A private server with an IP address no one else has ever used, so the Great Firewall has nothing to blocklist. WhatsApp, Instagram, and Google come back; WeChat, Alipay, and Didi never slow down. Installed at home, because it can't be installed there.
The Great Firewall doesn't break encryption. It keeps a list. Big VPNs share each server among thousands of users, the censors subscribe too, and every IP ends up on the blocklist. Traveler's VPN provisions a private server for you alone, with an IP address no one has ever seen. There's nothing for the list to have learned.
Provisioned in about a minute, in the region you choose, shared with nobody. Not a slot on a crowded exit node.
Smart routing sends WhatsApp, Instagram, and Gmail through the tunnel while WeChat, Alipay, Didi, and Apple Maps stay direct. At the same time, with nothing to toggle.
$9.99 for seven days, no auto-renew, no account. Or a 3-day free trial that covers a layover outright.
The two columns most VPNs make you choose between. Full verdicts for 55 apps are on the complete list.
| Through the tunnel | Kept direct |
|---|---|
| WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, X, Threads | WeChat, WeChat Pay |
| Google, Gmail, Drive, Photos | Alipay, Didi, Meituan |
| YouTube, Netflix, Disney+, Spotify | Apple Maps, iMessage, iCloud, FaceTime |
| ChatGPT, Slack, Discord, Telegram | Zoom, Teams, Outlook |
| Your bank, on one clean home IP | Amap, Bilibili, Chinese sites |
VPN websites and app stores are unreachable from inside China, so everything happens at home. That's the whole trick.
Download from the App Store, start the free trial or buy the 7-day pass. No signup, no email.
Your private server provisions in about a minute. Choose the Travel in China profile and load Instagram to confirm.
Blocked apps come back; local apps never slowed down. Runs on iPhone, iPad, and Mac with one purchase.
Legality is a grey area. China requires VPN providers to be state-approved; enforcement has targeted sellers, and no tourist has been penalized for personal use on any public record. We wrote the full version rather than a slogan.
Two things no VPN fixes: Google Maps is offset by hundreds of meters inside China (use Apple Maps, which we keep direct), and Uber has no drivers there (use Didi).
Apple only. iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Android travelers should read our honest ranking, where we put Astrill above ourselves for residents.
Prepare the rest of your phone too: payments, email, 2FA, and WeChat. The pre-flight checklist is ninety minutes and covers all of it.
Going somewhere for a week? Grab a pass. Travel often? Let us run the server. Already have your own? Unlock it once. Every option includes the smart routing and covers iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with no account to make.
One trip, sorted. We run a private server for the week.
We run the server. You just tap connect, anywhere.
Already have a server? Unlock the app and connect it.
One App Store download, Family Sharing supported. Cancel a subscription anytime in Settings. Setup details.
Yes, and the reason is structural rather than a promise: you get a private server with an IP address that has never been shared, so it isn't on the firewall's blocklists the way commercial VPN ranges are. Install and test it before you fly, since nothing can be downloaded from inside.
No. Everything happens at home: install, connect once, pick the China profile. After landing, blocked apps work through the tunnel and local apps stay direct automatically.
No. That's the point of the split tunnel: Chinese apps and Apple services stay on direct local routes while only the blocked apps go through your server. Local apps can be up to 10× faster than on a VPN-only app.
It's a genuine grey area: providers need state approval, enforcement has targeted sellers, and there is no public case of a tourist penalized for personal use. Our legality guide lays out the letter and the record honestly.
Two 7-day passes at $9.99 each, or the $14.99 monthly managed plan with a 3-day free trial, cancelled after. Both include the private server and smart routing on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Yes. Unlike a roaming eSIM, which only helps on cellular, the VPN works on hotel, cafe, and airport wifi, which is where most evenings happen. Many travelers run both.