Shadowsocks Review 2024: Before You Buy, Is It Worth It?

Shadowsocks Will Only Be As Fast as Your Rented Server

As Shadowsocks doesn’t have its own servers, your speeds will depend on the server you rent. I tested 4 DigitalOcean servers (New York, San Francisco, Singapore, and London) with Shadowsocks and got decent speeds overall.

Most proxy servers are sufficiently fast. It’s important to keep in mind, however, that servers will perform differently in different contexts. Therefore, a server that gave me fast speeds might not necessarily do the same for you — the only way to know is to test. In most cases, servers that are located further from your actual location will give you slower speeds. You can also experience slowdowns due to overcrowding caused by too many people using the same server at once.

With Shadowsocks, you will need to rent each server you need. Renting multiple servers gets expensive fast, which is why I find that VPNs are much more cost-efficient. The top VPN providers have hundreds or even thousands of servers you can connect to right away, so switching is easy and doesn’t cost extra. Because VPNs tend to have such large server networks, it also means that you’ll get much faster speeds too (as there’s less overcrowding).

Speed Test Results

I tested 4 servers using Shadowsocks and got decent speeds overall. My base speed was 7.59Mbps and my average speed using different servers with Shadowsocks only went down to 6.68Mbps. This is only an 11% decrease in speed which is pretty impressive.

I made sure to test servers far away and close to me to see if this made a difference. It wasn’t surprising that London gave me a significant drop in speed as it was pretty far away from me. When I tested a server in Singapore, however, I got the best speeds out of all the servers I tested — this was confusing considering I was furthest from this server.

Shadowsocks doesn’t hide your traffic but instead works to make your data appear blank. This does not require as many layers of encryption protocols as hiding your traffic and therefore gives it the potential to be much faster than a traditional VPN. I wondered if using Shadowsocks with a VPN could actually improve speeds. I decided to test this out and found it was not the case. My speeds either did not improve or improved by less than 2%.

Although I was happy with my speed results, I was disappointed to see how much Ping increased while connected to different servers using Shadowsocks. Ping is how long it takes for your data to be transmitted through your server and back to your device — the lower the ping the better. For gaming, you want a ping below 20ms. My base ping was 3ms but when connected to a server this increased by an average of 273ms which is very slow.

During my speed tests, I did notice that the servers weren’t always physically located in the places they were supposed to be. My speed test tool revealed that the New York server was actually located in New Jersey while the San Francisco server was in Santa Clara, California. I wasn’t too concerned as my own IP address was not leaked and these locations appeared close enough to where they were supposed to be but I did find it strange that they were labeled incorrectly.

Server Network — Shadowsocks Doesn’t Have a Server Network

To connect to Shadowsocks, you need to either rent or buy a server from a third party. Shadowsocks was designed this way so everyone using it would have a different configuration because they would be renting servers from different third parties. This makes it harder for China’s firewall to detect your traffic. Server rental companies operate data centers all around the world and let you rent servers from them.

An app called Outline makes it easy to rent a server from several services and then connect to it with Shadowsocks. Outline automates the process of renting a server from DigitalOcean, Google Cloud, or Amazon Lightsail. Outline recommends using DigitalOcean because it is easy to set up and cost-effective.

These server rental firms don’t offer the features of a VPN, like zero-log policies to hide your activities, streaming-optimized servers, or lightning-fast speeds. You’re also limited to very few servers, which means you’ll be left with no alternatives if there’s a technical problem or your IP gets blocked.

I suggest utilizing Private Internet Access for Shadowsocks connectivity due to their vast network of 35,000+ lightning-fast servers, providing numerous fallback options in case of technical difficulties. Additionally, PIA offers the unique capability to connect using the Shadowsocks protocol, allowing for simultaneous benefits of a VPN and Shadowsocks at a reduced cost compared to server rentals.

Security — Shadowsocks Has No Added Security Features

Shadowsocks will get you past strong firewalls but it isn’t guaranteed to keep you safe. Unlike VPNs, Shadowsocks provides an alternative method to bypass censorship by masking your internet traffic using HTTPS, a data transfer protocol that effectively evades government filters.

