Free Shadowsocks AlternativesTop VPN Services and other similar apps like Shadowsocks

The best free alternative to Shadowsocks is Tor, which is also Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Shadowsocks and loads of them is free so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free alternatives to Shadowsocks are Proton VPN, OpenVPN Connect, Tor VPN and WireGuard.

filter to find the best alternatives

Shadowsocks alternatives are mainly VPN Services, but if you're looking for VPN Clients or Anonymizing Networks you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Apple TV and VPN. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Shadowsocks.
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Alternatives list

  1. Tor icon
     1820 likes

    Tor is free software and an open network that helps you defend against traffic analysis, a form of network surveillance that threatens personal freedom and privacy, confidential business activities and relationships, and state security.

    63 Tor alternatives

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
     
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    1
    Tor vs Shadowsocks Comments
    Guest
    Negative
    0

    Shadowsocks is a system wide proxy whilst tor's onions are only used in the browser

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • Tor is Free and Open SourceShadowsocks is also Free and Open Source
    • Tor is Security-focused, Privacy focused and DecentralizedShadowsocks is not according to our users
  2. Proton VPN icon
     504 likes

    Proton VPN provides Swiss-based online security with a high-speed network, free version, and advanced features like VPN Accelerator, AES-256 encryption, a no-logs policy, and support for platforms including PCs and smartphones, enabling content access globally.

    242 Proton VPN alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Google Chrome
    • Apple TV
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
    • Android TV
    • Flatpak
    • Fire TV
    • Mozilla Firefox
     
  3. OpenVPN Connect icon
     772 likes

    OpenVPN Connect provides flexible VPN solutions to secure your data communications, whether it's for Internet privacy, remote access for employees, securing IoT, or for networking Cloud data centers.

    58 OpenVPN Connect alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • Cloudron
     
  4. Tor VPN icon
     59 likes

    A VPN that grants network-level privacy on mobile by routing app traffic through Tor, assigns each app a separate circuit for improved separation, bypasses app-level censorship, features per-app routing, security via Rust-based implementation, and awaits early adopter feedback.

    59 Tor VPN alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Android
    • Android Tablet
     
  5. WireGuard icon
     260 likes

    Implements modern cryptographic standards, maintains a small codebase for security auditing, ensures fast cross-platform VPN performance, supports embedded and enterprise environments, offers easy deployment, IPv4/IPv6, secure key exchange, and mobile app support.

    58 WireGuard alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • BSD
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • FreeBSD
    • OpenWrt
    • Termux
     
  6. Windscribe icon
     178 likes

    Windscribe is a desktop application and browser extension that work together to block ads and trackers, restore access to blocked content and help you safeguard your privacy online.

    226 Windscribe alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Microsoft Edge
    • Google Chrome
    • Apple TV
    • F-Droid
    • Android TV
    • Fire TV
    • Mozilla Firefox
    • HUAWEI AppGallery
     
  7. I2P icon
     237 likes

    The I2P network provides strong privacy protections for communication over the Internet. Many activities that would risk your privacy on the public Internet can be conducted anonymously inside I2P.

    47 I2P alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • BSD
    • F-Droid
     
  8. Psiphon icon
     253 likes

    Enjoy unfiltered Internet access globally using Psiphon's open-source VPN. It offers AES-256 encryption, split tunneling, WireGuard support, and more, all without requiring user registration. Perfect for communities in censored regions and those seeking privacy-focused alternatives.

    199 Psiphon alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
     
  9. RiseupVPN icon
     41 likes

    Riseup offers Personal VPN service for censorship circumvention, location anonymization and traffic encryption. To make this possible, it sends all your internet traffic through an encrypted connection to riseup.net, where it then goes out onto the public internet.

    122 RiseupVPN alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • F-Droid
    • Snapcraft
     
  10. Outline VPN icon
     34 likes

    Journalists need safe access to information to research issues, communicate with sources, and report the news. Outline lets news organizations easily provide their network safer access to the open internet.

    193 Outline VPN alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • AppImageHub
    • Homebrew
    • F-Droid
     
  11. WG Tunnel icon
     14 likes

    This is an alternative Android Application for WireGuard and Amnezia VPN with added features. Built using the wireguard-android library and Jetpack Compose, this application was inspired by the...

    58 WG Tunnel alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    • F-Droid
     
12 of 112 Shadowsocks alternatives