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Brook vs Shadowsocks: catalog facts
Brook	Shadowsocks
Free Free and open source under the GPL-3.0 licence.	Free Free and open source; you supply your own server.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Self-hosted, Command line	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Self-hosted
Clients for desktop, mobile and OpenWrt routers Programmable through shareable scripts	Lightweight with low CPU and bandwidth use Clients and servers for most platforms, including routers
Requires running your own server Configuration assumes networking knowledge	A proxy rather than a full VPN Split across many separate implementations of varying quality
Downloadable app, Self-hosted	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 October 1, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

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