Freedom of speech and press in Hong Kong has mostly been exemplary. Minimal censorship is imposed, with the exception of illegal and criminal material. Netizens do not need to be worried about posting their political views online, or writing a blog post about any topic they wish to discuss openly, but that is not to say that no surveillance is going on. Reports from activists suggest that government spying of web traffic and emails is rampant.
Using a VPN in Hong Kong can bring back some peace of mind that no one, not even your ISP can decipher your private web traffic anymore. However, an even more popular application would be to access Netflix, Hulu, BBC or any other online streaming service through U.S., or various country portals for unrestricted access to streaming content or services. It you travel for business, having a VPN can allow you to access all your software and servers back home, as well as local news and networks.
Choosing a good VPN service for Hong Kong was not too difficult, as many top provides offer Hong Kong based servers for the fastest possible local access. This can be beneficial for simply encrypting your usage without sacrificing much speed, or when travelling abroad and retaining access to systems and services hosted in Hong Kong. Global coverage, with good routes to western American servers are a must. There are lots of good options for Hong Kong accredited to being a good place not only to host servers, but also operate a VPN service from. Choosing the right one for you may be split between features and options, therefore instead of heavily summarizing each provider, I focused on outlining the most important features. Here are my top picks for providers fitting the criteria.
ExpressVPN – Full Review
- 78 Countries and counting. P2P servers included.
- Hong Kong servers + 14 total countries in Asia.
- West Coast US servers: Los Angeles, Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Seattle.
- SmartDNS for Xbox, Playstation, Apple TV.
- Professional software clients on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android.
- More expensive but high quality service pays off investment.
- 1 PC + 1 Mobile + 1 VPN Router + 1 SmartDNS can connect simultaneously.
Private Internet Access – Full Review
- 18 Countries, 29 regions, and thousands of servers. P2P servers included.
- 20 Hong Kong servers and good coverage of Asia.
- Dedicated US West servers + California, Silicon Valley, Seattle.
- Simple, complete software clients on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android.
- Very cheap option with reputable performance and speeds.
- Up to 5 devices can connect simultaneously.
PureVPN – Full Review
- Hong Kong Based Provider.*
- 101 Countries and growing. P2P servers included.
- 5 high speed Hong Kong servers + good coverage of Asia
- West Coast US server coverage + USA via Asia route.
- Software clients for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android.
- Competitive pricing, but very strict refund policy.
- Various paid add-on: SmartDNS, Dedicated Streaming, Static IP.
- 5 simultaneous devices per account.
HideMyAss – Full Review
- Impressive 190 countries + 310 locations covered.
- 6 servers in Hong Kong, full coverage of Asia.
- Full coverage of US west coast.
- Feature rich software clients for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android.
- Expensive but wide global coverage + quality service.
- 2 simultaneous connections per account.
IPVanish – Full Review
- 180+ servers covering 60+ countries in 80 locations.
- Hong Kong high speed server + full coverage of Asia.
- Various US West Coast servers – LA, Seattle.
- Simple but functional software on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android.
- Focuses on fast speeds across the network.
- Competitively priced with great service and global coverage.
- 2 devices per account – 1 OpenVPN + 1 other protocol simultaneously.
VyprVPN – Full Review
- 700+ servers covering 35+ countries in 45+ locations.
- Hong Kong server + great coverage of Asia.
- US West Coast servers: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle+
- Advanced but easy to use software clients with visual tools.
- Software looks better than most, available on all platforms
- Included encrypted cloud storage with all plans.
- A bit expensive, but good overall service.
- 1 to 3 simultaneous devices depending on price plan.
IronSocket – Full Review
- Hong Kong Based Provider.*
- 35+ countries + coverage of Asia. P2P servers included.
- Hong Kong server + good coverage of Asia.
- Great US West Coast coverage.
- IronSocket does not provide custom software, OpenVPN setup required.
- Competitive pricing with respectable performance.
- 3 simultaneous devices per account.
