LetsVPN Not Working in China?

What happened to LetsVPN

LetsVPN (快连 in Chinese) was one of the most widely used commercial VPNs in mainland China, according to China Digital Times. ABC News described it as popular with expats in China.

On April 28, 2026, LetsVPN posted on its blog that it was ending its business in mainland China. It said that because of ongoing network blocking, its technical team had made adjustments almost every hour for 20 days but could not fix the connection problems. It also said it had closed all its payment channels in mainland China.

Date	What LetsVPN said
April 28, 2026	It is ending its mainland China business because of ongoing network blocking.
May 8, 2026	Standard operations, including normal billing, resume for users worldwide. This doesn’t mean connections are back to normal everywhere, and it can’t guarantee service in mainland China.
May 15, 2026	Its CEO wrote that LetsVPN can no longer provide VPN service in mainland China.

In the May 15 letter, the CEO apologized to affected users. The letter says LetsVPN can no longer live up to its long-time slogan, “always able to connect”, and will change it. It advised users in mainland China to go through the refund process.

LetsVPN wasn’t the only VPN in trouble. A US-based censorship analyst quoted by ABC News said there was a new round of VPN crackdowns in China in April 2026, and that telecom carriers in parts of China had been asked to block all VPN services.

If you paid for LetsVPN

In its April 28 post, LetsVPN said all refunds are calculated from April 8, 2026, whether or not you used the service recently. Its May 8 notice says refunds should go through the official option in the LetsVPN app, and to contact its in-app customer service with questions.

In May, LetsVPN said it was still processing refunds. The CEO’s letter says free bonus time is not refunded, and that refunds on long plans are not worked out simply from the time left.

Alternatives to LetsVPN

VPN	Our status	Refunds
Astrill	Works	None: all sales are final
Surfshark	Unreliable	30-day money-back guarantee
ExpressVPN	Unreliable	30-day money-back guarantee for new users
NordVPN	Unreliable	30-day money-back guarantee

Prices are on each VPN’s page.

Astrill

Astrill is the VPN that worked most consistently in 2026 hands-on use in China. Astrill says its StealthVPN and OpenWeb protocols are hard to detect in countries with heavy censorship, and it calls Smart Mode a feature for internet users in China. It’s expensive, and all sales are final, even if your internet provider blocks the VPN.

Surfshark

Surfshark worked for browsing and messaging in a 2026 hands-on test but needed more fiddling than Astrill. Surfshark’s China guide recommends a manual WireGuard setup when the app can’t connect. It allows unlimited devices.

ExpressVPN

2026 reports on ExpressVPN disagree. A hands-on test found it too inconsistent to recommend for China, while a China-based blogger says it’s working. ExpressVPN’s own China notice says connections may take longer than usual.

NordVPN

NordVPN says its apps are fully blocked in China. Its support pages give manual IKEv2/IPsec setup steps instead, and it says Windows setups have recently been blocked too, with no workaround yet. A 2026 hands-on test got it working, with more effort than Astrill. Details are on our NordVPN page and in our NordVPN manual setup guide.

A roaming eSIM, for your phone

For your phone, a roaming eSIM can stand in for a VPN. On our eSIM comparison, Airalo and Nomad say their China plans route your data outside mainland China, so blocked apps work without a VPN. Holafly says blocked apps work on its plan without a separate VPN. Saily’s own pages disagree on whether WhatsApp needs one.

An eSIM doesn’t help on hotel Wi-Fi in China, which is filtered. A laptop can only use it through your phone’s hotspot. To decide, read eSIM or VPN for China? For hotel Wi-Fi, see VPN for hotel Wi-Fi in China.

Before you fly

LetsVPN’s team spent 20 days trying to restore connections before it gave up on mainland China. Other VPNs can be disrupted too, so plan a backup.

1. Install your VPN on every device, sign in and connect once at home. Astrill tells travelers to install, configure and test it before they land. It says VPN provider websites are blocked in China and VPN apps have been removed from local app stores.
2. Save your provider’s China setup guide, such as Surfshark’s manual WireGuard guide or NordVPN’s manual IKEv2/IPsec steps.
3. Set up a second way online: another VPN, or a roaming eSIM for your phone.
4. Read whether using a VPN is legal in China.