Free VPN for China: Free Plans and Anti-Censorship Apps Compared
A free VPN reaches sites behind the Great Firewall only when it disguises its traffic, and even then the provider is asking for your trust: the site runs no tests from inside China. All 114 entries below pair a free plan with a published stealth mode or a China claim; 15 of 114 mention China in their published claims, several via reviews or support replies. Bypass carries 40% of the page score, so the order follows anti-censorship tooling first. Read more
Part of Free VPNs.
Sorted by this page’s weighting: Censorship bypass weighs 40% on this page. Each row also shows the overall score.
Ready-made lists
- Works under heavy blocking
- Anonymous
- Honest free
- Trial without a card
- No price rise at renewal
- Netflix and streaming
- Gaming
- For business
All filters by topic: Price and payment · Anonymity and privacy · VPN security · VPN protocols · VPNs by platform · VPNs by use case · Travel and restrictions · VPN jurisdictions · VPN servers by country · VPN customer support · VPN segments
| # | Service | Page score | Data limit | Speed | Locations | Ads | From | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CitadelVPN | 8.55overall 8.74 | Yes | — | — | No | Data limit: yes; Ads: no | €1.38per month |
| 2 | Proton VPN | 5.02overall 6.12 | unlimited (no data limits) | medium speed, no artificial limits | 10 randomly selected countries | no ads | Data limit: unlimited (no data limits); Speed: medium speed, no artificial limits; Locations: 10 randomly selected countries; Ads: no ads | €3.00per month |
| 3 | X-VPN | 4.83overall 6.05 | — | — | 26 regions (UK, CA, AU, 13 US… | Yes AdMob, InMobi, Chartboost,… | Locations: 26 regions (UK, CA, AU, 13 US…; Ads: yes (AdMob, InMobi, Chartboost,… | €2.57per month |
| 4 | StelsVPN | 4.79overall 3.81 | 300 MB/day | — | minimum countries | — | Data limit: 300 MB/day; Locations: minimum countries | €3.99per month |
| 5 | LightningX VPN | 4.76overall 4.96 | — | — | — | — | Not stated | €4.30per month |
| 6 | VPNEU | 4.49overall 3.78 | — | limited | fewer servers | No | Speed: limited; Locations: fewer servers; Ads: no | €1.08per month |
| 7 | Nyx VPN | 4.34overall 3.57 | — | — | — | Yes AdMob | Ads: yes (AdMob) | €0.71per month |
| 8 | Hiddify | 4.18overall 3.15 | unlimited (own server) | own server | — | No | Data limit: unlimited (own server); Speed: own server; Ads: no | — |
| 9 | Npv Tunnel (NapsternetV) | 4.10overall 2.83 | — | — | — | Yes AdMob | Ads: yes (AdMob) | — |
| 10 | DuneVPN | 4.00overall 4.87 | — | — | limited | Yes Google AdMob | Locations: limited; Ads: yes (Google AdMob) | €0.86per month |
| 11 | Fexyn | 3.93overall 3.98 | — | — | — | — | Not stated | €2.57per month |
| 12 | ChibaTunnel | 3.89overall 3.12 | — | — | — | — | Not stated | — |
| 13 | V2Box | 3.88overall 2.72 | — | — | — | Yes | Ads: yes | — |
| 14 | Ratatosk VPN | 3.87overall 2.90 | — | — | standard servers | Yes Premium is ad-free | Locations: standard servers; Ads: yes (Premium is ad-free) | — |
| 15 | Ninja VPN | 3.85overall 4.26 | — | — | no premium servers | Yes AdMob | Locations: no premium servers; Ads: yes (AdMob) | €2.14per month |
| 16 | Turbo VPN | 3.84overall 4.05 | — | — | a handful of servers | Yes mobile | Locations: a handful of servers; Ads: yes (mobile) | €2.86per month |
| 17 | V2Box - V2ray Client | 3.84overall 2.66 | — | — | — | Yes Google AdMob, video ads | Ads: yes (Google AdMob, video ads) | — |
