GoodbyeDPI alternative: honest comparison

GoodbyeDPI is light, trusted and flexible on Windows. When an app with a GUI, encrypted DNS and phone support fits better, and what else to try.

Published 7 min read

If you searched for a "GoodbyeDPI alternative", you probably already know what DPI blocking is and have used GoodbyeDPI, or you tried it and hit a wall. This page compares it with other options as fairly as we can. We make GreenTunnel, so we are biased. That is why we say what GoodbyeDPI does well first, and why every problem below links to a public report you can read yourself.

What GoodbyeDPI is and what it does well

GoodbyeDPI is a free program by ValdikSS, published on GitHub under the Apache 2.0 license. As of November 2026 the repository has about 28,800 stars. The README describes it as software that bypasses the Deep Packet Inspection systems many ISPs use to block websites. It works by changing how the first packets of a connection look, so a filter that reads the site name does not recognise it. We explain the idea in how SNI filtering and TLS splitting work.

Its strengths are real:

  • It came early and it is trusted. Many later tools, including several listed in its own README, followed the path it opened. The code is public, so anyone can read it.
  • It is light. A small executable plus a driver, with no account and no extra interface to run.
  • It is flexible. About thirty command-line flags let you pick fragmentation sizes, fake packets, TTL tricks and which sites to treat. Power users can tune it for their exact ISP.
  • It can redirect plain DNS. The --dns-addr and --dns-port flags send DNS requests to another resolver, and the bundled dnsredir scripts use this.
  • It can run as a Windows service. The release includes install and remove scripts, so it can start with Windows.

Where people run into trouble

None of this means GoodbyeDPI is broken. These are things users have reported in public, and many of the issues below are closed or depend on one PC or one ISP. They are worth knowing before you pick a tool.

Setup is scripts and a console

The README tells you to unpack the release and run a .cmd script, which opens a console window. The program runs while that window is open. For a service you run another script as administrator. That is fine if you are comfortable with the command line, and less fine if you are setting it up for a parent or a friend.

DNS is a separate job

The README says to first make sure your provider does not poison DNS answers, for example by turning on Secure DNS (DNS over HTTPS) in your browser. It also suggests --dns-addr with a resolver on a non-standard port, or third-party apps for DNS over HTTPS or TLS. So browsers may be covered while other apps still use your ISP's DNS. See encrypted DNS explained for why that matters.

Antivirus warnings and the driver

Because it loads a packet-capture driver, some security tools flag it. Users reported Windows Defender suddenly flagging a component (issue #327) and a VirusTotal scan where 15 of 65 engines flagged a file (issue #733). Others hit a driver error when opening the filter (issue #752). Such flags are often false positives for tools of this kind, but they still stop people.

Side effects on the network, games and other VPNs

One user reported that it broke the Windows network stack on their PC (issue #313). An open issue reports some Call of Duty titles failing to launch while it runs (issue #148), and another reports a VPN client not working alongside it (issue #607). If your internet stays broken after removing it, our guide No internet after GoodbyeDPI or zapret? walks through the clean-up.

ISPs adapt

Every DPI tool plays catch-up. Users have opened "it doesn't work any more" issues when their ISP changed something (issue #543, issue #825). The last stable release is 0.2.2 from March 2022, with a 0.2.3rc3 pre-release from September 2024. The repository still receives commits, the latest in January 2026. This is not a flaw unique to GoodbyeDPI. GreenTunnel faces the same arms race.

GreenTunnel as an alternative

GreenTunnel is a local VPN app for Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, iPhone and iPad. Like GoodbyeDPI, it reshapes the first TLS and HTTP packets on your own device, and there is no relay server run by us. The differences are in how you use it and what comes around the core job:

  • A normal app. An installer, a power button and a status card. See installing on Windows step by step. It needs administrator rights once, during setup.
  • Encrypted DNS for every app. While protection is on, all DNS goes over DoH or DoT to Cloudflare, Google or Quad9, not just your browser.
  • Inspect URL. Tells you whether a site is blocked by fake DNS, name filtering or IP, and which technique gets through.
  • Requester. Shows which app connected to which domain and whether it was bypassed or sent direct. See what Requester shows.
  • Different plumbing on Windows. GreenTunnel creates its own network adapter with Wintun, run by a background service. It does not use WinDivert. That avoids the WinDivert-specific antivirus story, but we cannot promise that no security tool will ever flag a new app, especially before it is widely known.
  • Optional Premium. Smart Routing sends chosen sites through a proxy, Shadowsocks or WireGuard server that you run or choose. The bypass and encrypted DNS are free.

What you give up: GoodbyeDPI's long list of hand-tuned flags, its open code, and its tiny footprint. GreenTunnel is proprietary and offers a smaller set of techniques behind a simpler interface. A note on names: GoodbyeDPI's README lists a project called "Green Tunnel" by SadeghHayeri. That is a separate project and not ours.

Other alternatives worth knowing

  • zapret by bol-van works on Linux, macOS and Windows and is very configurable. Many Windows users run it through community packages such as Flowseal's zapret-discord-youtube, which bundles ready-made strategies and a service.bat manager. It also uses WinDivert on Windows.
  • ByeDPI by hufrea is a local proxy for Linux and Windows. ByeDPIAndroid and ByeByeDPI bring it to Android without root.

Both are free and actively used. Like GoodbyeDPI, they reward users who are happy to experiment with settings.

Who should keep GoodbyeDPI

  • You use only Windows, it already works on your ISP, and you like controlling every flag.
  • You want open code you can read and build yourself.
  • You are comfortable with scripts, services and handling DNS on your own.

Who may prefer an app

  • You want a graphical interface you can hand to someone else.
  • You want encrypted DNS for every app without extra tools.
  • You also need the same protection on a phone, a Mac or a Linux PC.
  • You want to see which apps connect where and why a site fails.

Run only one of these tools at a time. Two programs that both rewrite the same packets, or a DPI tool plus a full VPN, tend to get in each other's way.

Honest limits

GoodbyeDPI, zapret, ByeDPI and GreenTunnel all target the same kind of block: filtering by site name or by DNS. None of them hides your IP address, and none is an anonymity tool. None can beat a block on the server's IP address, a protocol block or a shutdown. If a site is blocked by IP, traffic has to go through another server. Check how a site is blocked before you change tools.

FAQ

Is GoodbyeDPI safe?

Its code is public and widely used. Antivirus flags are usually about the WinDivert driver, which can capture packets. Download it only from the official GitHub releases page and judge for yourself.

Can I use GreenTunnel and GoodbyeDPI together?

We do not recommend it. Both change the start of each connection, so running both makes problems hard to trace. Stop and remove GoodbyeDPI's service first.

Does GreenTunnel use WinDivert?

No. On Windows, GreenTunnel uses its own Wintun network adapter, managed by a background service that is installed with the app.

Is there a GoodbyeDPI for Android or iPhone?

GoodbyeDPI itself is Windows only. On Android you can try ByeDPIAndroid, ByeByeDPI or GreenTunnel. On iPhone and iPad, GreenTunnel is one option.

Sources

GoodbyeDPI, zapret and ByeDPI belong to their authors and are named here only to identify them. We are not affiliated with any of them.

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