Best VPN provider (In your opinion)? (Strictly no referral allowed)

xiaofan

Arch-Supremacy Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2018
Messages
18,100
Reaction score
2,878
Hi,
Just posted back from China after 5yrs.
Started with StrongVPN initially, but really cannot make it in China.

Switched to Astrill and had been with them for last 4years plus.
I had my Asus RT AC68U flashed with Merlin so that my family members are unable to use.
Personally, I do switch the server at least one a month and we have no problem assessing FB, WA, Google, Netflix, Toggle (Sg server), etc...

We find that having a VPN router is fasting than using the Astrill APP.

Hope it helps.

Astrill is always among the top VPNs for bypassing China GFW but it may be a bit pricey for that purpose, just like Express VPN. I believe it was the most popular one before 2018.

VPN.ac and Nord may be cheaper alternative for bypassing China GFW.

There are also reports that Astrill may not work in sensitive times.

Ref: this guy has real first hand experiences and speed test data of quite some VPNs for bypassing China GFW. He did not recommend Astrill.
https://www.tipsforchina.com/best-vpn-for-china.html

Of course SSR seems to be the popular choice now.

https://www.evernote.com/shard/s609...%E6%8C%81%E7%BB%AD%E6%9B%B4%E6%96%B0%E4%B8%AD
 
Last edited:

xiaofan

Arch-Supremacy Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2018
Messages
18,100
Reaction score
2,878
anyone facing issues with GOM?

Never came across GOM in any of the recommended VPN list. So just Google a bit and Wikipedia says it was specifically made for Singapore internet censorship. The review from various websites say this is easy to use as a browser extension but better buy a full blown VPN at the price if better privacy and security are desired.

From the list maybe you want to consider Windscribe which is at similar price.

https://www.techradar.com/sg/vpn/best-browser-extensions-vpn

You can try free version of Windscribe first. It offers 10GB per month free which is pretty good for web browsing.
https://windscribe.com/features/use-for-free
 

Boliaolah

Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2017
Messages
180
Reaction score
1
Windscribe like not bad. I tried the 10gb version. Anyone with experience with it? I saw ppl saying that there's like netflix dedicated servers also.

I also see stacksocial got lifetime promo for it, legit or not?
 

xiaofan

Arch-Supremacy Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2018
Messages
18,100
Reaction score
2,878
Windscribe like not bad. I tried the 10gb version. Anyone with experience with it? I saw ppl saying that there's like netflix dedicated servers also.

I also see stacksocial got lifetime promo for it, legit or not?

I only tried the free version and in my experiences it works fine for iOS (iPhone 6S) but the Android client sometimes does not work (Huawei P20).

I do not use Netflix myself. But speed is decent even for a round trip back to SingTel with their LA server.

https://www.speedtest.net/my-result/i/3034143161

8.48 Mbps download and 9.39Mbps upload.

It is pretty good for the free version that I can choose from quite some servers.

And the report here says it is working for Netflix.

StackSocial deal is legitimate but I read somewhere life time means 5 years expired date in the VPN world. But 5 years in the VPN world seems very long already.
 

Anarchy

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2000
Messages
1,441
Reaction score
1
anyone have smartdnsproxy that you no longer use to lend for a few days? Please PM me. running some test but the trial trottle the speed...
 

xiaofan

Arch-Supremacy Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2018
Messages
18,100
Reaction score
2,878
Btw, I find it strange that LinkedIn does not work (can not load the feed) when I use various VPN under iOS and Android. Anyone also facing this issue? Just tested with Windscribe VPN and TunSafe (Wireguard based) with my iPhone 6S and Huawei P20.
 
Last edited:

shachok86

Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2012
Messages
206
Reaction score
5
Windscribe like not bad. I tried the 10gb version. Anyone with experience with it? I saw ppl saying that there's like netflix dedicated servers also.

I also see stacksocial got lifetime promo for it, legit or not?

I am using windscribe vpn unlimited from stacksocial..its legit... speed is good..my download speed using multi-host account is as fast as not using vpn... already tried nord/ivacy which have poor download speed when using multihost... so far windscribe one of the fastest vpn i used ... only problem is adblocker for chrome does not work when on windscribe vpn unlike nord vpn which blocks website ads...
 

Charlie_Zhan

Supremacy Member
Joined
Nov 17, 2013
Messages
6,288
Reaction score
288
Windscribe like not bad. I tried the 10gb version. Anyone with experience with it? I saw ppl saying that there's like netflix dedicated servers also.

I also see stacksocial got lifetime promo for it, legit or not?
you abit slow.. there was a 40% discount on stacksocial during BFCM and alot of people here already hooted during that period.. have dedicated servers to access US and UK Netflix contents.

Sent from Samsung SM-G965F using GAGT
 

urbanbootless

Junior Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2019
Messages
58
Reaction score
0
Does it work well for 4k streaming? Plan to use it on my Sony android TV.

