Search for "Clash download" and you get seven or eight names back: Clash, Clash Premium, Clash for Windows, Clash.Meta, Mihomo, Clash Verge, Clash Nyanpasu. They look like versions of one thing. They are not — they sit in two different layers, and most of them stopped being maintained a while ago.
Here is the whole picture, once, so the names stop being confusing.
First, two layers: core and client
This is the key to all of the confusion.
- The core is a command-line program. It reads a config file, decides where each connection should go, and forwards the traffic. It has no interface.
- The client is a graphical shell around the core. It manages subscriptions, switches nodes and shows logs. It does not handle traffic itself.
The YAML behind your subscription URL is written for the core. So as long as the core is compatible, any client can use that subscription — which matters a lot here.
How the core evolved
Clash was the original core. Its author archived the repository in November 2023; there have been no releases since.
Clash Premium was the same author's closed-source build with extras like TUN and eBPF. It stopped at the same time.
Mihomo, formerly Clash.Meta, is the community fork that carried the core forward. It does two things well: it stays fully compatible with the original config syntax, so old configs still run; and it reimplemented the Premium-only features in the open, adding more protocols, rule sets and domain sniffing on top.
So the reality is simple: only one core is still alive, and it is Mihomo.
The client side
| Client | Platforms | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clash for Windows (CFW) | Windows/Mac/Linux | Discontinued | Once the most popular; the author took it down |
| Clash for Android (CFA) | Android | Discontinued | Superseded by CMFA |
| Clash Verge Rev | Windows/Mac/Linux | Active | The most complete desktop option today |
| Clash Meta for Android | Android | Active | The long-standing Android client |
| FlClash | All platforms | Active | Consistent interface, easiest to pick up |
| Clash Nyanpasu | Windows/Mac/Linux | Active | A sibling fork of Verge |
So what is Clash Verge
Clash Verge Rev is a cross-platform desktop client built with Tauri (Rust plus a web frontend) that runs the Mihomo core underneath.
What it gives you:
Which one should I install?
Match your platform and you are done:
- Windows / macOS / Linux desktop → Clash Verge; the Windows X64 build is the first item on our download page
- Android → FlClash (friendlier) or Clash Meta for Android (more configurable)
- Router / NAS / server → the Mihomo core, running headless
- iOS → App Store policy means there is nothing for us to mirror
Do I need a new subscription for Clash Verge?
No. As long as yours is a standard Clash or Clash.Meta subscription, paste the URL straight in — nodes, groups and rules all carry over.
The one case to watch: if your provider only offers a base64 v2ray subscription (a long unreadable string), that is not a Clash format and Clash Verge cannot read it. Check the provider dashboard for a "Clash" or "Clash.Meta" option — almost all of them have one.
A few small questions that keep coming up
Q: Are Clash Verge and Clash Verge Rev two different programs? No. After the original Clash Verge project stopped being maintained, the community picked it up and called it Clash Verge Rev (Rev as in Revived). When people say "Clash Verge" today, this is what they mean.
Q: Do I need to download Mihomo and Clash.Meta separately? No — same thing, new name. The project renamed from Clash.Meta to Mihomo in 2024, and the binary went from clash-meta to mihomo.
Q: Does Clash Verge include nodes? It does not. It is only a client; you supply the subscription. This is true of every Clash-family client.
In short
One line to remember: Mihomo is the only living core, and Clash Verge is the desktop client to install. The rest of those names are either history or alternatives in the same layer.
Read next: the full Windows install guide and what to configure on first launch.
