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Astrill vs ZoogVPN compares a premium China specialist with a budget European VPN that also targets blocked networks. Astrill offers StealthVPN and OpenWeb at $30 a month, $180 a year or $300 for two years, with no audit and no refunds, Gizmodo found. ZoogVPN, from Patras, Greece, offers its Shadow protocol, a free plan of 10 GB a month and a two-year plan around $59.99. It has no public audit either.
This guide compares China use, cost, free use, evidence, devices and fit.
Astrill vs ZoogVPN in China
No VPN can promise constant access in China, so keep a backup.
Astrill’s StealthVPN avoids deep packet inspection and OpenWeb disguises VPN traffic as browsing, TechRadar notes, and VPN.com says Astrill historically stays online when China tightens controls. ZoogVPN’s Shadow and ZoogTLS protocols aim at the same problem, but we found no independent China test for them in our sources.
For mainland China, Astrill has the proven record; ZoogVPN is an untested budget alternative there.
Cost Over Two Years
Compare totals over the term you plan to keep.
Pay monthly first if you are unsure, since Astrill does not refund.
Astrill’s VIP add-on raises the cost further.
Two years of Astrill cost $300, five times ZoogVPN’s roughly $59.99 two-year plan. Astrill’s monthly rate is $30, Cloudwards notes, with a VIP add-on extra.
ZoogVPN is far cheaper. Our renewal price guide compares renewals.
Free Use and Refunds
Pay for a single month first if you want to try Astrill with limited risk.
ZoogVPN’s free plan gives 10 GB a month on one device, with ads on Android and AES-128 encryption. Astrill has no free plan in our sources, and Gizmodo found it does not refund.
Only ZoogVPN lets you test at no cost.
Evidence and Logging
Without an audit, you rely on each company’s word.
Astrill says it deletes session data after you disconnect; no audit has checked that.
Astrill has no independent audit, Tom’s Guide notes. Its policy says it keeps your connection time, IP address, device type and app version for the length of each session. ZoogVPN has no public no-logs audit either, findcheapvpns found, though its Android app passed Google Play’s security review.
Neither offers outside proof. Our VPN audit tracker lists providers that do.
Devices and Sharing
VPN Sharing helps cover smart-home gadgets that cannot run an app.
Astrill allows five devices, VPN.com notes, with VIP adding unlimited devices and router support, and its VPN Sharing turns one device into a hub for others. ZoogVPN allows 10 on paid plans in several reviews.
For a household outside China, ZoogVPN covers more devices on its base plan.
Routers and Smart Mode
A router counts as one device on either.
Smart Mode lets China users reach domestic sites directly.
Astrill supports DD-WRT, Tomato and Asuswrt-Merlin routers, and its Smart Mode keeps local traffic outside the tunnel, our tables record. ZoogVPN lists router setups and a Fire TV app.
Both can protect a whole home from the router.
Who Each Is For
Both work on filtered networks, but only Astrill has a long China record.
Astrill suits people living in or regularly travelling to mainland China who can accept its price, session logs and no refunds. ZoogVPN suits budget users and travellers elsewhere who want a free start and Shadow on ordinary blocked networks.
For China, install before you travel; app stores may be blocked on arrival.
Protocols, Speed and Connection
Pick a nearby server for the best speed.
Astrill supports WireGuard and OpenVPN alongside its own OpenWeb and StealthVPN protocols, Tom’s Guide notes. ZoogVPN supports OpenVPN, IKEv2 and L2TP plus Shadow and ZoogTLS, BestVPNListing and findcheapvpns list.
At home, WireGuard or OpenVPN on either is fine.
Connections through OpenWeb and StealthVPN start almost instantly, TechRadar found, while OpenVPN took unusually long, and everyday speeds were adequate. We found no recent independent speed figures for ZoogVPN in our sources.
Test both from the network you will use.
Paying and Kill Switch
Card payments are usually the easiest to refund where refunds exist.
Astrill accepts cards, PayPal, bank transfer and cryptocurrency including Monero, our tables record. One review notes ZoogVPN accepts Alipay and WeChat Pay. Astrill offers two kill switches, and ZoogVPN documents one.
Test any kill switch by switching Wi-Fi off and on while connected.
Streaming, Owners and Base
Cloudwards found Astrill can reach more streaming platforms than before, though it remains a China tool first. ZoogVPN’s smaller network gives fewer locations to try when a service blocks one.
Neither is a streaming-first choice; test within any free or paid window.
VPN.com places Astrill in the Seychelles, outside Five Eyes. ZoogVPN is a small company in Patras, Greece, under EU rules including the GDPR. We put the two side by side in our FastestVPN vs ZoogVPN comparison.
Neither base replaces an audit. Our VPN ownership guide explains why.
How We Research
This page draws on Tom’s Guide’s, TechRadar’s, Gizmodo’s, Cloudwards’ and VPN.com’s Astrill coverage, findcheapvpns’ ZoogVPN safety check and listify’s 2026 VPN comparison. We cross-checked these sources against each other, and where they conflict or something can’t be verified, we say so in the text rather than guessing. We checked time-sensitive figures, including prices in US dollars, on 8 October 2026. The main source we relied on is Tom’s Guide’s Astrill review. Our full approach lives on the About Us page.
Astrill vs ZoogVPN FAQ
Astrill for mainland China; ZoogVPN for budget use elsewhere.
ZoogVPN, at about $59.99 for two years against $300.
We found no independent China test for it.
Gizmodo found it does not.
Neither has a public no-logs audit.
The Verdict
Astrill vs ZoogVPN: Astrill when mainland China is the job; ZoogVPN for a free start and a low price everywhere else.