ExpressVPN appears abnormal in China? Test it

November 3, 2021 China VPN Test, I received feedback from many readers early this morning that ExpressVPN was having difficulty connecting and failing to connect. I myself used in ExpressVPN also have a clear feeling that the firewall has changed. I don’t know if this is related to the upcoming Sixth Plenary Session from November 8 to 11. The official recommended method (Auto protocol + 6 servers) will be tested in Windows 10, and the servers in the “Recommnended” option automatically recommended by the app will also be tested. This result should be available in Macbook, Android, and Macbook for reference, if you have any questions, you can leave a message (anonymous) to exchange.

The daily speed test will help you understand three things.
1. the success rate of the VPN’s server connection in the device under test.
2. the server connection time of the VPN in the tested device.
3. the speed of the VPN after a successful connection to the server in the device under test.

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ExpressVPN last 6 test reports: [See More]
Checking out multiple test reports can help you understand more effectively how this VPN works in the long run.

• ExpressVPN Test Report in China March 20, 2025 - Today's ExpressVPN test was prompted by its recent update for Chinese users, which added several new servers. Previously, there were only five, but now the number has increased to ten. Could this be a sign that ExpressVPN is paying more attention to the Chinese market? Additionally, on March 6, 2025, ExpressVPN released an update for its Windows version (12.97.0). This update introduced Lightway Turbo and OpenVPN DCO to its protocol options. I wanted to test whether these enhancements would improve the VPN's performance for users in mainland China trying to bypass restrictions. Introducing Lightway Turbo – You can now experience even faster VPN speeds with our cutting-edge optimization. Lightway Turbo is on by default if you’re connected to Automatic or Lightway – UDP protocols. To adjust your Lightway Turbo settings: Click  > Options > Protocol. Click Enable Lightway Turbo to toggle it off/on. Enhanced OpenVPN Performance – Our upgraded OpenVPN Data Channel Offload (DCO) module gives you a smoother, faster connection. To…
• BBC iPlayer Unblocking Test Report Using ExpressVPN UK Servers - If you’re outside the UK but want to watch movies, documentaries, or other streaming content on BBC iPlayer, you’ll need a VPN to change your local IP address to a UK IP. While there are hundreds of VPN options available, not all of them offer UK servers, and even fewer can reliably unblock BBC iPlayer. BBC iPlayer Homepage Screenshort BBC iPlayer might still block content if it detects that your IP is coming from a VPN. If you try accessing BBC iPlayer using a UK server and see the message “BBC iPlayer only works in the UK,” it means that the server’s IP has been flagged as a virtual IP by BBC. This flagging process is dynamic and ongoing, meaning more IPs get added to the flagged list over time. To maintain accessibility, VPN providers must continuously add new, unflagged “clean” IPs. In this article, we’ll test all of ExpressVPN’s…
• ExpressVPN Android Test in China Report – 20220524 - May 24, 2022 China VPN test, since the test report on the 10th of this month has been 14 days without ExpressVPN test. During that time Macbook, iPhone, and Windows, the three devices I commonly use, were confirmed to be working properly. Today I will be conducting a connection and speed test of ExpressVPN on my Android device. I hope that this test will give readers a better understanding of how ExpressVPN actually works in mainland China. If you have any questions, please leave a comment (anonymous) to communicate.
• ExpressVPN Windows test in China-20220510 - May 10, 2022 China VPN test, today will be a massive server spot check test of ExpressVPN's Automatic protocol option in Windows devices, the complete process of this test will be recorded via video recording software. The advantage of recording the screen is that it can be more intuitive to show the whole connection process to the reader, so that the reader can feel more intuitive, the VPN in the actual use of the process is a kind of experience. This test was conducted through SpeedTest for speed testing. If you have any questions, you can leave a message (anonymous) to communicate...
• ExpressVPN Win/Mac/iOS Test in China/20220421 - China VPN test on April 21, 2022. A field test of ExpressVPN for mainland China will be conducted today in Windows, Macbook, and iOS (iPhone). The test ExpressVPN has been checked and upgraded to the latest version, the specific version number will be explained in the test below. ExpressVPN is currently the most stable and secure sVPN in China, bar none. Even during the most severe blocking period there was only a brief (24 hours) or so connection difficulties or speed drops. If you have any questions, you can leave an anonymous message to communicate.
• Best 4 VPN in China, OMG, Just only one！ - On March 21, 2022, China VPN test will be conducted on a Windows 10 device today. The test VPNs include ExpressVPN, PureVPN, StrongVPN, and AtlasVPN. If there is enough time, we will test others. Each VPN will indicate its App version number, connection protocol and other information at the beginning before the test. As a result, the number of VPNs tested this time is large, so each VPN will usually randomly check 5-10 servers in different regions. If there are officially recommended servers, it will be explained in the test. If you have any questions, you can leave a message (anonymous) to communicate.

