Before you go · 11 min read
Internet in China: VPNs, eSIMs and apps that actually work
In short: Google, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook don't work in China. You have two good options. The first is a travel eSIM (we used Airalo): it connects through a foreign network, so Western apps work without a VPN. The second is an eSIM bought in the Alipay app: much cheaper and often with unlimited data. Versions with “Roaming IP” support Google and WhatsApp without a VPN, while the cheapest ones give you Chinese internet, so you'll need a VPN (we used NordVPN, Surfshark and ikuuu). Install everything before you leave home, because most of it will be blocked once you arrive.
What surprised us most in China is how everything runs through your phone: food, taxis, museum tickets and shopping at a market stall. That's why a good internet connection matters even more there than in Europe – without one, it's hard to even pay for lunch.
Correct as of October 2026. Rules, offers and prices in China change quickly, so check the current terms with each provider before you travel.
Why Google doesn't work in China
China filters internet traffic at its borders. The system is commonly known as the Great Firewall. It blocks thousands of foreign websites and apps, above all the ones we use every day.
Blocked (without a VPN or an eSIM with a foreign connection):
- Google: Search, Google Maps, Gmail, Drive, online Google Translate, Google Play
- YouTube
- Facebook, Messenger, Instagram
- WhatsApp and Telegram
- X (Twitter)
- Wikipedia (in every language)
- ChatGPT and most Western AI tools
- many foreign news websites
Usually work without any workarounds:
- Apple Maps (in China it uses Chinese map data)
- iMessage
- Booking.com and Trip.com
- Outlook and Bing
- most European banking apps
NoteOn Android, app notifications go through Google's servers. Over Chinese internet without a VPN they may not arrive – and that includes notifications from your bank asking you to confirm a payment. Over an eSIM with a foreign connection they work normally. On an iPhone, notifications go through Apple, so this isn't an issue.
Most importantly: Google Play doesn't work in China, and VPN providers' websites are blocked. Install every app from this article before you fly.
How to get online in China: 4 options
| Option | Do Google and WhatsApp work? | Cost | What to watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel eSIM (e.g. Airalo) | yes, without a VPN | medium | you pay per gigabyte, no Chinese number |
| eSIM from Alipay | with “Roaming IP” yes, without a VPN; the cheapest only with a VPN | low, often unlimited | check the listing for Roaming IP and hotspot |
| Roaming with your home carrier | yes, without a VPN | usually high | China is outside EU roaming and most standard roaming zones |
| Hotel Wi-Fi | only with a VPN | free | can be slow, VPNs connect inconsistently |
1. Travel eSIM: the simplest option
An eSIM is a SIM card in digital form. You buy it in an app (we used Airalo partner link), install it on your phone with a QR code and switch it on after landing. Your home SIM stays in the phone, so you still get text messages with codes from your bank.
The big advantage: traffic from a travel eSIM is routed through gateways outside mainland China. To the Chinese network you look like a roaming tourist, so Google, WhatsApp and Instagram work without a VPN. Airalo says so explicitly about its China eSIM. This only applies to the eSIM's data – on hotel Wi-Fi the blocks come back.
What to watch out for:
- Your phone must support eSIM and be unlocked. Most recent iPhones and flagship Android phones can do it. Check your settings before you buy.
- You pay per gigabyte. Unless you stream videos, a few gigabytes is usually enough for two weeks. Maps, translation and payments use very little data.
- A travel eSIM gives you data only, without a Chinese phone number. Text codes from Alipay, WeChat and your bank arrive on your home number.
- Install it before you leave, over Wi-Fi. The package's validity usually starts only when it first connects to a network in China, but check this in the offer description.
