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Astrill VPN has one reputation and it is a specific one: it keeps working in China. Expats and business travellers have recommended it for years, and a guide dedicated to the Great Firewall gives it the highest success rates it records on China’s main carriers.
Reviewers dispute almost everything else about it. Published reviews disagree on where the company is based, how many devices it allows, and whether it gives refunds at all. It has never had an independent audit, and its $30 monthly plan costs twice what NordVPN charges month to month. This review sets out what is clear, what reviewers contest, and who it actually suits. NordVPN vs Astrill covers that choice in detail.
Is Astrill VPN Worth It in 2026?
Only if you need a VPN that works inside China, and you accept paying a premium for it. For that one job, its StealthVPN and OpenWeb protocols have a long record, and it has kept them updated as the Great Firewall has changed.
For anyone else, no. It costs several times more than mainstream providers, has no audit behind its privacy policy, logs some session data while you are connected, and streams inconsistently. Our NordVPN review and our ExpressVPN review cover two cheaper, audited alternatives.
What Astrill Costs
Astrill’s pricing page, read on 25 September 2026, lists three terms. One month costs $30. One year costs $180, or $15 a month. Two years cost $300, or $12.50 a month.
There is no renewal jump. The page says each plan bills the same amount every year or every two years, which is unusual. Over four years the two-year plan comes to $600 in two charges, the one-year plan to $720, and monthly billing to $1,440.
For comparison, NordVPN Basic comes to $372.39 over four years on its two-year plan, as our NordVPN pricing page shows. Astrill costs more at every term. Our guide to VPN prices puts the whole market in context.
⚠️ Add-ons raise the price further. A VIP add-on, which prioritises traffic and adds multi-hop, starts at $10 a month for a monthly data allowance, and private IP addresses cost extra on top.
China: The Reason People Buy It
Astrill built its reputation on the Great Firewall. Its apps include StealthVPN and OpenWeb, two protocols designed to look less like VPN traffic. Our obfuscation guide explains how that approach works in general.
The best-documented figures come from one specialist site. GreatFirewallGuide, in April 2026, reported 98% bypass confidence on China Telecom’s CN2 GIA network and 96% on China Unicom. It also noted that China Mobile users may see UDP throttling in the evening, which switching to TCP resolves, and recommended servers in Hong Kong or Japan.
⚠️ Using an unapproved VPN in China is still a regulatory violation. China’s implementing rules set an administrative fine of up to RMB 5,000 for an individual, as our China legality page explains. Enforcement is uneven, but the rule names the user, not only the provider.
What Reviewers Disagree On
Its home country. Security.org, VPN.com, VPNOverview and TheBestVPN say the Seychelles. vpnMentor, which belongs to Kape Technologies like ExpressVPN, and PrivacyJournal say Liechtenstein; PrivacyJournal attributes that to Astrill’s own company pages. Either way, the company is small and publishes little about its structure.
How many devices. Astrill’s pricing page now says you can connect unlimited devices in your household. Security.org, VPN.com and Wizcase all counted five simultaneous connections, and VPN.com says unlimited devices come with the VIP add-on. Check the limit in your account before relying on it, and see our multi-device guide if you need many.
Refunds. vpnMentor, VPNOverview, Wizcase and TheBestVPN all report no refunds. VPN.com and GreatFirewallGuide describe a seven-day money-back guarantee, and Wizcase also mentions a free trial requested by email. The pricing page itself says nothing about refunds, so confirm the terms with support before paying. Our refund guide covers what to ask.
Privacy and Logging
Astrill logs some data while you are connected. VPN.com lists IP address, connection time, device type and app version, stored during the session and, according to Astrill, deleted when it ends. Security.org describes the policy simply as logging IP addresses. For how it compares with TorGuard, see TorGuard vs Astrill.
No independent audit has checked any of it. Every review we read notes the absence, and our audit tracker explains why an audit matters more than a written policy. Our no-logs guide covers what session logging does and does not reveal.
Sign-up asks for a name and email. Payment options are broader than most: cards, PayPal, Bitcoin, Monero and bank transfer, according to the pricing page. For how it compares with Surfshark, see Surfshark vs Astrill.
Speed and Streaming
Reports on speed conflict. Security.org found download and upload speeds held up well but latency rose sharply. VPN.com measured a far larger latency increase on Windows and upload losses of 71 to 80%. Distance matters too: from Southeast Asia, where we are based, Astrill’s Hong Kong and Japan servers are the natural choice. Our travel guide covers setting up before you fly. For how it compares with Hide.me, see Astrill vs Hide.me.
Streaming is inconsistent. VPN.com calls it hit and miss, and several reviewers found it weaker than mainstream providers. It is not the tool to buy for foreign Netflix libraries. For how it compares with PrivateVPN, see Astrill vs PrivateVPN.
Features Worth Knowing
App Guard on Windows blocks chosen apps whenever the VPN is off, a stricter version of a kill switch, and VPNOverview found the standard kill switch working on macOS as well. Smart mode sends only foreign sites through the VPN, which suits China, where local services work better without it. For how it compares with FastestVPN, see Astrill vs FastestVPN.
Astrill lists port forwarding among its features, which few providers still offer, as our port forwarding guide explains. Astrill also sells preconfigured routers and a router applet; our router guide covers that route. There are no browser extensions.
How We Research
We took Astrill’s prices, add-ons, protocols and features from its own pricing page, read on 25 September 2026. The China figures come from GreatFirewallGuide, and the logging, speed, device, refund and jurisdiction claims from Security.org, VPN.com, VPNOverview, TheBestVPN, vpnMentor, PrivacyJournal and Wizcase, each named where used. China’s legal position comes from our own China legality page. Our scores reflect that evidence, weighted as in every review, with streaming counted equally with privacy. We do not run our own tests. Our full approach lives on the About Us page.
Astrill VPN FAQ
It has a long reputation for doing so, and GreatFirewallGuide reported 98% bypass confidence on China Telecom in April 2026. Using an unapproved VPN there remains a regulatory violation, with an individual fine of up to RMB 5,000.
$30 for one month, $180 for a year, or $300 for two years, according to its pricing page. The same amount repeats at each renewal. Add-ons such as VIP and private IPs cost extra.
Sources disagree. Several reviews report no refunds, while VPN.com and GreatFirewallGuide describe a seven-day guarantee. The pricing page does not say, so confirm with support before paying.
No. It has never had an independent audit, and it logs your IP address, connection time and device details during a session, deleting them afterwards by its own account.
Its pricing page now says unlimited devices in your household, but several reviewers counted five simultaneous connections, and one says unlimited comes with the VIP add-on. Check your account’s limit.
Astrill VPN
Worth it for China, hard to justify elsewhere
Astrill’s stealth protocols have a long record in China, and the price holds steady at renewal. Against that: $30 a month on the monthly plan, no independent audit, session logging while connected, disputed refund terms and inconsistent streaming.
The Verdict
Astrill VPN is a specialist tool, priced like one. If you live or work in China and need a connection that holds, its record there is the reason to pay $12.50 to $30 a month.
Everywhere else, the case falls apart: no audit, session logging, disputed refunds and inconsistent streaming. Buy it for China, confirm the refund terms first, and use an audited provider for everything else.