Starting Time: Nov 3, 2021, 5:27 PM
Local device and network: China Telecom300M / Windows10;
Protocol: Automatic;
Verison: 10.10.0 (31);
Official Deals: New User Free 3 Months
Test’s Servers: Official recommend six servers and other；

Windows + Aotu + Official recommend servers test in China:

Auto: USA – Los Angeles – 5: Failed; 
Auto: France – Alsace: Failed; 
Auto: UK – Wembley: Success; (Time efficiency: 28s) 
Speedtest Ping: 256ms. Download: 5.32Mbps. Upload: 0.59Mbps;
YouTube Connection Speed: 24561Kbps;

Auto: Japan – Yokohama: Success; (Time efficiency: 8s)
Speedtest Ping: 166ms. Download: 189.72Mbps. Upload: 26.95Mbps;
YouTube Connection Speed: 36793Kbps;

Auto: Singapore – Marina Bay: Success; (Time efficiency: 8s)
Speedtest Ping: 190ms. Download: 184.29Mbps. Upload: 32.48Mbps;
YouTube Connection Speed: 12255Kbps;

Auto: USA – Santa Monica: Success; (Time efficiency: 58s)
Speedtest Ping: 158ms. Download: 98.85Mbps. Upload: 32.54Mbps;
YouTube Connection Speed: 11236Kbps;

Windows + Aotu + APP “Recommended” option servers test in China:

Must Read: As you can see below, there is a “Recommended” option in the App, and I found that the officially recommended servers and some of the usual servers appear here, but this is not “Favorites”. So I think this “Recommended” is probably an automatic recommendation from the ExpressVPN App based on the user’s network access. I also noticed this option for the first time, so I’ll use the recommended server here as the second part of the test today. I’ve taken a broad look at the “Recommended” option, and there should be nearly 20 servers. Judging from experience, the servers here are changing.

The specific use of how do not know yet, try it! Ha ha ~

Auto: USA – New York: Success; (Time efficiency: 4s)
Speedtest Ping: 209ms. Download: 174.39Mbps. Upload: 30.54Mbps;
YouTube Connection Speed: 26431Kbps;

Auto: USA – Washingtong DC: Success; (Time efficiency: 4s)
Speedtest Ping: 220ms. Download: 159.69Mbps. Upload: 6.5Mbps;
YouTube Connection Speed: 8326Kbps;

Auto: USA – San Francisco: Failed; 
Auto: USA – New Jersey – 3: Failed; 

Auto: UK – Docklands: Success; (Time efficiency: 8s)
Speedtest Ping: 263ms. Download: 170.2Mbps. Upload: 18.51Mbps;
YouTube Connection Speed: 25940Kbps;

Auto: UK – London: Success; (Time efficiency: 8s)
Speedtest Ping: 257ms. Download: 154.95Mbps. Upload: 13.86Mbps;
YouTube Connection Speed: 59241Kbps;

Auto: UK – East London: Success; (Time efficiency: 4s)
Speedtest Ping: 257ms. Download: 154.95Mbps. Upload: 13.86Mbps;
YouTube Connection Speed: 28115Kbps;

Auto: Germany – Frankfurt – 1: Success; (Time efficiency: 4s)
Speedtest Ping: 271ms. Download: 159.39Mbps. Upload: 27.82Mbps;
YouTube Connection Speed: 20637Kbps;

Auto: Netherlands – The Hague: Failed;
Auto: Netherlands – Amsterdam: Success; (Time efficiency: 5s)
Speedtest Ping: 233ms. Download: 35.08Mbps. Upload: 32.23Mbps;
YouTube Connection Speed: 28872Kbps;

Auto: Netherlands – Amsterdam – 2: Success; (Time efficiency: 17s)
Speedtest Ping: 227ms. Download: 172.4Mbps. Upload: 32.89Mbps;
YouTube Connection Speed: 30805Kbps;

Auto: Netherlands – Rotterdam: Failed;
Auto: France – Paris – 1: Failed;
Auto: Ireland: Failed;
Auto: India (Via UK): Failed;
Auto: Switzerlad – 2: Failed;
Auto: Italy – Cosenza: Success; (Time efficiency: 13s)
Speedtest Ping: 284ms. Download: 159.63Mbps. Upload: 28.29Mbps;
YouTube Connection Speed: 9947Kbps;

Auto: Denmark: Failed;
Auto: Sweden – 2: Failed;
Auto: Czech Republic: Failed;
Auto: Spain – Madrid: Failed;
Auto: Belgium: Failed;

The following two are the official recommended servers, before the test Failed; test the last I hope to try again to see if I can connect successfully.

Auto: USA – Los Angeles – 5: Failed; 
Auto: France – Alsace: Success; (Time efficiency: 15s)
Speedtest Ping: 257ms. Download: 181.47Mbps. Upload: 29.23Mbps;
YouTube Connection Speed: 26430Kbps;

Summary: These are the results of ExpressVPN’s tests in Windows 10. 5 of the 6 officially recommended servers were successful, and France-Alsace was the second successful connection. In addition, of the 22 servers in the App’s “Recommended” list, 9 were successfully connected. This is a good performance with the Chinese firewall. However, for the 6 servers that are officially recommended, the user experience is degraded. The current situation is that ExpressVPN still works fine. If you can’t connect, then you can refer to the above servers that I connected successfully for wall connection. It will definitely help you.

Today’s test Windows10 Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