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China Visit Guide

Tools · For travellers

What works in China?

Filter through 45+ apps and services to see current status in mainland China: works, partial, blocked, or unavailable. Chinese alternative provided for each blocked service. Verified July 2026.

Showing 49 of 49 services.

  • Google Searchsearch
    BlockedVPN needed

    Alternative: Bing (works, weaker for English), Baidu (Chinese)

  • Google Mapsmaps
    BlockedVPN needed

    Alternative: Apple Maps (works, uses Chinese data provider), Amap 高德地图 (better)

  • Google Drive / Docsproductivity
    BlockedVPN needed

    Alternative: OneDrive (works), local WPS, VPN

  • Gmailemail
    BlockedVPN needed

    Alternative: Outlook.com (works), iCloud Mail (works), VPN

  • YouTubevideo
    BlockedVPN needed

    Alternative: Bilibili for original CN content, VPN for YouTube

  • WhatsAppmessaging
    BlockedVPN needed

    Alternative: WeChat (universal in China), Signal (blocked too), VPN

  • Signalmessaging
    BlockedVPN needed

    Alternative: VPN required. WeChat is what people actually use in China.

  • Telegrammessaging
    BlockedVPN needed

    Alternative: VPN

  • iMessagemessaging
    Works

    Works over Apple's infrastructure; end-to-end encrypted iMessage-to-iMessage.

  • FaceTimevideo-calls
    Works
  • Facebooksocial
    BlockedVPN needed

    Alternative: WeChat, Weibo, RED

  • Instagramsocial
    BlockedVPN needed

    Alternative: RED (小红书) covers similar lifestyle content

  • Twitter / Xsocial
    BlockedVPN needed

    Alternative: Weibo

  • Threadssocial
    BlockedVPN needed

    Alternative: Weibo

  • TikToksocial
    BlockedVPN needed

    Alternative: Douyin (抖音) — the Chinese-market sister app, works

  • Redditsocial
    BlockedVPN needed

    Alternative: Zhihu (知乎) is the closest Chinese Q&A alternative

  • LinkedInsocial
    BlockedVPN needed

    Alternative: Chinese version discontinued in 2023; use Maimai for domestic professional networking

    The China-specific InCareer service also shut down in 2023.

  • Discordchat
    BlockedVPN needed

    Alternative: QQ, WeChat groups

  • Slackchat
    Partial

    Alternative: Works over cellular; some workspaces slow or intermittent on public wifi. Feishu (Lark, ByteDance) is the domestic alternative.

    Enterprise Slack via corporate VPN generally reliable.

  • Microsoft Teamschat
    Works

    Works but international meetings can be sluggish.

  • Zoomvideo-calls
    Partial

    Alternative: Sometimes throttled; use Tencent Meeting (腾讯会议) for meetings inside China.

  • Google Meetvideo-calls
    BlockedVPN needed

    Alternative: Tencent Meeting, Zoom, MS Teams

  • Netflixstreaming
    BlockedVPN needed

    Alternative: Youku, iQiyi, Bilibili for domestic content; VPN for Netflix

  • Spotifystreaming
    BlockedVPN needed

    Alternative: Apple Music (works), NetEase Cloud Music (网易云音乐), QQ Music

  • Apple Musicstreaming
    Works
  • Twitchstreaming
    BlockedVPN needed

    Alternative: Bilibili, Huya

  • Wikipediareference
    BlockedVPN needed

    Alternative: Baidu Baike (百度百科); the English Wikipedia has been blocked since April 2019, all languages since 2020

  • GitHubdev
    Works

    Works but slow — use Gitee or a China-region mirror for large clones.

  • npm registrydev
    Partial

    Alternative: Slow. Use the Taobao npm mirror: `npm config set registry https://registry.npmmirror.com`

  • Docker Hubdev
    BlockedVPN needed

    Alternative: Use a domestic mirror (Alibaba, Tencent Cloud) or configure a proxy through your VPN

    Blocked since mid-2024 following the crackdown on public Docker mirrors.

  • Stripepayments
    PartialVPN needed

    Alternative: Dashboard access works via VPN; payment processing to Chinese cards limited — Alipay / WeChat Pay are dominant.

  • PayPalpayments
    Works

    Consumer app works; Chinese-account restrictions apply for cross-border transfers.

  • Airbnbtravel
    PartialVPN needed

    Alternative: International Airbnb website blocked; the mainland China entity discontinued in 2022. Use Trip.com or domestic apps like Meituan for accommodation.

  • Booking.comtravel
    Works

    Works but inventory in mainland China is limited; Trip.com and Ctrip have deeper domestic coverage.

  • Ubertravel
    Partial

    Alternative: Uber's China business was sold to DiDi in 2016. Uber Global app works for airport pickups in HK/Macau but not mainland cities. Use DiDi (Alipay or WeChat mini-programme) instead.