| 18 | VMP VPN (VPN Master Pro) | 3.72overall 4.48 | — | — | — | — | Not stated | €5.01per month |
| 19 | MahsaNG | 3.56overall 2.07 | — | — | — | — | Not stated | — |
| 20 | BelkaVPN | 3.56overall 4.25 | — | — | US; Canada (browser extension… | — | Locations: US; Canada (browser extension… | €2.36per month |
| 21 | HTTP Custom - AIO Tunnel VPN | 3.55overall 2.25 | — | — | VPN Gate free servers | Yes AdMob; cannot be turned off | Locations: VPN Gate free servers; Ads: yes (AdMob; cannot be turned off) | — |
| 22 | HidzoVPN | 3.51overall 3.58 | session limits | — | automatic server selection only | Yes | Data limit: session limits; Locations: automatic server selection only; Ads: yes | €2.14per month |
| 23 | CactusVPN | 3.51overall 4.17 | — | — | — | — | Not stated | €3.41per month |
| 24 | v2rayNG | 3.46overall 2.12 | — | — | — | No | Ads: no | — |
| 25 | DOG VPN - Game Booster (AshX) | 3.45overall 3.50 | unlimited (watch short ad) | — | — | Yes | Data limit: unlimited (watch short ad); Ads: yes | — |
| 26 | VPN Proxy Master | 3.44overall 3.68 | 500 MB (review | — | — | likely (AdMob, Liftoff, InMobi,… | Data limit: 500 MB (review; Ads: likely (AdMob, Liftoff, InMobi,… | €3.18per month |
| 27 | ArgoVPN | 3.41overall 3.84 | unlimited (no data, speed or time… | — | — | No no ads | Data limit: unlimited (no data, speed or time…; Ads: no (no ads) | — |
| 28 | Malloc VPN | 3.41overall 4.03 | — | — | — | — | Not stated | €4.29per month |
| 29 | VPN Proxy Master - Safer Vpn (SecureGuard) | 3.40overall 3.62 | — | — | — | Yes | Ads: yes | €3.18per month |
| 30 | VPN Jantit | 3.39overall 2.82 | unlimited | same as premium (no limit stated) | ~70 countries listed | Yes | Data limit: unlimited; Speed: same as premium (no limit stated); Locations: ~70 countries listed; Ads: yes | €0.86per month |
| 31 | Hide.me | 3.36overall 3.97 | unlimited data | restricted speeds | 8 | — | Data limit: unlimited data; Speed: restricted speeds; Locations: 8 | €2.69per month |
| 32 | Hotspot Shield | 3.34overall 3.94 | 500 MB/day (watch ads on mobile… | up to 2 Mbps | 1 (US, virtual) | Yes ads on mobile | Data limit: 500 MB/day (watch ads on mobile…; Speed: up to 2 Mbps; Locations: 1 (US, virtual); Ads: yes (ads on mobile) | €2.08per month |
| 33 | Teleport VPN (DIGITAL HERO) | 3.32overall 2.91 | unlimited (claim) | — | — | Yes Premium is ad-free | Data limit: unlimited (claim); Ads: yes (Premium is ad-free) | €3.59per month |
| 34 | AtmosVPN | 3.26overall 3.83 | 10 GB/month | 10 Mbps | — | — | Data limit: 10 GB/month; Speed: 10 Mbps | €2.92per month |
| 35 | BearVPN | 3.26overall 3.62 | unlimited | standard speeds | random/auto-selected server only | Yes Premium is ad-free | Data limit: unlimited; Speed: standard speeds; Locations: random/auto-selected server only; Ads: yes (Premium is ad-free) | €1.44per month |
| 36 | Anyone Protocol (ex-ATOR) | 3.23overall 3.38 | — | — | — | — | Not stated | — |
| 37 | DOG VPN | 3.22overall 3.37 | unlimited (after watching ad,… | — | — | Yes watch ad for unlimited… | Data limit: unlimited (after watching ad,…; Ads: yes (watch ad for unlimited… | — |
| 38 | VPNServerHub | 3.18overall 2.72 | 25 GB initial; +1 GB per rewarded… | — | — | Yes rewarded ads | Data limit: 25 GB initial; +1 GB per rewarded…; Ads: yes (rewarded ads) | — |
| 39 | Norse Labs DVPN | 3.17overall 3.50 | — | — | a few locations permanently free | No policy: no advertising | Locations: a few locations permanently free; Ads: no (policy: no advertising) | €2.86per month |
