In short: NekoBox is a free VPN client for Android built on the sing-box engine, and it speaks every modern protocol (VLESS, VMess, Trojan, Shadowsocks, Hysteria2 and others). Two things cause most of the questions: it is not in Google Play (it installs from a GitHub APK), and NekoBox is Android only - if you have a computer, you need a different app. Below: where to get NekoBox, how to install and set it up, and how not to confuse it with NekoRay.
First, the main confusion. If you were searching for “NekoBox for PC” or “NekoBox for Windows” - no app by that name exists for computers. NekoBox runs on Android only. The computer app in the same family was NekoRay, but it is no longer updated: development has stopped, so for a computer you are better off taking a current client. More on that at the end. First, NekoBox for Android.
Where to download NekoBox
The main thing about NekoBox: it is not in Google Play. That makes “where to download” the key question, and there are two paths.
The simple path (our recommendation). If you take out a Tainet subscription, there is no hunting through GitHub at all. In your account, in the connection menu, press “How to connect” - a list of apps opens with direct links. Pick the one you need, press “Download”, and you land on the right file, with no GitHub search and no risk of a fake.
The same place, under “Connect manually”, hands you the subscription link to paste into the app by hand. This is the fastest and safest route: the first 7 days are free and need no card, and the links to the app and the subscription are there the moment you sign up.
The manual path (if you are installing without our subscription). The only safe source by hand is the project’s official GitHub page (the MatsuriDayo/NekoBoxForAndroid repository, the Releases section). Any other site offering “nekobox download” is a risk: all your traffic goes through a VPN client, and a tampered build from a third-party site is dangerous. In Releases you need an APK file; the universal build (or arm64-v8a for most phones) suits almost everyone.
How to install the NekoBox APK
Since the file did not come from a store, Android will ask for permission to install it - that is standard protection, not an error:
- Open the downloaded APK file, from the download notification or a file manager.
- The system will warn that installing from this source is switched off. Tap “Settings” and turn on “Allow installs from this source” for the browser or file manager you are opening the file from.
- Go back and confirm the install.
- Done - NekoBox is in your app list.
As with any app outside Google Play, NekoBox does not update itself - new versions are installed the same way, from GitHub, over the old one, and the settings survive. And if you connected through Tainet, there is nothing to hunt for either: the fresh version comes from the same “How to connect” button in your account.
How to set up NekoBox: the subscription
After installing you need a subscription - a link from a VPN service that the app connects to servers with. NekoBox provides no servers of its own; it is only a client. What that link is, and why a key, a config and a subscription all mean the same thing, is covered in what a VPN key is in plain words.
- Take out a subscription with a VPN service. With Tainet that is in the Telegram bot or your account, the first 7 days free and no card.
- Copy the subscription link.
- In NekoBox: the menu button → “Add profile from clipboard”, or scan the QR code.
- Refresh the subscription in the menu, pick a server, connect.
With Tainet you do not even have to copy the link by hand: under “Connect manually” it is one tap, and the server list pulls itself in.
When NekoBox will not work
Usually one of three things:
- The subscription did not refresh - open the menu and refresh the profile; the server list should appear.
- The link was not pasted in full - copying from a messenger cuts the tail off; copy it again.
- The server is overloaded - pick another one from the list.
If no server comes up at all, the cause is the subscription or the network rather than the app: the full diagnosis of why a VPN stops working.
NekoBox or NekoRay: which is which
The difference that causes the confusion:
| App | What it is for | Status | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| NekoBox | Android (this article) | Actively updated | Take the APK from GitHub (MatsuriDayo) or the link in your Tainet account |
| NekoRay | Was for PC (Windows, Linux) | ⚠️ No longer updated | For a computer, take a current client - see below |
| sing-box | NekoBox’s engine | Built in | No need to install it separately |
About computers specifically: the PC app in this family used to be NekoRay, but its development has stopped, and installing an abandoned client is not worth it. For Windows, macOS and Linux take a living client - v2RayTun or Hiddify, for instance: both are updated and work with the same subscription. And the roundup of VPN clients for every platform helps pick one for all your devices at once.
One convenience worth noting: one Tainet subscription works in any of these apps and on every device at once - on the phone through NekoBox, on the computer through any desktop client. There is no need for a separate subscription per device; how many devices one subscription covers is covered separately. The link to the app and to the subscription is one tap in your account, with no GitHub search.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I download NekoBox if it is not in Google Play?
From the project’s official GitHub (MatsuriDayo/NekoBoxForAndroid, the Releases section), as an APK file. Or more simply: take out a Tainet subscription and get the direct link in your account, with no GitHub search.
Can I install NekoBox on a computer?
No, NekoBox is Android only. The computer app in this family was NekoRay, but it is no longer updated - for Windows, macOS and Linux take a living client, v2RayTun or Hiddify.
Do I need a paid subscription for NekoBox?
The app itself is free. You need a subscription from a VPN service, and it can be tested free: with Tainet that is 7 days without a card.
NekoBox will not connect - what should I do?
Refresh the subscription in the menu, check the link was pasted in full, switch servers. If that does not help, use the diagnosis linked above.
How is NekoBox different from NekoRay?
NekoBox is the active client for Android. NekoRay was the family’s desktop version, but its development has stopped, so for a computer people now take other clients. All of them accept the same subscription link.
In summary
In short: NekoBox is a free Android client that is not in Google Play, so it goes on as an APK from GitHub; and for a computer you take a living desktop client such as v2RayTun, because NekoRay from the same family is abandoned. After installing you need a subscription.
With Tainet the subscription is one for every device, and the link to the app and to the subscription is right there in your account with no GitHub search: take one out in the Telegram bot or in your account, the first 7 days free and no card, then from $0.10 a day. Questions go to support, where real people answer.
