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Shadowsocks vs Brook: catalog facts
Shadowsocks	Brook
Free Free and open source; you supply your own server.	Free Free and open source under the GPL-3.0 licence.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Self-hosted	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Self-hosted, Command line
Lightweight with low CPU and bandwidth use Clients and servers for most platforms, including routers	Clients for desktop, mobile and OpenWrt routers Programmable through shareable scripts
A proxy rather than a full VPN Split across many separate implementations of varying quality	Requires running your own server Configuration assumes networking knowledge
Downloadable app, Self-hosted	Downloadable app, Self-hosted
Open source	Open source
License not stated	License: GPL-3.0
No account needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Needs internet
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 1, 2026

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