Shadowsocks
A fast encrypted tunnel proxy for getting past firewalls, with implementations for most platforms.
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About Shadowsocks
Shadowsocks is a lightweight encrypted proxy protocol with a family of open-source client and server implementations. It uses asynchronous, event-driven I/O and supports several encryption algorithms, with room for custom ones.
Implementations exist for Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, iOS and OpenWrt, and the mobile versions are designed for low CPU and bandwidth use. You run a server yourself or use one from a provider, then connect with a client. It is mostly used to reach the open internet from censored networks.
Strengths
- Lightweight with low CPU and bandwidth use
- Clients and servers for most platforms, including routers
- Simple to set up compared with full VPNs
Limitations
- A proxy rather than a full VPN
- Split across many separate implementations of varying quality
Details
- Pricing
- FreeFree and open source; you supply your own server.
- License
- Open source, license not stated
- Developer
- The Shadowsocks contributors
- Platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Self-hosted
- How it runs
- Downloadable app, Self-hosted
- Account
- Not required
- Best suited for
- Getting around network censorship with a self-run proxy server
- Categories
- VPN, Privacy tools
- Last verified
- Added
- Provenance
- Facts checked against the developer's own pages and store listings, 1 sources on file.
Alternatives to Shadowsocks
Compare allSoftware that can replace Shadowsocks for an important use case, and what changes if you switch.
Xray
An open-source proxy core from Project X with the XTLS and REALITY protocols for circumventing censorship.
Xray is also an open-source self-hosted proxy core, adding the XTLS and REALITY protocols, but it has no built-in graphical interface and its configuration requires networking knowledge.
V2Ray
A proxy platform for building encrypted proxy connections to get around network restrictions.
V2Ray is a flexible proxy platform with several protocols and transports that works as server and client, configured through files rather than a graphical interface.
Hysteria
An open-source proxy built on QUIC, designed for speed and resistance to censorship.
Hysteria is a QUIC-based proxy that performs well on lossy links, with a publicly documented protocol, but it uses command-line configuration and needs your own server.
NaiveProxy
A censorship-resistant proxy that uses Chromium's network stack to look like normal HTTPS traffic.
NaiveProxy uses Chromium's network stack so its TLS fingerprint matches real Chrome, but it runs only on Android and the command line and needs technical server setup.
Psiphon
A censorship-circumvention app that combines several blocking-resilient transports to reach sites blocked in your country.
Psiphon removes the need to run your own server by combining several blocking-resilient transports on Psiphon's servers, though the free tier shows ads, runs slower and lacks macOS or Linux apps.
Lantern
An open-source censorship-circumvention app that gives access to blocked websites and apps.
Lantern is an open-source circumvention app with apps for all major desktop and mobile platforms, but traffic relies on Lantern's own infrastructure instead of a proxy server you run.
v2rayN
A desktop GUI client for Windows, Linux and macOS that runs Xray, sing-box and other proxy cores.
v2rayN gives Windows, Linux and macOS users a desktop GUI that runs Xray and sing-box cores, but it provides no servers, so you still need your own or a provider.
VPN Gate
A free academic VPN network of volunteer-run public relay servers from the University of Tsukuba.
VPN Gate is a free volunteer-run VPN network using standard L2TP/IPsec, OpenVPN and SSTP clients, but privacy depends on each operator and the project keeps connection logs.
Shadowsocks as an alternative
Listings that name Shadowsocks as an alternative.
AmneziaVPN
Sets up your own VPN server on a machine you rent, then connects to it, with obfuscated protocols for networks that block ordinary VPNs.
Shadowsocks is a lightweight encrypted proxy for getting past firewalls with clients for most platforms, but it is a proxy rather than a full VPN and has no automated server installer.
Outline VPN
Self-run VPN server built on Shadowsocks, made for censored networks.
Shadowsocks is the underlying proxy on its own, lightweight with clients and servers for most platforms, but without a manager app and split across many implementations.
sing-box
A universal proxy platform that speaks WireGuard, Shadowsocks, VMess, Trojan, Hysteria and more from one binary.
Shadowsocks is a lighter tunnel proxy with clients and servers for most platforms, simpler to set up but limited to one protocol without a routing engine.
v2rayNG
An Android client for V2Ray and Xray proxy servers, using the Xray or v2fly core.
Shadowsocks offers lightweight clients for Android and most other platforms, but speaks only its own proxy protocol rather than V2Ray or Xray protocols.
Similar software
Related functionality, not necessarily a direct replacement.
FlClash
An open-source, ad-free proxy client based on Clash Meta, built with Flutter for several platforms.
3x-ui
A self-hosted web panel for running Xray-core proxy servers and managing their users and protocols.
Snowflake
A Tor censorship circumvention tool and browser extension that lets volunteers relay traffic for blocked users.
Orbot
Tor VPN for Android and iOS that can route chosen apps.
InviZible Pro
Android app bundling Tor, I2P and DNSCrypt with a no-root mode.
