Clash Plus: A good starting point for beginners and multi-device use
Top pick
Clash Plus is a good fit if you want to import a subscription, choose a mode, and verify your connection before exploring rules and DNS. It leads this site's Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS download lists, making it easy to find the right build for each device. Official site: clashplus.io. Linux users should look at other clients rather than searching for a Linux package that is not in this site's catalog.
The advantage is a simpler first choice, not a guarantee that every platform has the same features. Before installing, confirm your subscription's output format. After installing, check the actual core, log access, and network takeover options. iOS in particular does not follow the desktop service mode workflow. If you need script-based merging, complex overrides, or a specific mihomo field, confirm support on your platform first.
Choose the Clash Plus build for your platform →
Clash Verge Rev: Desktop configuration merging and TUN management
Clash Verge Rev is a mihomo-based desktop client for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Its strength is bringing configuration management, merging, log inspection, and network takeover into a graphical interface. If a subscription updates regularly but you need to preserve local DNS or rules, look into the client's merge and scripting features instead of editing the remote subscription by hand each time.
The tradeoff is keeping the original subscription, merged output, and final running configuration straight. After changing a field in the interface, inspect the resulting configuration and startup logs to make sure another layer has not overridden it. TUN also requires service mode and system permissions; successfully installing the service does not confirm that DNS takeover is working correctly. A good fit for users who read logs and maintain desktop routing rules, but there is no need to enable every option at once.
FlClash: A similar workflow on desktop and Android
FlClash uses mihomo, with Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android downloads listed on this site. It suits users who want to reuse a Clash YAML configuration on a computer and Android phone: importing configurations, selecting proxy groups, and checking connections follow a similar pattern, so switching devices means less time learning a completely different menu layout.
A similar interface does not mean identical system behavior. Android relies on VPN authorization and background execution policies; desktop systems use a system proxy or require TUN permissions. Listener addresses, interface names, and file paths in the same configuration may also need platform-specific changes. Reuse rules and proxy groups first, then configure network takeover separately on each system. If the connection drops when the phone locks, check battery optimization and background restrictions before blaming the subscription.
Clash Nyanpasu: Configuration management and core selection
Clash Nyanpasu is for desktop users who want to manage configurations, inspect rules, and choose a core through a graphical interface. This site's download list includes a Windows build; that does not mean the project only targets one operating system. To compare it with Verge Rev, try an import, an override, and finding a log entry in each, then see which workflow suits you better.
When switching cores, note which core is actually running rather than relying on the client name. Original Clash, Premium, and Meta/mihomo differ in the fields they support. The active core determines whether a protocol or DNS option can be parsed. This flexibility is useful for advanced users, but it also adds room for mistakes: if the configuration fails after a switch, check the reported field and core support before changing interface settings.
Clash for Windows: Keep it as a migration reference, not a fresh-install pick
No longer maintained
Clash for Windows, often called CFW, appears in many older guides covering Profiles, Proxies, and service mode. Common historical builds used Clash Premium, which is not interchangeable with current mihomo. A legacy configuration starting successfully only shows that it works in that environment; it does not prove compatibility with newer protocols, DNS options, or system network interfaces.
If you are migrating, first save your subscription source, custom rules, and essential settings, then create a separate configuration in the new client. Do not copy the entire old program folder over the new client's data directory, and do not enable the system proxy or TUN in both clients at once. An archived build can help reproduce an old issue, but an unmaintained client is not a default fix for an older PC. Check system compatibility and resource use separately.
Clash Meta for Android: A starting point for migrating existing configurations
No longer maintained
Clash Meta for Android, often called CMFA, uses a Meta-family core and takes over network traffic through Android's VPN interface. Its name is similar to the older Clash for Android, but an icon or package name alone does not tell you what the core supports. The app key in this site's download list is not a full product description; check the core information, configuration parsing results, and logs in the app.
CMFA is no longer maintained. Existing users can use their current configuration as a reference when moving to an actively maintained client. Stop the old VPN before starting the new client; Android generally cannot let two VPN apps take over at the same time. If a subscription imports but fails to start, check whether the core recognizes its configuration fields. If it works in the foreground but fails when the screen locks, check background restrictions. These issues occur at different layers, so changing the subscription URL may not help.
Surfboard: Check the format before comparing interfaces
Surfboard is an Android proxy client, but it does not use a Clash core. It has a Surge-style configuration format, so the presence of proxy groups and rules does not mean it can import Clash YAML directly. Even if a subscription service offers format conversion, check that protocols, rule types, and proxy group behavior are preserved. A successful conversion only means text was generated; it does not guarantee equivalent connection behavior.
If you already have a subscription in a format Surfboard supports, it is worth considering as an Android option. If your configuration relies heavily on mihomo rule sets, overrides, or DNS fields, choosing a client in the same configuration ecosystem is usually simpler. Do not submit a full configuration containing private proxy details to an unknown conversion service just to import it. Format compatibility is a prerequisite for choosing a client, not something to check only after you cannot connect.
ClashX Meta: A reference for legacy macOS menu bar workflows
No longer maintained
ClashX Meta is a Meta-family macOS menu bar client. It can help explain system proxy switching and configuration selection in older guides, but the project is no longer maintained. The Meta name does not mean the archived core keeps pace with current mihomo; older builds may not recognize newer fields, and macOS updates can change permissions or network takeover behavior.
Existing users can note their rule mode, subscription location, and local changes before moving to a maintained macOS client for testing. After migration, check that the system proxy no longer points to the old port and that the old app does not still launch at login. Choose a build for your Apple Silicon or Intel hardware; an app launching successfully does not by itself confirm the right architecture or macOS support. New installs should consider Clash Plus, Verge Rev, or FlClash first.