What is The Best VPN to Access Instagram in China?
Instagram is a mobile, desktop, and Internet-based photo-sharing application and service that allows users to share pictures and videos either publicly, or privately to pre-approved followers. Its popularity has been growing steadily since it first debuted back in 2010. With more than 800 million active users, it’s currently the second most popular social media network in the world, behind only Facebook. There’s no better time than now to get started with Instagram. But unfortunately Instagram is blocked in China now. Any attempts to access the app from China will result in an error message saying the feed cannot be refreshed. Even worse, Instagram is also absent from Chinese app stores. So if you are a Chinese or you just need to stay in China some time for travel, it will be really bad for you since Instagram is not available in China anymore. Why has China blocked Instagram? How to access Instagram in China? Does a VPN work to bypass the Great Firewall of China? If so, what’s the best VPN to access Instagram in China?
What is Instagram?
If you’re an active social-media user, you should be familiar with Instagram. Instagram is a mobile photo-sharing app, and it is free to download. It’s like Twitter with followers, only instead of real-time text updates, you provide photo updates. The app enables you to alter the photos you take with your phone by adding filtered layers that imitate the look of low-end film cameras. Instagram was created by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, and launched in October 2010. It has grown to be one of the most popular social networks for photo sharing today that achieved more than 800 million active users.
Instagram is available for free on iOS and Android devices. It is easy to use when you’re on the go. Everyone who creates an Instagram account will have a profile and a news feed. When you post a photo or video on Instagram, it will be displayed on your profile. Other users who follow you will see your posts in their own feed. Likewise, you’ll see posts from other users whom you choose to follow. Instagram introduces itself as: “a fast, beautiful and fun way to share your life with friends through a series of pictures”. Snap a photo with your iPhone, choose a filter to transform the look and feel, send to Facebook, Twitter or Flickr – it’s all as easy as pie. People Instagram the best moments of their life: the most beautifully arranged meals, the perfect beach sunset, the awesome road trip up the California coast. In short, Instagram is the ultimate social network for sharing real-time photos and short videos and it’s even a leading advertising platform for marketers to generate income through the network.
Reasons that you should use Instagram:
- Instagram is completely free for use.
- Marketer-friendly.
- Instantly showcase your awesome photos without any charges.
- A good place to show your personality.
- Drive traffic to your site.
- Connect with customer easily.
Although Instagram provides users with great fun and brings lots of benefits, unfortunately the Chinese authorities have banned the use of Instagram in China due to political and social reasons. People who live in China are unable to share their photos and videos with their loved ones through Instagram. To access Instagram in China, the best solution is to use a VPN. You should connect to a VPN server in a country or region where Instagram is accessible. Let’s see how it works and select the best VPN to access Instagram in China now.
Why has China blocked Instagram?
The block of Instagram in China can be traced back to September 2014 because of a weekend of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong which we called “Umbrella Revolution.” The government is concerned about the rapid dissemination of pictures from the Hong Kong protests so they banned Instagram from that time. Another reason is that Instagram is owned by Facebook. Facebook has been already blocked in China since 2009 so it makes sense for Chinese authorities to block Instagram as well. Anyway, this social media platform now can’t be accessed from anywhere within the so-called Great Firewall of China, a censorship project operated for more than a decade by the Communist Party.
In fact, most Internet users, whether they have been to China or not, have probably heard of China’s “Great Firewall” and know of the strict censorship the country has on its Internet. China is ruled by Chinese Communist Party and follows a strict Geo-restriction and censorship by Great Firewall of China which has blocked thousands of foreign websites and services. Not only Instagram and Facebook we mentioned above, but other foreign social networking sites like Twitter, Youtube, Line, KakaoTalk and news sites and live streaming services such as CBS All Access, Netflix, Hulu etc are also not available in China. The main reasons why these sites/services are blocked in China:
- The website content violates Chinese law (including pornographic, gambling or terrorist content).
- The content brings negative effects to Chinese citizens.
- The site contains discordant elements, such as it criticizes China’s government or talks negatively about some party leader.
- Domestic DNS instability.
- Hope to gain an advantage for its local competitors.
Luckily, you can still share your photos, videos and other content with your friends from Instagram in China with the help of a VPN (Virtual Private Network). Through a VPN, you can obtain online freedom and anonymity.
What is a VPN?
If you are looking for the best VPN to access Instagram in China, you should clearly understand what a VPN is first. VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. It is used in most modern companies, universities and other organizations, because it simplifies workflows by connecting groups and individuals to the same network. Essentially, VPN is a way used to add security and privacy to both private and public networks, like WiFi Hotspots and the Internet. A VPN extends a private network across a public network, and enables users to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if their computing devices were directly connected to the private network. Therefore, all data are encrypted and secured from prying eyes. A VPN can make users stay anonymous and untracked on any website from any locations as it protects their privacy by changing their physical location (IP address). With a VPN, you are able to access geo-restricted services and websites like Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Line, Youtube, Vimeo, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Zattoo, Netflix, Pandora and many others while remaining confident that your privacy is never breached. Enjoy private & safe Internet experience with VPN service immediately!
