AI chat tools sit in an unusual category compared with social media or streaming. The block usually is not from your local ISP: it is the AI provider itself refusing to serve certain countries. This page covers the four big AI chat services (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity): which countries each provider’s own list leaves out, what network measurements show, and what actually loaded through AnyProxy when we tried.
The distinction: provider-side vs network-side blocks
Most site blocks are network-side: your ISP, a workplace filter or a national firewall stops the connection. AI service blocks are mostly provider-side: the service sees which country your connection comes from and decides whether to serve you.
The difference shows in network data. In OONI measurements from Iran between 15 July and 15 October 2026, chatgpt.com loaded normally in 99.4% of 479 tests, Claude in 93.2% and Perplexity in 98.5%, while YouTube and Instagram loaded in under 5%. So in Iran a refusal from ChatGPT or Claude comes from the provider, not the national filter. China is different: there, Gemini (2.0% of 196 tests), ChatGPT (2.6% of 193) and Perplexity (0 of 179) were also failing at the network level.
This has practical consequences:
- Changing DNS does nothing against a provider-side block. The block is not on your network.
- A proxy changes the country the service sees to the proxy region’s country (Singapore, Germany or the US on AnyProxy’s free tier). Whether the service then loads is a separate question, because most of these sites sit behind bot checks that treat datacenter addresses strictly.
- The provider’s terms still apply. Anthropic’s policy, for example, says its products “are available only in the countries and regions listed”. Using a service from an unsupported country through a proxy can break those terms and put an account at risk. We cannot advise on your situation.
ChatGPT (OpenAI)
Not on OpenAI’s supported-countries list (platform.openai.com, checked 15 Oct 2026): China, Russia, Iran, Belarus, Cuba, Syria, Hong Kong and Venezuela, among others. Russia’s absence is OpenAI’s own policy, not a Roskomnadzor block.
Through AnyProxy: On 15 October 2026 the logged-out ChatGPT page loaded through Virginia, and through Singapore in a visible browser window. Frankfurt stayed on Cloudflare’s “Verifying…” check. On 12 October all three regions had stalled at that check. We did not log in, and a typed question did not get an answer within 25 seconds. Treat ChatGPT through any web proxy as hit and miss; our ChatGPT page and the best proxies for ChatGPT ranking, where two other proxies did better than AnyProxy, have the dated results.
Detailed how-to: unblock ChatGPT in your country.
Claude (Anthropic)
Not on Anthropic’s supported-regions list (policy effective 12 May 2026, checked 16 Oct 2026): China, Russia, Iran, Belarus, Cuba, Syria, North Korea, Hong Kong and Venezuela. Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, India, Indonesia and Vietnam are on it.
Through AnyProxy: On 16 October 2026, claude.ai through Singapore stayed on Cloudflare’s “Performing security verification” page in an automated browser. In a visible Chrome window, the same request reached Claude’s sign-in page. We did not sign in.
Caption: claude.ai sign-in page through AnyProxy Singapore in a visible Chrome window, 16 Oct 2026. An automated browser on the same day stayed on the Cloudflare check.
Gemini (Google)
Not on Google’s Gemini availability list (support.google.com, checked 16 Oct 2026): Russia, Belarus, Iran, Cuba, Syria and North Korea. Mainland China is listed for Workspace only. Hong Kong and Venezuela are listed.
Through AnyProxy: on 16 October 2026, after a fix to our server, gemini.google.com opened on a first visit with no Google cookies through Singapore, Frankfurt and Virginia. Frankfurt showed Google’s EU cookie screen first. A regular browser session through Frankfurt also got an answer to a prompt without signing in.
Caption: gemini.google.com through AnyProxy Singapore on a first visit, 16 Oct 2026.
Perplexity
Country list: We did not find a published supported-country list from Perplexity while preparing this update, so we do not describe one.
Through AnyProxy: On 16 October 2026 perplexity.ai loaded through Singapore with its “What do you want to know?” prompt box, a Sign In link and a cookie notice. We did not send a question or sign in.
Logging in through a proxy
If you decide to sign in to any service through a web proxy:
- Open the service through the proxy and wait until its own sign-in page has loaded.
- Enter your password only on that page, never on a page that asks for it before the site has loaded.
- Expect “new location” security checks and emails, because the service sees a new country.
- Remember that a web proxy handles the decrypted traffic between its two encrypted connections. AnyProxy’s privacy policy explains what it can record. For accounts you care about, an unrestricted network is the safer route.
See the log-in-through-a-proxy guide for more.
What a proxy does not fix
- Phone-number verification for new accounts. The service checks the phone number itself; no proxy or VPN changes that.
- Payment. Card acceptance depends on the provider and its payment processor. We have not tested which cards are declined.
- Bot checks. Cloudflare challenges on ChatGPT and Claude stalled in some of our runs; another region or a visible browser window sometimes helped.
- The terms of service. Changing the country the service sees does not change what its terms allow.
Which situation are you in?
- The service is on its provider’s list for your country, but the page will not open: the block is probably your network (a school, office or national filter). A web proxy can help here, with the bot-check caveats above.
- The service is not on its provider’s list for your country: the provider is refusing you. A proxy changes the country it sees, but using the service that way may break its terms.
- The page loads but stalls on “Verifying…”: that is a bot check. Wait 30–40 seconds, then reload or switch region.
When a VPN or another network is the better tool
Mobile apps: the ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini apps do not go through a browser proxy. Use the web version in a mobile browser, or a VPN for the app.
Daily, logged-in use: a check that sometimes never finishes is a poor fit for work you rely on every day. Our proxy vs VPN for ChatGPT page compares the two.