  • Grabtravel
    Not offered in China

    Alternative: Grab doesn't operate in mainland China. DiDi in cities; taxi + Alipay/WeChat elsewhere.

  • Duolingolearning
    BlockedVPN needed

    Alternative: HelloChinese (works, mainland-friendly), Pleco (dictionary)

    The Chinese-market Duolingo app was pulled from mainland app stores in 2022.

  • Wise (formerly TransferWise)banking
    Works

    App works; transfers to Chinese bank accounts supported with restrictions.

  • Revolutbanking
    Works
  • 1Passwordutility
    Works
  • Bitwardenutility
    Partial

    Alternative: Sync sometimes fails on Chinese ISPs; self-hosted Bitwarden or VPN more reliable.

  • iCloud (Chinese account)utility
    Works

    Chinese Apple IDs sync via GCBD (Guizhou-Cloud Big Data) — the state-operated domestic iCloud infrastructure. Non-Chinese IDs sync via Apple's global infrastructure.

  • Dropboxproductivity
    BlockedVPN needed

    Alternative: OneDrive, WPS Cloud, VPN

  • Notionproductivity
    Partial

    Alternative: Loads slowly; occasional block. Feishu Docs (Lark) is the domestic alternative.

  • Figmaproductivity
    Partial

    Alternative: Loads slowly; JS Design (即时设计) is a viable domestic alternative.

    Access improved after early-2023 slowdown but still not fast.

  • OpenAI ChatGPTai
    BlockedVPN needed

    Alternative: Baidu Ernie Bot (文心一言), Doubao (ByteDance), Zhipu, Moonshot Kimi, DeepSeek — all mainstream domestic LLMs are accessible; ChatGPT requires VPN.

    OpenAI itself blocks Chinese IP addresses from signing up.

  • Claude (Anthropic)ai
    BlockedVPN needed

    Alternative: See ChatGPT row; same domestic alternatives apply. VPN required.

  • Google Bard / Geminiai
    BlockedVPN needed

    Alternative: Domestic LLMs as above

  • Perplexityai
    BlockedVPN needed

    Alternative: VPN; domestic search-with-LLM includes Kimi Explore and Zhipu Qingyan.

FAQs

Is Google blocked in China?
Yes — Google Search, Gmail, Drive, Docs, YouTube, Maps, and Meet are all blocked in mainland China. Apple Maps and Bing work; OneDrive works. For search, Baidu (Chinese) and Bing (English, weaker) are the mainstream alternatives.
Does WhatsApp work in China?
No, WhatsApp has been blocked since 2017. Signal, Telegram, and Facebook Messenger are also blocked. WeChat is the universal Chinese messaging app — practically everyone you interact with will expect it. Set it up before you travel.
Is a VPN legal in China?
The situation is nuanced. Selling or hosting a VPN service to Chinese consumers requires a licence (foreign VPN services are unlicensed and therefore technically unauthorised). Using a VPN as a foreign visitor for personal use is not actively enforced against tourists in practice. Business travellers using a corporate VPN operate in a grey area but are widely tolerated. Install and test your VPN BEFORE arriving — most VPN provider websites and app stores are blocked from inside China.
Which VPNs work in China?
The best-known that continue to work in 2026 include Astrill, ExpressVPN, and Mullvad (with specific server tricks). Availability changes month to month during periods of intensified blocking (Party congresses, Golden Week, major anniversaries). Have a backup provider. Free VPNs almost never work.
Do international app stores work in China?
Apple App Store works for both Chinese Apple IDs (censored, no VPN/politically-sensitive apps listed) and foreign Apple IDs (accessed via the App Store's account switcher). Google Play Store is blocked; Android users need APK sideloading or third-party stores.
Does Google Maps work in China?
Google Maps loads with a VPN but the map data over mainland China is intentionally offset by ~500m due to GCJ-02 vs WGS-84 datum differences — pins won't line up with reality. Use Apple Maps (which uses domestic Chinese data through the state provider AutoNavi) or Amap 高德地图 directly. Baidu Maps also works. Offline-cached OpenStreetMap via OsmAnd or Organic Maps is a good fallback.
Can I get eSIM data that bypasses the Great Firewall?
Yes. eSIM providers like Airalo, Nomad, and Jetpac route Chinese traffic through their overseas gateways — so foreign apps like Google, Instagram, and WhatsApp usually work without a separate VPN. This is not a VPN and requires no extra app; it's a side-effect of the network route. Reliability varies by provider and by month; Airalo Chinese plans are the most commonly recommended in 2026.
Verified 2026-07-15

Availability changes frequently in China. Entries here reflect current state at the verified date; verify before travel if the service is critical to your plans.