The Outline client makes it easy to connect using Shadowsocks, but it doesn’t have zero-logs policies or encryption to hide your data. That means server operators, ISPs, and other third parties might be able to see what you’re doing online when you use Shadowsocks. You’ll also be vulnerable to common online threats like phishing emails, malware, and scammers on public WiFi networks. To defend against spying and cybercrime, you need a premium VPN.

Privacy — You Might Not Stay Anonymous With Shadowsocks

Shadowsocks was built with the main purpose of bypassing censorship — privacy or anonymity have never been priorities for its developers. Your privacy will be mainly determined by which server you use with Shadowsocks but even if you rent a server that offers powerful encryption protocols, it might not be enough to protect your privacy.

Although Shadowsocks itself does not keep logs, some server rental services do while you use them or put your privacy at risk by partnering with third-party data firms. For example — while DigitalOcean promises not to log your online activities, it partners with SolarWinds to provide server analytics. When SolarWinds got hacked, millions of users (including DigitalOcean users and employees of US government agencies) had their data compromised. For optimal data security against malevolent third parties, choose a premium VPN such as ExpressVPN with its reliable no-logs policy and strong encryption.

Editor's Note: Transparency is one of our core values at WizCase, so you should know we are in the same ownership group as ExpressVPN. However, this does not affect our review process, as we adhere to a strict testing methodology.

Torrenting — Depends on the Server You Rent

Although Shadowsocks lacks encryption capabilities, it does permit torrenting if the connected server permits it. If you use a server with no encryption, torrent speeds will be faster than with a traditional VPN — but you also won’t stay anonymous. While you should never use torrent sites to violate copyright law, even accidental downloads of protected material could get you in legal trouble.

When considering safety in torrenting, refraining from the use of Shadowsocks is advisable. Instead, a high-speed VPN such as ExpressVPN is highly recommended for its ability to both protect the identity and secure data during torrenting.

Do Shadowsocks Work in China? Yes!

Shadowsocks has proven to be a dependable tool for circumventing internet censorship in China. With the recent crackdown on VPNs, only a select few have succeeded in evading China’s formidable firewall, relying on established encryption protocols. Unfortunately, Chinese censors have developed machine-learning algorithms capable of identifying these protocols, resulting in the blockage of many VPNs utilizing them.

A VPN reroutes traffic through a server in a new location, while Shadowsocks disguises the connection between your computer and a proxy server. The use of Shadowsocks requires either renting, buying, or creating your own proxy servers, resulting in a distinct configuration from other users. The non-centralized system of Shadowsocks decreases the probability of traffic detection by authorities, as each connection appears unique.

Despite China’s attempts to restrict access, Shadowsocks remains a highly reliable tool for circumventing censorship due to its open-source nature. In the event that a version is blocked, anyone can modify and release new versions. When traveling to China and requiring access to online accounts, the most efficient method involves renting servers and utilizing a third-party application, such as Outline. This process allows for the connection of servers to Shadowsocks, enabling users to access the open web. The Outline app can be downloaded directly from its website.

Shadowsocks makes it easy to open up the restricted web in other countries like Saudi Arabia, Russia, and UAE. Just take note that non-approved VPNs and using circumvention tools to bypass censorship aren’t legal in these countries. The protection of a VPN or circumvention tool doesn’t give you the license to break the law.

Shadowsocks does not offer 24/7 live chat, email, or phone support but does have a large archive of online guides for highly technical questions. Since it is open-source, Shadowsocks has an extensive community dedicated to providing support. But the community and official guides are written by — and for — technical users. I prefer VPNs like CyberGhost that offer easy-to-understand solutions that aren’t too technical to understand.

Shadowsocks has limited support and a complex setup that can make it challenging to get help. However, if you possess a good understanding of open-source operating systems such as Linux and programming languages like Python, installing and using the Shadowsocks client should not pose a problem for you.