Protocols, apps, free tools, self-host ➜ every blocked site, region-lock & age-gate ➜ gone, worldwide
How blocks work: networks use DPI (deep packet inspection — they look at the shape of your traffic and drop anything that looks like a VPN). So the fix is a protocol whose traffic doesn’t look like a VPN.
The main one is REALITY — it copies a real website’s secure handshake (like apple.com), so the network thinks you’re just visiting that site. Full list of protocols, apps, self-host scripts and free tools below.
Full internet shutdown
For when a country cuts the whole internet:
| Tool | What it does | Repo |
|---|
| MahsaNG | TLS-fragment method, works in shutdowns | repo |
| Oblivion | WARP-based, one-tap | repo |
Protocols — working vs blocked (2026)
REALITY copies a real site’s handshake, so there’s nothing fake to detect. Don’t run it on a cheap shared IP — the IP can get blocked even when the protocol isn’t.
| Protocol | Status 2026 | Repo |
|---|
| VLESS + REALITY + Vision | best option | Xray-core · REALITY |
| Hysteria2 (fast, mobile) | works, watched | repo |
| TUIC | unreliable | repo |
| AnyTLS | newer | sing-box |
| NaiveProxy | low-profile | repo |
| ShadowTLS v3 | weakening | repo |
| Shadowsocks (clean IP) | ok for low-risk | repo |
| AmneziaWG (hidden WireGuard) | works | repo |
| VMess / Trojan | ~80-90% detected | v2fly |
| Geneva (auto packet-evasion) | experimental | repo |
Apps — pick your platform
| App | Best for | Repo |
|---|
| Hiddify | easiest, all platforms | repo |
| Clash Verge Rev | desktop (Win/Mac/Linux) | repo |
| sing-box | core engine under most apps | repo |
| mihomo | popular core | repo |
| v2rayN / v2rayNG | Windows / Android | repo |
| NekoBox | Android, advanced | repo |
| Shadowrocket | iOS (paid) | info |
| Stash / Loon / Quantumult X | iOS alternatives | Stash |
| OpenClash / homeproxy | routers (OpenWrt) | OpenClash |
Free tools — no server, no payment
| Tool | What it does | Link |
|---|
| ECH (Encrypted Client Hello) | hides which site you open; free region-unblock | docs |
| Tor + WebTunnel/Snowflake | free, no server, looks like normal HTTPS | setup |
| Psiphon | one-tap app, works during shutdowns | get |
| Outline (Google Jigsaw) | self-host, share with others | get |
| Lantern | hides the domain, free tier | get |
| freedom.gov | US-gov anti-censorship VPN in development, not live yet | site |
