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Lantern vs Shadowsocks: catalog facts
Lantern	Shadowsocks
Free Free to download and use; the project asks for donations.	Free Free and open source; you supply your own server.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Self-hosted
Built specifically to resist blocking in censored regions Apps for all major desktop and mobile platforms	Lightweight with low CPU and bandwidth use Clients and servers for most platforms, including routers
Aimed at circumvention more than anonymity Traffic relies on Lantern's own infrastructure	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 not stated	License not stated
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Needs internet	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

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