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Shadowsocks vs Psiphon: catalog facts
Shadowsocks	Psiphon
Free Free and open source; you supply your own server.	Freemium Free to connect, with an optional subscription or PsiCash for ad-free, faster connections.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Self-hosted	Windows, Android, iOS
Lightweight with low CPU and bandwidth use Clients and servers for most platforms, including routers	Several blocking-resilient transports that keep working where standard VPNs fail Free to use with no payment needed
A proxy rather than a full VPN Split across many separate implementations of varying quality	The free tier shows ads and runs at lower speeds Traffic passes through servers run by Psiphon
Downloadable app, Self-hosted	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License not stated	License not stated
No account needed	Not stated if an account is 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 September 23, 2026

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