2. eSIM from Alipay: cheap and often unlimited
The second option we used: an eSIM bought in the Alipay app. Alipay has an English-language eSIM shop for mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Offers come from various sellers, including Trip.com, Fliggy and Redtea Mobile. Prices are noticeably lower than travel eSIMs from European apps, and many packages have unlimited data. Sample offers from October 2026:
| Package | Price |
|---|---|
| 5 GB for 3 days (China) | ¥17 (about 10 PLN) |
| unlimited, 5 days (China, Hong Kong, Macau) | ¥62 (about 36 PLN) |
| unlimited, 7 days (China, Hong Kong, Macau) | ¥70 (about 41 PLN) |
| unlimited, 10 days (China) | ¥82 (about 48 PLN) |
| unlimited, 15 days (China) | ¥117.90 (about 68 PLN) |
Before you buy, check two things in the offer description.
1. Whether it has “Roaming IP”. These eSIMs connect through a foreign network, just like Airalo, so Google, WhatsApp and ChatGPT work without a VPN. You'll see “Roaming IP” or “supports Google / WhatsApp / ChatGPT” in the description. Offers without it are usually Chinese internet with all the blocks: they're the cheapest, but you'll only open Google Maps, WhatsApp or Instagram through a VPN.
2. Whether it has a hotspot, i.e. sharing the connection with other devices (a laptop or a travel companion's phone). The same offer often comes with and without a hotspot. Here's an example of an unlimited eSIM with Roaming IP from Redtea Mobile:
| Version | Speed | Hotspot | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| basic | up to 10 Mbps | no | ¥86 (about 50 PLN) |
| with hotspot | up to 20 Mbps | yes | ¥168 (about 98 PLN) |
TipIf there are two of you, an eSIM with a hotspot costs roughly the same as two basic ones. Two separate eSIMs are more convenient, because you don't have to stay close to each other. A hotspot is useful if you want to work on a laptop.
To buy an eSIM in Alipay, you need an account with a card linked to it (here's how to set one up). Buy and install it before you fly, because you need an internet connection to install an eSIM. Also check the list of supported phones in the offer.
We used three VPNs. They come in handy with the cheapest eSIMs and on hotel Wi-Fi:
- NordVPN and Surfshark: well-known paid VPN apps, available in the App Store and Google Play outside China.
- ikuuu: a Chinese subscription proxy service, popular with Chinese users themselves. It isn't a classic VPN app but a subscription you add to an app such as Clash (Android, computer) or Shadowrocket (iPhone).
TipHave more than one VPN on your phone. None of them connects everywhere in China all the time, and when one stops working, you switch to the other. Install and test them before you leave, because in China you won't be able to download them from the app store or the provider's website.
Is using a VPN legal in China? Officially, only state-approved services may be used in China, and regular commercial VPNs aren't among them. Reports of penalties mainly concern residents of China and commercial activity, not tourists, but the rule applies to everyone. If you'd rather not use a VPN, choose an eSIM with a foreign connection (Airalo, or one with “Roaming IP” from Alipay) or roaming: you then connect through a foreign network and don't need a VPN.
3. Roaming with your home carrier
It works without a VPN, because your traffic goes through your carrier back home. However, China isn't part of EU roaming or most carriers' standard roaming zones, so data without an add-on is usually expensive. If your carrier offers a China package at a reasonable price, it's a convenient option. If not, a travel eSIM will work out cheaper.
TipWhichever eSIM you use, turn off data roaming on your home SIM, but leave the card in your phone. That way you won't pay for accidental data use, and text messages with codes will still arrive. Receiving texts abroad is usually free, but check your carrier's price list.
4. Wi-Fi in hotels and around town
Hotels usually offer free Wi-Fi, but it's Chinese internet: Western apps only work through a VPN. Public networks at airports, stations and cafés often require a text code sent to a Chinese phone number, so you can't log in without one. Treat Wi-Fi as a backup, not your main source of internet.
Which option to choose
- You don't want to bother with VPNs: a travel eSIM (Airalo) or an eSIM with “Roaming IP” from Alipay. Google and WhatsApp simply work.
- Lots of data for as little as possible: the cheapest unlimited eSIM from Alipay plus a VPN.
