Wandering across the largest continent in the world needs a reliable VPN
Traveling through Asia, you’re going to run into more problems than usual with internet access away from home. From the Great Firewall of China to countries where Netflix hasn’t even launched yet, there’s a lot to think about. A VPN can help, but some are better than others for Asia.
You go from one extreme in Japan, where pretty much anything is allowed and VPNs are legal, to the other in countries like South Korea, where searches for gambling, porn, pirated content and pro-North Korea material quickly send you to a warning page (though VPNs can help you get around this).
China is the real sticking point, even for the best VPN tools. They need to disguise themselves to stand a chance there (look for a feature labeled “obfuscation” or “stealth”), and even then it’s a cat-and-mouse game between the VPN developers and the Chinese authorities. A VPN that works one week may be blocked the next.
With all of that in mind, these are my current picks for the best VPN for Asia, with free options included, and coverage on Android and Windows as well as iPhone and Mac. Further down I’ve included some honorable mentions too. Prices are the monthly pay-as-you-go figures at the time of writing; you can often save money on all of these services by paying for a year or two in advance.
Recommended TOP VPNs for Asia
1. Proton VPN
Proton VPN is the best all-rounder and the best free option I’ve used. Paid plans start at $9.99 / €9.99 a month and add support for more devices, faster speeds, access to more servers, and built-in malware and tracker blocking. Go for the paid option if you can, but if you can’t, the free tier is a solid choice too.
It comes from a privacy-first software company in Switzerland, works across iOS, Android, macOS and Windows, and has a stealth protocol mode that will do its best to get past China’s firewall (though as noted, results can be hit and miss for any VPN).
On the free plan you get access to servers in 10 countries, while a paid plan raises that to 140 countries and more than 20,000 servers in total. As a bonus, you also get a secure password manager and 5GB of encrypted cloud storage, whether you’re a paying customer or not.
2. ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN consistently appears at the top of VPN rankings (even the sponsored ones), and it’s always been fast and reliable in my testing, even if the app interfaces are occasionally clunky. It works everywhere, has servers in 113 countries, and comes with built-in blockers for ads and trackers.
What it doesn’t have is a free tier. You’ll pay from $14.99 / €12.99 a month, though you get plenty in return: support for up to 10 devices, strict security auditing, and the option to add an eSIM to your VPN bundle, a really useful backup when traveling in Asia. If you’d rather keep them separate, see our guide to the best global eSIMs.
The software uses its own proprietary Lightway technology to try to get around the most comprehensive firewalls (looking at you, China), though real-world tests show it’s not guaranteed to work every time.
3. Mullvad
Mullvad would be my pick if privacy and security are your top priorities, above everything else, including price. You don’t need to supply an email or any personal details to sign up, there are regular third-party security audits, and it has its own countermeasures against AI-powered traffic analysis (essentially, the ability of sites and advertisers to identify you through your browsing patterns).
The pricing is simple and flat: $5.60 / €5 a month for five devices, and you can even pay with cash by post for the ultimate in anonymity. Mullvad also offers several obfuscation technologies to help you get around the Great Firewall of China.
There are trade-offs. Mullvad has fewer servers than most other VPNs (hundreds rather than thousands) and can be less reliable for demanding tasks like streaming. If you want to get online anywhere while revealing as little as possible about yourself, and you’re less worried about Netflix, put it on your shortlist.
4. NordVPN
NordVPN is probably a familiar name if you’ve ever sat through a block of podcast ads or searched Google for VPNs, because it spends a huge amount on marketing. Being well known doesn’t make it bad, though. In the many years I’ve used NordVPN, I’ve found it one of the fastest and smoothest VPNs around, from the app design to the process of getting connected.
It scores highly in all the key areas: thousands of servers across 225 locations, easy-to-use apps, and support for up to 10 devices. For Asia specifically, there’s an obfuscation mode that hides its VPN traffic in China, and particularly good server coverage in Japan (handy for all that Netflix content and other streaming).
Plans start at $14.99 / €14.99 a month, so it isn’t cheap, but there’s enough on offer to justify the cost. Bundled security features include ad and tracker blocking, scam and phishing protection, and threat protection for public Wi-Fi, for extra peace of mind on your travels.
5. Astrill VPN
Astrill VPN is a firm favorite for travelers passing through (or living in) China, and it’s specifically designed for restrictive networks. It has its own stealth mode for disguising VPN activity, plus several other security features, including top-tier encryption.
The apps for iOS, Android, macOS and Windows make getting set up easy and give you plenty of flexibility. For example, you can choose which important apps and sites go through the VPN and which don’t, if speed matters more for those.
It isn’t cheap, though. Pricing starts at $30 (about €27) a month, and it doesn’t offer quite the range of servers and locations of many rivals. What you’re really paying for is its advanced techniques for getting past blocks.
Best VPN deals for Asia
Our picks for China, Japan, South Korea and beyond · 30-day money-back on all three
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Best all-rounder · best free in Asia
Proton VPN
70% off the 24-month VPN Plus plan — $2.99/month (was $12.49). Stealth mode is built for networks like China’s, and the free plan covers lighter use on a budget. Read our Proton VPN review.
Promo CodeNo code · auto-applied at sign-upGet 70% off Proton VPN -
Fast across Asia
ExpressVPN
Up to 78% off the 2-year plan — $2.79/month (was $12.49) with Promo Code LOCALS. Lightway tackles tough firewalls, and the eSIM add-on keeps you online between countries. Read our ExpressVPN review.
Promo CodeLOCALSGet 78% off ExpressVPN -
Best for streaming in Japan
NordVPN
Up to 72% off — the 2-year plan at $3.89/month (was $12.49) with Promo Code LOCALS. Obfuscation hides VPN traffic in China, and Japan servers keep streaming smooth. Read our NordVPN review.
Promo CodeLOCALSGet 72% off NordVPN
Prices and offers are taken from the providers’ official sites and change without notice — the price you see at checkout is the one that applies. Locals Insider may earn a commission if you buy through these links; it never affects what you pay. No VPN is guaranteed to work in China; check local rules before using one.
Good alternatives to some known VPNs to use in Asia
- IPVanish (from $14.99 / €13.99 a month): one I’ve found robust and comprehensive, with the option of an antivirus bundle.
- Lantern (from $12 / €11 a month): built specifically to get around anti-censorship technology in places like China and Vietnam, and it has a free option.
- Windscribe (from $9 / €8 a month if you pay): also has a free tier. It doesn’t have the fastest or most comprehensive server network, but it lets you build your own plan, paying for specific locations per month so you can focus on the places you’re actually staying.
- PrivadoVPN (from $10.99 / €10.99 a month): another of the more affordable options, with extras like an ad blocker and threat prevention included.
- CyberGhost (from $12.99 / €11.99 a month): straightforward, speedy and unfussy, with hundreds of servers worldwide.
For more options beyond Asia, see our roundup of the best VPN services and our picks of the top VPNs for travel.