| 40 | avoVPN | 3.14overall 2.87 | — | — | — | — | Not stated | — |
| 41 | VPN Fast (GREEN DYGITAL CONSULTING) | 3.10overall 3.20 | daily data cap | basic speeds | limited | Yes | Data limit: daily data cap; Speed: basic speeds; Locations: limited; Ads: yes | €3.86per month |
| 42 | TunnelBear | 3.09overall 3.59 | 2GB/month | — | — | — | Data limit: 2GB/month | €2.86per month |
| 43 | Karing | 3.06overall 1.95 | — | — | — | — | Not stated | — |
| 44 | StarVPN | 3.06overall 2.94 | capped | — | — | — | Data limit: capped | €6.88per month |
| 45 | Pro Gamer VPN / Gaming VPN Pro / GamerX VPN (Next Hour) | 3.02overall 3.49 | — | — | — | — | Not stated | €1.44per month |
| 46 | Meile dVPN (MathNodes) | 2.92overall 2.55 | — | — | — | — | Not stated | €2.70per month |
| 47 | SwizzVPN | 2.91overall 3.32 | — | — | 2 servers | — | Locations: 2 servers | €4.30per month |
| 48 | VPN Hero (Appwise) | 2.90overall 3.31 | — | — | — | Yes | Ads: yes | €0.79per month |
| 49 | VPN 360 | 2.88overall 3.29 | unlimited | — | — | — | Data limit: unlimited | €1.71per month |
| 50 | Betternet | 2.88overall 3.28 | unlimited (claimed) | up to 1 Gbps (claimed) | 5 | Yes | Data limit: unlimited (claimed); Speed: up to 1 Gbps (claimed); Locations: 5; Ads: yes | €5.16per month |
Show all 114Show top 50 only
| # | Service | Page score | Data limit | Speed | Locations | Ads | From | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | Melon VPN (Wildlook Tech) | 2.85overall 2.85 | — | slower than VIP (implied) | limited (VIP gets all servers) | Yes on Android Play: Contains… | Speed: slower than VIP (implied); Locations: limited (VIP gets all servers); Ads: yes on Android (Play: Contains… | €2.15per month |
| 52 | Float VPN | 2.83overall 2.82 | unlimited (claim) | — | — | Yes | Data limit: unlimited (claim); Ads: yes | — |
| 53 | Cool VPN Pro | 2.82overall 3.20 | — | — | — | Yes | Ads: yes | €2.07per month |
| 54 | VPN Proxy Speed - Super VPN (TOPAPPS TECH) | 2.81overall 2.79 | unlimited (claim) | — | — | Yes AdMob, Facebook, Unity Ads,… | Data limit: unlimited (claim); Ads: yes (AdMob, Facebook, Unity Ads,… | — |
| 55 | 1VPN | 2.79overall 2.57 | unlimited (claim) | — | — | — | Data limit: unlimited (claim) | €1.71per month |
| 56 | OneVPN | 2.77overall 2.53 | — | — | — | — | Not stated | €3.44per month |
| 57 | VPN - Super Unlimited Proxy (VPN Super Inc / Mobile Jump) | 2.76overall 3.12 | unlimited | no 10 Gbps servers | 100+ countries (claim) | Yes AdMob, IronSource, Unity,… | Data limit: unlimited; Speed: no 10 Gbps servers; Locations: 100+ countries (claim); Ads: yes (AdMob, IronSource, Unity,… | €5.15per month |
| 58 | 12VPN | 2.74overall 3.09 | — | — | — | — | Not stated | €9.45per month |
| 59 | FreeVPN.us | 2.72overall 2.27 | 10 GB OVPN quota per account… | — | all 23 servers (10 countries) | Yes | Data limit: 10 GB OVPN quota per account…; Locations: all 23 servers (10 countries); Ads: yes | €1.53per month |
| 60 | Hide Expert VPN (4K-SOFT) | 2.69overall 2.43 | — | — | — | — | Not stated | €3.44per month |
| 61 | Riseup VPN | 2.69overall 2.82 | — | — | — | No | Ads: no | — |
| 62 | HTTP Injector (Evozi) | 2.67overall 2.00 | — | — | — | — | Not stated | — |
| 63 | Ciphra VPN | 2.64overall 2.74 | — | — | — | — | Not stated | €2.86per month |
| 64 | Geph | 2.63overall 2.74 | — | medium-speed (free); Plus =… | — | — | Speed: medium-speed (free); Plus =… | — |
