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Outline VPN vs Shadowsocks: catalog facts
Outline VPN	Shadowsocks
Free The open-source software is free. Cloud hosting is paid separately.	Free Free and open source; you supply your own server.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Self-hosted
Shadowsocks transport resists the blocking that stops ordinary VPNs Manager application makes server creation and key sharing simple	Lightweight with low CPU and bandwidth use Clients and servers for most platforms, including routers
You pay for and run the server yourself Access keys are shared secrets; anyone with one has your server	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: Apache-2.0	License not stated
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 22, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

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