How does a VPN work?
You may wondering how a VPN works to help you access Instagram in China. Before trying to understand how it works, you should realize that every time you connect to the Internet, all your Internet traffic will first pass through your ISPs, that means they can see everything you do online and they can track your behavior and even sell your personal details to advertisers and other third parties.
However, if you connect to a VPN, it will create a virtual encrypted tunnel between you and the remote server. All of the data you sent and received will be encrypted. A VPN provides you with an anonymous web browsing experience and ensures that none of your confidential information is being logged, monitored or exposed and intercepted by third parties. A VPN also allows you to get a new IP address. You will appear to be in the location of the server you connect to. For example, if you are in China and you connect to a server in the US, then you will get a US IP address which allows you to access restricted services like Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Gmail and Youtube in China. There is no difference between being in the US and using a VPN to pretend to be in the US. With the VPN technology, everything you do while connected to the VPN is fully protected and you will experience true online freedom with no censorship in just a few clicks.
How to choose the best VPN to unblock Instagram in China?
There are plenty of VPN services in the market but selecting one that works for unblocking Instagram in China is not easy. Considering free VPN usually contains some “traps” that may need you to pay for another thing, or even discloses all your browsing and Internet transactions information to a third party, it is not a good option for you. Besides, you will often loose your VPN connection, or have problems with loading data without any reason while using a free VPN service.
When choosing a VPN to unblock Instagram in China, it is extremely important to take into consideration:
- Sever Locations: When selecting the best VPN service you should consider the geographic locations of the VPN servers. Why is it so important? Many foreign social media services (Instagram, WhatsApp, Line, Kakao Talk, Facebook, Twitter, etc) require that you be in a specific geographic location to use their service. And server locations can affect the VPN speed. So if you live in China and want to use Instagram, choosing a VPN that offers a US or a HongKong server location is the best option.
- Compatibility: Whether you are going to use Instagram on iPad, iPhone or Android devices, first check the VPN website and ensure that the VPN provider supports your operating system, for example Windows/Mac/Linux/iOS/Android.
- Encryption & Protocols: Encryption is important because it allows us to secure our data, information and even web traffic so no other party can access its contents. There are essentially two strengths of encryption, 128- and 256-bit, with the latter of the two being the strongest. A VPN protocol determines how your data travels between your computer and the VPN server. Best VPNs always offer OpenVPN, SSTP, L2TP, IPsec, IKEv2, and PPTP protocols.
- Multiple Connections: This refers to the number of devices you can connect to the VPN per account. It saves some major money if you can use it on more than one device, so look for a VPN that allows you to connect to both a home and mobile device, at minimum.
- 24/7 Customer Support: Customer service is always important to an organization because it can help differentiate a company from it competitors. A good VPN service always provides 24/7 customer support giving users uninterrupted, real-time online customer support.
- A Money-Back Guarantee: Since online consumers don’t get to see and hold the physical product before they buy it, a money-back guarantee is quite needed to protect their rights.
If you are still not sure which VPN provider is the best for protecting your privacy and helping you access Instagram in China, we offer you a complete 2018 Best VPNs in China Comparison helping you to choose.
Best VPN Services to Unblock Instagram in China
| VPN Brands | Key Features | Jurisdiction | # of Connections | Price(USD) | Official Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best-in-class 256-bit AES encryption and 1500+ VPN servers in 94 countries. | British Virgin Islands | 3 Connections | $6.67/Month | Visit Site | |
| 40,000+ shared IPs, 1,000+ VPN servers in 60+ countries. | USA | 5 Connections | $6.49/Month ( | Visit Site | |
| 2643 servers in 56 different countries. | Panama | 6 Connections | $3.29/Month ( | Visit Site | |
| 70+ global servers Locations. | Switzerland | 3 / 5 Connections | $5.00/Month ( | Visit Site | |
| 700+ VPN servers in 34+ countries. | Israel | 3 Connections | $2.49/Month ( | Visit Site | |
| 30+ locations and Unlimited bandwidth. | Malaysia | 5 Connections | $4.99/Month ( | Visit Site | |
| 750+ VPN servers in 140+ countries. | Hong Kong | 5 Connections | $2.04/ Month ( | Visit Site | |
| Unlimited Bandwidth with 300+ VPN Servers. | Seychelles | 3 Connections | $3.33/Month | Visit Site | |
| Unlimited access to over 200 servers for you to choose from in 69 countries. | Bulgaria | 6 Connections | $4.92/Month ( | Visit Site | |
| Unlimited Bandwidth & 2000+ IPs in 50+ Countries. | USA | 5 Connections | $5.95/Month | Visit Site | |
| Servers in 30+ locations around the globe. | Germany | 1 Connection | $4.99/Month ( | Visit Site | |
| Unlimited and free servers switches in many countries. | Italy | 5 Connections | $4.32/Month ( | Visit Site | |
| 3034+ Servers in 28 Countries. | USA | 5 Connections | $2.91/Month ( | Visit Site | |
| 28 Servers in 8 Countries. | USA | 3 Connections | $4.19/Month ( | Visit Site | |
| 100+ Servers from 47 Countries in 63 locations. | Romania | 1 Connection | $1.10/Month ( | Visit Site | |
| Over 1000 Servers Worldwide. | Romania | 1 Connection | $1.99/Month ( | Visit Site | |
| 46 Cities in 25 Countries, Zero Logs. | USA | 1 Connection | $5.83/Month ( | Visit Site |
How to Use a VPN to Access Instagram in China?
