Clash Client Comparison: 8 Popular Clients Reviewed

Windows · macOS · Android · iOS / mihomo core / Actively maintained

Currently the only client covering all four platforms — Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS — and our top recommendation across the board. All four versions share the same interaction flow: import a subscription, pick a node, pick a mode, and connect in three steps, with no config files to touch. The built-in mihomo core supports newer protocols like VLESS and Hysteria2 out of the box, and subscription auto-update plus rule-based routing come with sensible defaults that need no tuning for beginners. The iOS version is distributed through the App Store, with its own site at clashplus.io. For multi-device users, one subscription link behaves the same across every platform, which simplifies troubleshooting since there's no platform-specific quirk to chase down. Not the right fit if you need to heavily rewrite config files or script custom rules — for that, look at Clash Verge Rev on desktop.

Windows · macOS · Linux / mihomo core / Actively maintained

The advanced choice across the three desktop platforms, and the most commonly cited replacement since Clash for Windows stopped receiving updates. Its core strength is configuration power: Merge and Script features let you layer custom rules on top of a subscription without editing the original file, TUN mode takes over system-wide traffic, and a system proxy guard prevents other software from overriding proxy settings. Built on Tauri, its install size and memory footprint run lower than comparable GUI clients. On Linux, it's essentially one of only two GUI options alongside FlClash, and Verge Rev offers more complete configuration capabilities. The learning curve is a notch higher than Clash Plus — there are more interface options, and modules like TUN and DNS require understanding the underlying concepts before enabling them. Best suited to desktop users who already understand proxy modes and rule-based routing and want more control.

Windows · macOS · Android · Linux / mihomo core / Actively maintained

Built with Flutter, its defining trait is a shared interface across all four platforms: button placement and settings hierarchy are identical on desktop and Android, so anything you learn on your computer carries over directly to your phone. It uses the mihomo core, with protocol support on par with Verge Rev, but tucks advanced options further from view, keeping the default presentation simple — its learning curve is close to Clash Plus. For anyone running both Windows and Android without needing iOS, FlClash is the lowest-maintenance dual-platform option. Limitations: its configuration extension capabilities fall short of Verge Rev, with no Script-level customization entry point; menu bar integration on macOS is less compact than a native client.

Windows / mihomo core / Actively maintained

One of the most customizable clients on Windows. It supports fast switching between multiple config profiles, lets you choose which core branch to run from within the client, and offers adjustable UI themes and layout density. For users juggling multiple subscriptions and switching between configs frequently, multi-profile management is a real efficiency gain. The tradeoff is a large number of options — first-time use takes some time to understand what each module does, and if all you want is "import a subscription and connect," these extras become clutter rather than convenience. Best suited to Windows users who treat their client as a toolbox and are willing to invest time tuning it.

Windows / Original Clash core / Discontinued

Once the mainstream Windows GUI client, and the subject of most legacy tutorials and screenshots still floating around online. The project is discontinued: the original core doesn't support newer protocols like VLESS or Hysteria2, so subscriptions containing those node types will fail to parse; compatibility issues introduced by later OS updates will also go unfixed. We keep the download link here only for existing users transitioning away and for reference purposes — new users should not install it. For anyone migrating from CFW, the underlying concepts (subscriptions, modes, rules) carry over fully to both Clash Verge Rev and Clash Plus; the migration cost is mostly getting used to a new interface, and usually one subscription import is all it takes to switch over.

Android / mihomo core / Actively maintained

The Android client closest to the core itself: its interface is a direct mapping of mihomo's configuration options, so every rule type, DNS setting, and TUN parameter the core supports has a matching entry point in the app, with nothing trimmed away. That's both its strength and its barrier — users unfamiliar with the configuration structure can feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of raw options. Best suited to users who already run mihomo comfortably on desktop and want to replicate the same configuration power on Android; if you need to override subscription rules or debug DNS behavior, it gives you more room to work than other Android clients. For Android users who just want something that works out of the box, Clash Plus or FlClash is a better fit.

Android / Own core (not Clash-based) / Actively maintained

Strictly speaking, it's not part of the Clash family: it runs its own core implementation, supports importing common proxy subscriptions, and uses config syntax different from Clash's. It's included here because it's commonly used as an Android fallback — when a Clash-based client runs into compatibility trouble on a particular device, trying a client built on a completely different implementation helps isolate whether the issue is the device or the config. Its UI is lightweight, with a small resident footprint. Limitations: its rule syntax doesn't interoperate with the Clash ecosystem, so tutorials and terminology from this site don't apply directly; subscription format compatibility should be checked against your provider's documentation. Treat it as a backup tool, not a primary choice.

macOS / Meta core / Discontinued

A classic macOS menu bar client: no dedicated main window, with every action handled through the menu bar icon, a minimal interface, and low resource usage — once the go-to choice for Mac users who wanted a quiet, always-on background presence. The project is discontinued, so compatibility issues introduced by future macOS updates will go unfixed, and the core is frozen at whatever capability it had when maintenance stopped. We keep the link here only for existing users transitioning away. Mac users who prefer a lightweight menu bar form factor should look at Clash Verge Rev's tray mode or the macOS version of Clash Plus as alternatives.