How to Safely Access Snapchat while Visiting China
Reading time: 4 min
First published: May 3, 2019
Updated 2 times since publishing
The largest Communist nation in the world has been policing its country’s Internet since 2002, and more than 60 restrictions have been created in the nearly two decades since.
China’s Internet protocol gives the government the ability to not only block websites to all citizens in the country but it can also monitor individual citizens since three Internet Service Providers, all owned by the government, are the only way Chinese citizens can get online.
The control is so thorough that outside experts have called it the “Great Firewall of China.” But that doesn’t mean people visiting China, for work or pleasure, can’t get the sites they want to visit.
Editor’s Note: We value our relationship with our readers, and we strive to earn your trust through transparency and integrity. We are in the same ownership group as some of the industry-leading products reviewed on this site: ExpressVPN, Cyberghost, Private Internet Access, and Intego. However, this does not affect our review process, as we adhere to a strict testing methodology.
China’s Stance on VPN
China’s government has made noises about virtual private networks (VPNs) in recent years, cracking down on the sale of them in 2017. A number of Chinese-based VPNs went out of business because they were being funded by less-than-savory types.
Such well-known names as OpenVPN, StrongVPN, PureVPN, and Elephant VPN are part of the 10,000 sites currently on China’s block list.
Tips for Picking a Good VPN for use in China
The reasoning here is that VPNs charging a fair monthly fee utilize these funds to improve their technology and bolster security.
Either of these reasons is bad news for the customer and should be avoided at call costs.
A second tip involves security. Some VPNs boast that they don’t need kill switches because their product doesn’t need them. That’s a bit like an automobile manufacturer claiming their car doesn’t need seatbelts.
Unforeseen events are always a possibility when using a VPN and a kill switch can keep you safe online at all times.
Best VPN Choices for Safely Accessing Snapchat in China
1.ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is the 800-pound gorilla when you are talking fastest VPNs. It has servers in 105 countries, nearly half the nations in the world.
As well as being fast, ExpressVPN also has excellent security. It’s one of the only VPNs in the market that routinely bests security in China and Russia, thanks to its AES 256-bit encryption, kill switch, split-tunneling functionality, and zero-knowledge DNS.
It has a handy 30-day money-back guarantee so you can try it risk-free, too.
Editor’s Note: Transparency is one of our core values at WatchEverywhere, so you should know we are in the same ownership group as ExpressVPN. However, this does not affect our review process, as we adhere to a strict testing methodology.
2. VyprVPN
VyprVPN hails from Switzerland and is all about security and speed. It starts with total flexibility on what kind of encryption you want to use; VyprVPN supports Chameleon, PPTP, L2TP/IPsec, and OpenVPN.
Its security is based on a strict no-logs, zero-knowledge DNS service and it adds in a kill switch and its own NAT Firewall for extra protection.
It’s not the fastest VPN on the planet, but it can hold its own thanks to more than 200,000 available IP addresses across more than 700 locations.
Editor's Note: We value our relationship with our readers, and we strive to earn your trust through transparency and integrity. We are in the same ownership group as some of the industry-leading products reviewed on this site: ExpressVPN, Cyberghost, Private Internet Access, and Intego. However, this does not affect our review process, as we adhere to a strict testing methodology.