Depends on a few factors. Obviously, your internet should be fast enough for a 4K stream. Do you want to use it for US Netflix? I haven't tried Surfshark for 4k stream myself, but on servers that are closer to my location, I got 10-20% speed drop, ~80mbps download speed, that's a very reasonable drop for a VPN. 4k stream requires 15-25mbps speed. I'd advice trying them out and connecting to USA servers on the east coast and checking the speeds with ookla speed test. There's 30 days refund period if it doesn't work, and if you wanna purchase it you can use "greatshark" coupon I received from their client support, they assured me it's reusable and gives 83% discount. Reply here if you try it, I'm interested myself
 

nez

Arch-Supremacy Member
Joined
Dec 17, 2002
Messages
13,404
Reaction score
1,550
I read somewhere life time means 5 years expired date in the VPN world. But 5 years in the VPN world seems very long already.

Wah! Lifetime mean 5 years only. That is a very big difference.
 

xiaofan

Arch-Supremacy Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2018
Messages
18,100
Reaction score
2,878
waaa … liddat also can?

man was fined 1000yuan for using VPN to access oversea websites
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1134724.shtml

Yes this is interesting news. And as per some reports it is due to "excessive usage" in a short time. Do not know what he is using VPN for but strange that he used 487 times in a week. Sounds fishy.

据朱姓网民表示,曾在手机安装一个名为「蓝灯」的「翻墙」软件,其后连接自己家中的宽频,浏览境外网站,怀疑因为在一星期内「翻墙」高达487次,过于频繁因而被发现。

And that Lantern Pro VPN was one of the popular VPNs used by Chinese netizen. But from what I read it is less popular now, probably because the 500MB limit on the free account and the ease of being detected.

No need to worry if you just use VPN a few times for short trips. And I tend to think no issue for foreigner even for long term usage as long as you are not involved in criticising the Chinese government.
 

urbanbootless

Junior Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2019
Messages
58
Reaction score
0
I'd advice trying them out and connecting to USA servers on the east coast and checking the speeds with ookla speed test. There's 30 days refund period if it doesn't work, and if you wanna purchase it you can use "greatshark" coupon I received from their client support, they assured me it's reusable and gives 83% discount. Reply here if you try it, I'm interested myself

Ok, I totally messed this one up, I thought you need to choose US server for Netflix to think you're based there and gain access to USA content. But I contacted their customer support and they said that's not how it works, they have a DNS (domain name server) configured in a way that tells Netflix you're a US user. So you can connect to the server closest to your location for best speed but it will still use the DNS server that unlocks USA content. So the answer is yes, Surfshark supports 4k stream, sorry for my mistake.
 

xiaofan

Arch-Supremacy Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2018
Messages
18,100
Reaction score
2,878
Ok, I totally messed this one up, I thought you need to choose US server for Netflix to think you're based there and gain access to USA content. But I contacted their customer support and they said that's not how it works, they have a DNS (domain name server) configured in a way that tells Netflix you're a US user. So you can connect to the server closest to your location for best speed but it will still use the DNS server that unlocks USA content. So the answer is yes, Surfshark supports 4k stream, sorry for my mistake.

Nice info. So for now Surfshark and Windscribe are two good value VPN for Netflix.

On the other hand we may need to wait a bit longer to pass the judgement on Surfshark since it is relatively new comer in the market.
 

Cirevek67

Junior Member
Joined
Dec 11, 2018
Messages
55
Reaction score
0
Nice info. So for now Surfshark and Windscribe are two good value VPN for Netflix.

On the other hand we may need to wait a bit longer to pass the judgement on Surfshark since it is relatively new comer in the market.

I would be careful with windscribe, the provider is registered in Canada, which is one of the big enemies against the internet. (google about 5 eyes countries).

I know they state like every VPN that they are a no-log provider, but that's probably not the case. If authorities needed information about you, the company would have to cooperate and give up everything they have about you.

I did my research before committing to a single VPN provider.
 

xiaofan

Arch-Supremacy Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2018
Messages
18,100
Reaction score
2,878
i think expressVPN is good
Haha everyone knows that it is good, kind of gold standard in the VPN world. It is just that if it is the cost effective VPN to use for the target use cases because it is one of the most expensive one.
 

rrr2015

Supremacy Member
Joined
Nov 29, 2015
Messages
7,303
Reaction score
1,546
thanks … relieved to hear that.
might be some automation app that he was using causing "excessive usage"

Yes this is interesting news. And as per some reports it is due to "excessive usage" in a short time. Do not know what he is using VPN for but strange that he used 487 times in a week. Sounds fishy.

据朱姓网民表示,曾在手机安装一个名为「蓝灯」的「翻墙」软件,其后连接自己家中的宽频,浏览境外网站,怀疑因为在一星期内「翻墙」高达487次,过于频繁因而被发现。

And that Lantern Pro VPN was one of the popular VPNs used by Chinese netizen. But from what I read it is less popular now, probably because the 500MB limit on the free account and the ease of being detected.

No need to worry if you just use VPN a few times for short trips. And I tend to think no issue for foreigner even for long term usage as long as you are not involved in criticising the Chinese government.
 
Important Forum Advisory Note
This forum is moderated by volunteer moderators who will react only to members' feedback on posts. Moderators are not employees or representatives of HWZ. Forum members and moderators are responsible for their own posts.

Please refer to our Community Guidelines and Standards, Terms of Service and Member T&Cs for more information.
Top