Homeway vs. a VPN or accelerator back to China: what’s the difference?
In short: a VPN or accelerator back to China usually sends all of a device’s or an app’s traffic on a detour through servers in China. Homeway only forwards the few requests that supported Chinese video apps use to check your region — the video itself still streams straight from the server nearest you. If you mainly watch Chinese dramas, variety shows and live TV from abroad, Homeway is faster, leaves your other apps alone, and installs right on your TV.
Side by side
| Feature | Homeway | Full-tunnel VPN / accelerator back to China |
|---|---|---|
| What goes through it | Only the few region-check requests made by supported Chinese video apps (such as playback authorization and fetching the stream address). The video itself never passes through our servers. | All traffic from the device or app — including the video itself — goes through the provider’s servers in China. |
| Other apps | Unaffected. Local streaming sites, browsing and games connect directly as usual — no switching on and off. | While it’s on, other apps take the detour too and local sites may slow down, so you often end up switching it on and off. |
| Works on your TV? | Yes, there’s a dedicated TV app for Android TV, Google TV, Android TV boxes and most Android-based Chinese-brand TVs. Use it with your remote and sign in by scanning a QR code with your phone. | Depends on whether the provider offers a TV app. |
| Setup | Install, sign in and tap the moon gate on the home screen. Homeway picks the fastest route and switches automatically if a route has trouble. | You usually pick a server or route yourself, and try another when it’s slow. |
| Speed & picture quality | Video still streams straight from the server nearest you, with no detours. 1080p and 4K play smoothly. | Video has to make the cross-border detour, so speed is limited by the server’s bandwidth and the cross-border route — expect more buffering or lower quality at peak hours. |
| Privacy | Only handles a few requests from supported video apps, and never decrypts them: our servers only read the domain a connection is headed to, and the content stays encrypted between the app and the video service. | All of your traffic passes through the provider’s servers. |
| Price | The Free plan works on one phone with no time limit, and new users get a 7-day free trial with no card required. For TVs, computers or several devices, subscribe to Standard or Family. | Varies by provider; usually a monthly or yearly subscription. |
| What it covers | Focused on popular Chinese video apps and sites. Other China-only websites and apps aren’t covered. | Covers a wider range of China-only websites and apps. |
Which one is right for you
Choose Homeway if you:
- mainly watch Chinese dramas, variety shows, sports and live TV from abroad;
- want to watch on the living-room TV with a remote, in a way grandparents and kids can manage on their own;
- don’t want watching Chinese shows to slow down local streaming sites, browsing and games;
- want something that just works, without fiddling with servers and routes.
Choose a VPN or accelerator back to China if you:
- also need other websites or apps that only work inside China, not just video;
- use apps that Homeway doesn’t support.
You can also use both, one at a time: Homeway for watching shows, and switch over when you need other services in China. Phones and TVs only allow one VPN connection at a time, so the two can’t run together.
FAQ
Is Homeway a VPN?
On phones and TVs, Homeway uses the system’s VPN feature to recognize connections from supported video apps, which is why the system asks for VPN permission the first time you turn it on. But it only forwards those apps’ few region-check requests to China; the video itself and all your other apps connect directly. It isn’t a full tunnel. On computers, the browser extension only hands supported video sites to Homeway, and every other page connects directly.
What do I need to watch Chinese TV abroad?
If you mainly watch Chinese live TV, dramas and variety shows, Homeway plus the Chinese video apps you already use is all you need: install Homeway and your video apps on your TV or TV box, open the moon gate, then open your apps and watch as usual. Samsung (Tizen) and LG (webOS) TVs aren’t supported natively yet — plug in an Android TV box instead.
With Homeway, do I still need a VPN back to China?
Not if you only use supported Chinese video apps. If you also need other websites or apps that only work inside China, Homeway doesn’t cover those, and you’ll need a different tool.
Why is forwarding only some requests faster?
Video services decide which region you’re in mainly from where a few requests come from, such as playback authorization and fetching the stream address. Once the app has the stream address, the video can download from the server nearest you. Homeway only forwards the first part to China, so the video data — the bulk of the traffic — takes the shortest path with no cross-border detour. That makes start-up and playback smoother.
Does Homeway know what I’m watching?
It can’t tell which show you’re watching. Homeway only handles a few requests from supported video apps. Our servers read just the domain a connection is headed to (that is, which video service) in order to route it, and never decrypt the content; traffic from your other apps doesn’t pass through us at all. See the Privacy Policy.
Is Homeway free?
Yes, you can use it for free. New users get a 7-day free trial from their first sign-in, on TV and phone, with no card required. When the trial ends you move to the Free plan automatically and can keep using Homeway on one phone at no cost. To use it on a TV, a tablet, a computer or several devices, subscribe to the Standard or Family plan.
Try Homeway
New users get a 7-day free trial, no card required. Works on your TV, phone and computer.