Access ChatGPT from anywhere

OpenAI doesn't offer ChatGPT in every country. In some places, like China and North Korea, the government blocks access outright. In others, OpenAI itself doesn't support the region due to sanctions, regulatory complexity, or business decisions.¹

The result is the same: you can't sign up, log in, or use ChatGPT.

Countries where ChatGPT is blocked or unavailable include:

• China (government-blocked, plus no OpenAI support)²
• Iran (government-blocked, plus sanctioned)³
• Russia (not supported by OpenAI)⁴
• North Korea
• Syria
• Cuba
• Hong Kong and Macau (not supported by OpenAI)⁵
• Belarus, Myanmar, and several others⁶

Even in countries where ChatGPT is technically available, workplace networks, university firewalls, and public Wi-Fi often block AI tools. Lantern works in these situations too.

Why other VPNs struggle with this

Most VPNs rely on a single protocol, usually WireGuard or OpenVPN. These are easy for advanced censorship systems to detect and block. In countries like China and Iran, where deep packet inspection is standard, a basic VPN connection often doesn't last.

Lantern takes a different approach. It supports more circumvention protocols than any other VPN, including Shadowsocks, VLESS, Hysteria 2, Trojan, and others originally built to get past the Great Firewall. Lantern automatically tests and switches between them based on what's working on your network right now.

This is why Lantern carried 13% of all Iranian internet traffic during the 2022 protests, when most commercial VPNs were blocked within hours.

What you can do with ChatGPT + Lantern

• Use ChatGPT for work and research without worrying about network restrictions
• Access the ChatGPT app or website on any device (Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Linux)
• Use OpenAI's API for development projects in regions where it's otherwise unavailable
• Keep your connection private with Lantern's no-logs policy and encrypted protocols

Free to start. Pro for more.

Lantern's free plan includes daily data, enough to try ChatGPT and see that it works. Lantern Pro gives you unlimited data, access on up to 5 devices, and server location selection.

Every Pro subscription helps fund free access for people in censored regions.

Footnotes

1. OpenAI publishes a list of supported countries for both ChatGPT and its API. Countries not on the list can't create accounts or access services. See OpenAI's supported countries. Accessing from an unsupported country may result in account suspension. ↩

2. China's government blocked ChatGPT's domain via the Great Firewall on March 2, 2023, according to GFWeb tracking data reported by Rest of World. OpenAI then cut off remaining API access for China, Hong Kong, and Macau effective July 9, 2024. China is not on OpenAI's supported countries list. ↩

3. Iran is under U.S. sanctions that restrict access to American technology services. Iran also maintains its own internet filtering infrastructure. Iran is not on OpenAI's supported countries list. ↩

4. Russia is not on OpenAI's supported countries list. OpenAI cut off API access for users in Russia effective July 9, 2024, alongside China and Iran. The restriction is driven by sanctions, geopolitical factors, and OpenAI's disruption of Russian-linked influence operations using its platform. Russia's government has not formally blocked the service in the same way China has, but access is effectively unavailable from either direction. ↩

5. OpenAI explicitly cut off access to Hong Kong and Macau alongside mainland China on July 9, 2024, as reported by Radio Free Asia. Neither territory appears on OpenAI's supported countries list. ↩

6. Based on cross-referencing OpenAI's supported countries list. Countries absent from the list include Belarus, Venezuela, Eritrea (though Eritrea was added for API), and others. The situation changes as OpenAI periodically updates its coverage. Myanmar is on the supported list for API access as of the latest update, though network conditions in-country may still limit practical access. ↩