| 65 | MATE VPN | 2.62overall 2.52 | — | — | — | Yes | Ads: yes | — |
| 66 | MyVPN | 2.62overall 2.12 | — | — | — | — | Not stated | — |
| 67 | OnionHop | 2.60overall 2.69 | — | — | — | No | Ads: no | — |
| 68 | Tcpvpn | 2.59overall 2.08 | — | lifetime account speed-limited | — | — | Speed: lifetime account speed-limited | — |
| 69 | VPN UAE: Unlimited VPN in UAE (Local networks) | 2.57overall 2.26 | unlimited (claimed) | — | — | Yes | Data limit: unlimited (claimed); Ads: yes | €1.57per month |
| 70 | VpnHood! | 2.56overall 2.84 | unlimited | no limit | 6 countries | Yes AdMob, rewarded ads; Google… | Data limit: unlimited; Speed: no limit; Locations: 6 countries; Ads: yes (AdMob, rewarded ads; Google… | €3.35per month |
| 71 | FoolVPN | 2.53overall 2.80 | unlimited (claimed) | up to 200 Mbps (claimed) | 10+ countries | Yes ad-supported, very few ads | Data limit: unlimited (claimed); Speed: up to 200 Mbps (claimed); Locations: 10+ countries; Ads: yes (ad-supported, very few ads) | — |
| 72 | 7VPN | 2.53overall 2.80 | unlimited (claim) | — | fewer than Premium | Yes | Data limit: unlimited (claim); Locations: fewer than Premium; Ads: yes | €8.59per month |
| 73 | VPNHouse | 2.52overall 2.58 | — | standard speed (premium: max… | free servers only; premium… | Yes short in-app ads on free… | Speed: standard speed (premium: max…; Locations: free servers only; premium…; Ads: yes (short in-app ads on free… | €2.19per month |
| 74 | Orbot (Tor for Android) | 2.49overall 2.14 | unlimited | — | Tor network exits | No | Data limit: unlimited; Locations: Tor network exits; Ads: no | — |
| 75 | VPN Master - Super Vpn Proxy (SECUREGUARD GROUP) | 2.47overall 2.31 | — | — | — | Yes | Ads: yes | — |
| 76 | V2ray Tunnel Plus (MinaProNet) | 2.45overall 1.29 | — | — | — | Yes | Ads: yes | — |
| 77 | Morocco VPN (Quantux Labs) | 2.44overall 2.66 | — | — | — | Yes | Ads: yes | — |
| 78 | Psiphon | 2.44overall 2.66 | — | 2 Mbps (review) | — | Yes Google AdMob | Speed: 2 Mbps (review); Ads: yes (Google AdMob) | €2.48per month |
| 79 | Shadowsocks | 2.23overall 1.57 | — | — | — | No | Ads: no | — |
| 80 | BeePass VPN | 2.18overall 1.50 | — | — | — | Yes connection redirects to… | Ads: yes (connection redirects to… | — |
| 81 | Reindeer VPN | 2.15overall 1.66 | — | — | — | — | Not stated | €2.80per month |
| 82 | VPNBook | 2.15overall 1.65 | unlimited (claimed) | — | US; CA; UK; others (list cut off) | — | Data limit: unlimited (claimed); Locations: US; CA; UK; others (list cut off) | — |
| 83 | Ultrasurf | 2.14overall 2.23 | — | — | — | — | Not stated | — |
| 84 | Bitmask | 2.11overall 2.00 | — | — | — | No | Ads: no | — |
| 85 | VPN One Click | 2.08overall 2.95 | — | — | — | Yes mobile | Ads: yes (mobile) | €1.21per month |
| 86 | Mudfish | 2.07overall 2.14 | — | no limit (claim) | free public nodes | — | Speed: no limit (claim); Locations: free public nodes | — |
| 87 | Super VPN Unblock Master | 2.07overall 1.74 | unlimited (claim) | — | — | Yes ads; users must watch/skip… | Data limit: unlimited (claim); Ads: yes (ads; users must watch/skip… | — |
| 88 | NetShade | 1.96overall 1.99 | — | — | — | — | Not stated | €2.08per month |
| 89 | DarkTunnel | 1.96overall 0.99 | — | — | — | Yes AdMob | Ads: yes (AdMob) | — |
| 90 | GoFly VPN | 1.92overall 1.53 | unlimited (claim) | — | — | Yes | Data limit: unlimited (claim); Ads: yes | — |
