website to check out their pricing.

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WARNING: VPNS TO AVOID

While I’m at it, I also want to mention two VPN services that were a disappointment to me. I have no reason to comment poorly on their service (they both offer generous affiliate commissions) other than the fact that during my review period they were, frankly, terrible.

The first is Astrill. They’re a fairly well-known VPN service, especially out here in China where I currently reside, so I figured that recommending their service would be a no-brainer. I was wrong. Not only was their customer support extremely rude…and they knew that I was conducting a review!…but they made me pay for my 7-day free trial. (in fairness, they did eventually refund me the money, but only after 2 months of my incessant complaining).

The second was SunVPN. The problem here is that I like SunVPN and I don’t want to advise against them, I just can’t recommend them. I had problems downloading their software from the get-go and for some reason there was a communication breakdown that we haven’t been able to iron out. Their service seemed good for the short time I used it (it took me a couple weeks just to finally get it running) but the price/value ratio just didn’t add up compared to all the others I had tested.

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CONCLUSION FOR THE BEST VPNS FOR CHINA

If you’ve done any amount of research online you know that this list doesn’t even begin to cover the number of VPN companies out there. Be careful, though: not every “Top 5 VPN Services” article you see out there is legitimate – this is especially true if their URL is something like “bestvpn” dot com or “vpnreviewsite” dot com.

The aforementioned services follow what I like to call the three “R’s” of a good VPN service: they are reliable, reasonably priced, and they are respected companies. When it comes to VPNs, you’re always going to run into some sort of problem somewhere down the road, but with these companies I assure you that you’ll be happy with the service and be well-taken care of by their customer support staff.

I hope this has been helpful and best of luck finding the appropriate VPN service for your needs!