The Short Answer
If you're not sure β use Auto mode. It analyzes the server's capabilities and picks the best protocol for you. But if you want to understand what's happening under the hood, read on.
Shadowsocks
Best for: speed, streaming, video calls, everyday browsing.
Shadowsocks uses chacha20-ietf-poly1305 encryption β the same cipher used by WireGuard and TLS 1.3. It's lightweight and fast: minimal CPU overhead, maximum throughput.
Each user gets a dedicated port (50001+) and unique key. There are no shared connections β your traffic is isolated from other users at the network level.
When to use it: your network doesn't actively inspect traffic, and you want the fastest possible connection.
VLESS+Reality
Best for: maximum privacy, networks with traffic inspection.
VLESS+Reality makes your VPN connection appear as a regular HTTPS session to a popular website. The network sees encrypted traffic going to what looks like a legitimate domain β nothing that resembles a VPN.
It runs on port 443 (standard HTTPS), supports forward secrecy, and leaves no detectable VPN fingerprint.
When to use it: you're on a network that monitors or restricts traffic, or you simply want the strongest privacy guarantees.
SS+WS+TLS
Best for: layered encryption, maximum assurance.
This protocol wraps Shadowsocks inside WebSocket inside TLS β three layers of encryption. Your traffic is indistinguishable from ordinary HTTPS web browsing, even under deep packet inspection.
It runs on port 8443 and provides TLS fingerprint resistance.
When to use it: you want the highest level of assurance that your traffic cannot be identified as VPN traffic.
Quick Comparison
| | Shadowsocks | VLESS+Reality | SS+WS+TLS | |---|---|---|---| | Speed | Fastest | Fast | Good | | Privacy level | High | Very high | Very high | | Port | 8388 | 443 | 8443 | | Looks like | Encrypted stream | Regular HTTPS | Regular HTTPS |
Our Recommendation
For most users, VLESS+Reality offers the best balance of speed and privacy. If raw speed matters more β switch to Shadowsocks. If you want triple-layer assurance β use SS+WS+TLS.
Or just leave it on Auto and let the app decide.