| 91 | UH VPN | 1.91overall 1.91 | — | — | — | — | Not stated | — |
| 92 | AppVPN | 1.87overall 1.86 | — | — | — | No ad SDKs removed in v9.0 | Ads: no (ad SDKs removed in v9.0) | €3.59per month |
| 93 | Proxy Mask | 1.84overall 1.61 | — | — | — | — | Not stated | €0.86per month |
| 94 | InviZible Pro | 1.83overall 1.80 | — | — | — | — | Not stated | — |
| 95 | Arab VPN (App Studio.Ltd) | 1.81overall 1.78 | — | — | — | Yes AdMob | Ads: yes (AdMob) | — |
| 96 | HulaVPN | 1.74overall 1.67 | — | — | — | Yes | Ads: yes | — |
| 97 | VPN Fast - VPN 2027 (VPN Freedom) | 1.74overall 1.28 | — | — | — | Yes | Ads: yes | — |
| 98 | VPN cat | 1.72overall 1.64 | — | — | 12 countries (US, JP, UK, DE, FR,… | Yes Google ads on free servers | Locations: 12 countries (US, JP, UK, DE, FR,…; Ads: yes (Google ads on free servers) | €2.15per month |
| 99 | Calyx VPN | 1.68overall 1.59 | — | — | — | No | Ads: no | — |
| 100 | Oblivion VPN | 1.68overall 1.38 | — | — | — | — | Not stated | — |
| 101 | UAE VPN by Global VPN | 1.65overall 1.55 | — | — | — | Yes | Ads: yes | — |
| 102 | Tachyon Protocol | 1.62overall 1.50 | — | — | — | — | Not stated | — |
| 103 | Bee Plus V2ray | 1.62overall 1.30 | — | — | — | Yes | Ads: yes | — |
| 104 | Edoztunnel | 1.61overall 1.29 | — | — | — | Yes | Ads: yes | — |
| 105 | DroidVPN | 1.59overall 1.45 | 100 MB/day, resets at midnight… | — | free servers only | — | Data limit: 100 MB/day, resets at midnight…; Locations: free servers only | €2.57per month |
| 106 | Hotspot VPN | 1.58overall 2.24 | — | — | — | Yes | Ads: yes | €4.01per month |
| 107 | Hamo Tunnel Plus | 1.56overall 1.22 | — | — | — | Yes | Ads: yes | — |
| 108 | RelyVPN | 1.53overall 1.38 | 300 MB full speed (one-time),… | 160 kbps after 300 MB | — | No no ads even on free plan | Data limit: 300 MB full speed (one-time),…; Speed: 160 kbps after 300 MB; Ads: no (no ads even on free plan) | €4.30per month |
| 109 | Super Free VPN | 1.52overall 1.37 | unlimited (claim) | unlimited (claim) | all | No meta claim | Data limit: unlimited (claim); Speed: unlimited (claim); Locations: all; Ads: no (meta claim) | — |
| 110 | Freegate (DynaWeb) | 1.46overall 1.07 | — | — | — | — | Not stated | — |
| 111 | Best VPN Proxy AppVPN | 1.41overall 1.20 | — | — | — | — | Not stated | €3.59per month |
| 112 | MxTunnel | 1.28overall 1.02 | — | — | — | — | Not stated | — |
| 113 | WebOProxy | 1.18overall 0.87 | — | — | — | — | Not stated | — |
| 114 | biubiu Game Booster | 0.58overall 0.82 | — | — | — | — | Not stated | — |
The top three free options for China compared
| CitadelVPN | Proton VPN | X-VPN | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Page score / bypass | 8.55 / 8.1 | 5.02 / 2.4 | 4.83 / 1.9 |
| What is free | 5-day trial, 5 GB, 2 devices | permanent plan, 1 device | permanent Basic, 26 regions |
| Ads / sign-up | no ads / no email | no ads / email | ads / none |
| Stealth tools | VLESS, Hysteria2, Trojan, Shadowsocks | Stealth, alternative routing | obfuscation, Everest protocol |
| Countries named | EU, UK, UAE | none (China guide) | none |
| Paid from / refund | €1.38 / 14 days | €3 / 30 days | €2.57 / 30 days, no crypto refund |
None of the three puts China in its country list. CitadelVPN leads on published protocols, but its free tier is a 5-day, 5 GB trial: fine for a trip, not a semester. Proton assigns countries at random, no streaming or P2P. X-VPN skips sign-up and funds itself with ads (AdMob, InMobi, Chartboost, Liftoff).
