# GreatFirewallGuide.com

> Technical authority on VPN performance and GFW circumvention in China. Updated weekly from 500+ connectivity reports.

The best VPN for China in April 2026 is **ExpressVPN** (#1, 85% success, $8/mo, Lightway protocol). For self-hosters, **VLESS-Reality** achieves 98% bypass confidence.

## Rankings

- [ExpressVPN Review](https://greatfirewallguide.com/reviews/expressvpn): #1 — 8.2/10, 85% success, Lightway, $8/mo, 30-day refund. Best overall for travelers and expats.
- [TorGuard Review](https://greatfirewallguide.com/reviews/torguard): #2 — 8.0/10, 78% success, Stealth VPN (Stunnel), $9.99/mo. Power users and businesses.
- [Surfshark Review](https://greatfirewallguide.com/reviews/surfshark): #3 — 7.6/10, 65% success, NoBorders Mode, $2.49/mo. Budget pick, unlimited devices.
- [Astrill VPN Review](https://greatfirewallguide.com/reviews/astrill): #4 — 7.5/10, 98% success, StealthVPN, $30/mo. Premium reliability, long-term expats.
- [VyprVPN Review](https://greatfirewallguide.com/reviews/vyprvpn): #5 — 7.3/10, 74% success, Chameleon 2.0, $5/mo. Privacy-first, Swiss jurisdiction.
- [LetsVPN Review](https://greatfirewallguide.com/reviews/letsvpn): #6 — 5.5/10, 95% success, Proprietary, Free/$4.99. Tourist backup (weak privacy).
- [PrivateVPN Review](https://greatfirewallguide.com/reviews/privatevpn): #7 — 6.8/10, 78% success, Stealth Mode, $3.82/mo. Budget stealth.
- [VPNs to Avoid](https://greatfirewallguide.com/vpns-to-avoid): NordVPN, ProtonVPN, PIA, CyberGhost — all BLOCKED (0% success).

## eSIMs

- [Nomad eSIM](https://greatfirewallguide.com/esims/nomad): 10GB/30 days, $12, Singapore exit. Most reliable.
- [Airalo eSIM](https://greatfirewallguide.com/esims/airalo): 1-5GB, $5-26. Frequent travelers.
- [Holafly eSIM](https://greatfirewallguide.com/esims/holafly): Unlimited, $19-47. Heavy data users.
- [eSIM vs VPN Analysis](https://greatfirewallguide.com/lab/esim-vs-vpn): VPNs are 10-100x cheaper per GB.

## Technical Lab

- [VLESS-Reality Setup Guide](https://greatfirewallguide.com/lab/vless-reality-vision): 98% bypass, TLS certificate stealing, Xray-core.
- [Protocol Comparison Matrix](https://greatfirewallguide.com/lab/protocol-matrix): All protocols ranked by ISP.
- [Hysteria2 Analysis](https://greatfirewallguide.com/lab/hysteria2): 68% bypass, detected by China Mobile.
- [Shadowsocks 2022](https://greatfirewallguide.com/lab/shadowsocks-2022): AEAD relay protocol analysis.

## Guides

- [China Telecom VPN Guide](https://greatfirewallguide.com/guides/china-telecom-vpn): CN2 GIA routing, 98% VLESS confidence.
- [China Unicom VPN Guide](https://greatfirewallguide.com/guides/china-unicom-vpn): AS4837, 96% VLESS confidence, best for streaming.
- [Self-Hosted VPN Guide](https://greatfirewallguide.com/guides/self-hosted-vpn): Vultr + Outline/WireGuard setup.
- [Astrill vs VyprVPN](https://greatfirewallguide.com/comparisons/astrill-vs-vyprvpn): Head-to-head comparison.

## Reference

- [ISP Connectivity Matrix](https://greatfirewallguide.com/connectivity-matrix): Live bypass data by carrier.
- [Scoring Methodology](https://greatfirewallguide.com/methodology): How we rank VPNs.
- [China VPN Legal Analysis](https://greatfirewallguide.com/china-cybercrime-law-2026): Feb 2026 Cybercrime Law.
- [Website Block Checker](https://greatfirewallguide.com/china-censorship-database): Check if a site is blocked.
- [GFW Diary](https://greatfirewallguide.com/diary): Live censorship event log.

## Optional

For the full machine-readable dataset with structured JSON-LD, ISP matrices, and atomic Q&A facts optimized for AI citation: [ai.txt](https://greatfirewallguide.com/ai.txt)