- Two of you, or you're bringing a laptop: the version with a hotspot.
- The safest bet: a travel eSIM as your main connection and a VPN installed as a backup for hotel Wi-Fi.
Chinese apps: what Chinese people use
With no Google or WhatsApp, Chinese people have their own equivalents – often more convenient than ours. These are the ones you'll come across most often.
WeChat (微信): a messenger that does everything
WeChat (Weixin in Chinese) is the most important app in China. It works like WhatsApp, Facebook and a wallet rolled into one: chats and calls, posts for friends, payments (WeChat Pay) and thousands of mini-programs, small apps that run inside WeChat. In China, instead of a phone number, people swap WeChat QR codes – with a hotel, a guide or someone they've just met.
Set up your account before you leave. When you register with a foreign number, WeChat sometimes asks another user to verify your account, and that's easier to sort out calmly before your trip.
Alipay (支付宝): payments and much more
Alipay is the pay-by-phone app used by almost every shop, restaurant and street stall in China. It works in English, and you can link your Visa or Mastercard to it. It also contains mini-programs, for example for booking DiDi taxis, as well as a built-in translator.
How to create an account, link your card and pay without fees is covered in How to pay in China: Alipay and WeChat Pay step by step.
DiDi (滴滴): China's Uber
Uber doesn't operate in China – DiDi takes its place. The app has an English version and accepts a foreign phone number and card. It's easiest to use as a mini-program inside Alipay. You pick your destination on the map, and the driver sees it in Chinese in the app, so there's nothing to explain.
Meituan (美团): food, reviews and bookings
Meituan is an app for everything that happens in a city: food delivery, restaurant reviews and discounts, hotel and ticket bookings, even city bikes. The same company owns Dianping (大众点评), China's equivalent of TripAdvisor. Meituan's main app is in Chinese only. It's easier to use the Meituan mini-program in WeChat, which can be translated, and to pay with Alipay or WeChat Pay.
Ele.me (饿了么), now Taobao Shangou: Alibaba's delivery app
Ele.me is Meituan's main competitor in food delivery and belongs to Alibaba, the group behind Alipay. Since December 2025 the app has been called Taobao Shangou (淘宝闪购), and its blue colours have turned orange. Couriers in orange and yellow jackets are a sight you'll remember from Chinese streets.
TipOrdering food to your hotel without speaking Chinese can be tricky, because couriers often call. To start with, restaurants are enough: food in China is cheap, and menus often have photos or a QR code for ordering on your phone.
Bilibili (哔哩哔哩): China's YouTube
Bilibili started as a site for anime and games and is now one of China's biggest video platforms. Its signature feature is comments flying across the screen while the video plays (danmu). It won't help you get things done as a tourist, but it's worth watching Chinese vlogs from the places you're going to. People also look for inspiration on Douyin (China's TikTok) and Xiaohongshu, a Chinese mix of Instagram and Pinterest.
We cover apps for trains, hotels and attractions (Trip.com, 12306) in our article Hotels, trains and flights, and maps (Amap, Baidu Maps and Apple Maps) in China without Google Maps.
Your pre-flight checklist
- Check that your phone supports eSIM and is unlocked.
- Buy and install an eSIM (Airalo partner link or one from Alipay). Check whether it has “Roaming IP” and, if you need it, a hotspot.
- Install and test at least one VPN (two is safer).
- Set up Alipay and WeChat accounts (how to do it).
- Download offline language packs in your translator app (Chinese + English). Google Translate works offline in China too, and Apple Translate works normally.
- Keep your home SIM in your phone, but turn off data roaming on it.
- Save the address of your first hotel in Chinese (to show to a taxi driver).
- On Android, install everything before you fly, because Google Play doesn't work in China.
Don't want to figure it all out yourself?
Each of our travel plans has a “Before you go” chapter: visa, apps, internet, money, trains and plug sockets, plus a day-by-day route, connections between cities and addresses in Chinese to show taxi drivers. See our China travel plans.
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