Compare software

sing-box vs Shadowsocks: catalog facts
sing-box	Shadowsocks
Free Free and open source under the GPL.	Free Free and open source; you supply your own server.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, Command line	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Self-hosted
One binary covering WireGuard, Shadowsocks, VMess, Trojan, Hysteria and more A routing engine that picks an outbound per connection by domain, IP or process	Lightweight with low CPU and bandwidth use Clients and servers for most platforms, including routers
JSON configuration that is genuinely complex to write correctly Documentation assumes you already know the protocols involved	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: 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 September 21, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

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