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AmneziaVPN vs Shadowsocks: catalog facts
AmneziaVPN	Shadowsocks
Free The client is free and open source under the GPL. You pay for whatever server you deploy…	Free Free and open source; you supply your own server.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Self-hosted
Installs and configures the VPN on your own server automatically from the client Obfuscated protocols including Cloak, Shadowsocks, AmneziaWG and XRay for restrictive networks	Lightweight with low CPU and bandwidth use Clients and servers for most platforms, including routers
You need to rent and pay for a server; it is not a service Giving an application your server's SSH root credentials is a trust decision	A proxy rather than a full VPN Split across many separate implementations of varying quality
Downloadable app	Downloadable app, Self-hosted
Open source	Open source
License: GPL-3.0	License not stated
No account needed	No account needed
Needs internet	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.