Which free apps actually name China
The evidence behind a China claim varies: VPNEU leans on a customer testimonial, MyVPN on a reviewer, VPN One Click and Hotspot VPN on support replies, and AtmosVPN's help page contradicts itself. LightningX VPN at #5 is described in its entry as aiming its stealth mode at China's firewall; its trial gives 30 minutes on install, another 30 with an email.
Geph, Ultrasurf and Freegate all claim China in their published material, while Psiphon and Orbot, both long-standing free anti-censorship tools on this list, name no country at all: Psiphon picks its transport on its own, and Orbot works through Tor bridges. Since these tools disclose little about logs, audits or ownership, they score poorly, and three of the five stay outside the main ranking. StelsVPN at #4 shows the trade-off: bypass 7.1 next to privacy 1.3, with 300 MB a day free.
Why brand-name free tiers struggle
Hotspot Shield puts traffic obfuscation behind Premium, so the free 500 MB a day arrives without the feature that matters most here. TunnelBear caps free data at 2 GB a month, Hide.me gives unlimited data at restricted speed on eight locations, and all three score 1.9 on bypass. Among the big brands on this page, Proton VPN keeps Stealth on the free tier.
Stealth protocols on free apps
| Protocol | On this list | What it means behind the Firewall |
|---|---|---|
| Shadowsocks | 37 | random-looking bytes; older, easier to fingerprint |
| VLESS + Reality | 22 | looks like a visit to a real website; one wrong character in the key and the connection is dead |
| Trojan | 20 | ordinary HTTPS on port 443; dies once the server IP is blocked |
| Hysteria2 | 17 | fast QUIC over UDP; some networks throttle UDP |
| obfs4 | 6 | a bridge transport (Riseup VPN uses obfs4 bridges) |
WireGuard appears on 51 of the 114 services, but DPI reads a plain handshake easily. Hiddify, v2rayNG and V2Box (bypass 6.7 each) and Npv Tunnel (7.1) support VLESS, Trojan and Hysteria2 yet come with no servers built in: a working config has to come from a provider or a self-hosted box, and a single typo in it means no connection at all.
Setting up before you fly
- Install and sign in at home; provider sites and foreign app listings are hard to open after landing.
- On Android, save the .apk file offline, together with any subscription link you were given.
- Have two apps on different protocols ready, so losing one to a block leaves you with the other.
- Note the provider's mirror or Telegram channel (23 of 114 have one); new configs show up there.
- Watch the data cap: 77 of 114 publish nothing about their free allowance.
FAQ
Is any free VPN guaranteed to work in China?
No. Proton's guide says blocking methods keep changing, so no provider promises full reliability.
Can I download a free VPN after I land?
Most likely not: install before departure or keep an .apk.
Will a free VPN give me a Chinese IP?
Different job: that needs servers inside China, see the China servers list.
Is Proton's free plan enough for China?
With one device, medium speed and countries assigned at random, plus a bypass score of 2.4, it works as a base for light use rather than a full-time replacement.
Short answer
For a short trip, a time-limited trial with modern stealth protocols handles the opening days. On a long stay, a permanent free plan with obfuscation on is the steadier base, plus a backup tool on another protocol. When the free tier runs out, paid plans on this page start at €0.71 a month (median €2.80); readers ready to pay will find more in the main China ranking.
The other 64 on this page: page score under 2.9
Below place 50 the differences are small: most of these services publish little that earns points for this page.
- 00.0
- 10.5
- 41.0
- 221.5
- 142.0
- 232.5