Step 1. Sign up for a VPN service.
Step 2. Follow the instructions for downloading your VPN and launch the application on your preferred device(s).
Step 3. Log in with your credentials and choose which server to connect to (Hong Kong VPN and USA VPN are the best choices).
Step 4. Log in your Instagram account and enjoy sharing your photos with your friends!
Video on How to Access Instagram in China
Getting Started Now! – Save Big on Your VPN Accounts
ExpressVPN:
ExpressVPN is a lightning fast, log-free VPN proxy service that protects you from hacking and surveillance with 256-bit AES encryption, DNS/IPv6 leak protection, kill switch, and split tunneling. Get set up in minutes on any device, you can browse the internet securely and anonymously. ExpressVPN allows you to stream or download anything with your IP address hidden from prying eyes. All its plans are fully refundable and covered by 30 days money-back guarantee. No questions asked.
Get ExpressVPN Special Deal: 12 Months + 3 Months FREE (Save 49% OFF)
VPNArea:
VPNArea is a Bulgarian-based VPN service provider which gives customers 100% security and anonymity. It offers users with hundreds of high-speed servers in 69 countries. The vast majority of which are located in the U.S. and Europe, and a few of them sprinkled around in Asia, South America, the little rest of them are located in the middle East and Africa. With one VPNArea account, 6 simultaneous connections are allowed to connect with on multiple devices. The VPN encrypts user’s Internet traffic with an unbreakable 256 bits AES encryption, keeping any would-be privacy intruders at bay.
Get VPNArea 12-months subscription for $4.92/month now! (Save 50% OFF)
NordVPN:
NordVPN has a strict no-logs policy and uses two security protocols: OpenVPN with 2048-bit SSL encryption and the 3072-bit IKEv2/IPsec that is currently the most secure protocol available. Additional security features, such as DNS leak protection and double data encryption, are also available. What’s more, the NordVPN service is based in Panama, which has no data retention laws, meaning that none of your data is recorded, stored or passed to anyone.
Get NordVPN unlimited VPN service for only $3.29 per/month! (Save up to 72% OFF)
PureVPN:
PureVPN is a one-stop solution for online security, anonymity and privacy that guarantees the fastest VPN speed and highest level of security worldwide by providing you with 750+ servers in 140+ countries. With the world’s fastest VPN servers, you can enjoy complete web freedom with the industry leading encrypted e-privacy and e-security.
Get 2 Years of PureVPN For The Price of 1 (Save 75% OFF)
ZenMate VPN:
ZenMate VPN is trusted by 40 million users worldwide as the best solution to secure your online identity, and make your online browsing private and anonymous. It offers 3000+ servers in 30+ locations around the globe and is compatible with all major operating systems, including Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Android, and iOS. ZenMate VPN allows you to add multiple layers of security to your online experience, access websites and media without restrictions and stop ISPs from spying and throttling your speed based on usage.
Get ZenMate VPN service for only $2.50/month! (Save up to 72% OFF)
Conclusion:
The Great Firewall of China has blocked many popular websites and services including Instagram, WhatsApp, Vimeo, StarSports, Dropbox, Netflix, OneDrive, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, KakaoTalk, Line and Youtube. If you wish to use Instagram in China (abroad), a VPN service is required to bypass location-based IP blocking. We recommend installing the VPN before traveling to China, because if you wait until you get to China, you will find some VPN pages are blocked and not working at all when you are in China. Even it will be more difficult to install the VPN app on your smartphone, as Google Play is blocked as well. For users who have already been in Mainland China, we recommend ExpressVPN (Save 49%), NordVPN (Save Up to 72%) and VPNArea (Save 50%) because all of them are still available in China and their prices are reasonable. Experience the Internet without restrictions with a VPN now!