Because of that, it won't let you crack any blocks, but it's a solid way to transfer data securely if your VPN isn't working-which is just one of the cool things you can do with an SSH server. The third VPN alternative is an SSH tunnel, which is interesting because it can encrypt your connection much the same way a VPN can, but won't change your IP address like proxies or Shadowsocks do. However, using a program called Outline, you can share the server with your friends, which should hopefully help defray the cost a little. Shadowsocks isn't entirely free, though: to set up Shadowsocks, you'll need to have some kind of server of your own. However, it usually fails to get past Netflix's blocks and should never be used for torrenting as its encryption isn't suited for that.
Though it's mostly used as a way to get past China's Great Firewall, it can also be used to avoid other blocks. A step up from regular proxies is Shadowsocks, which through the use of a specific type of encryption can be a great way to escape censorship.
