What actually differs

The installer writes registry keys, creates Start menu entries and an uninstall record, and can register a background service when needed. The portable build is just an extracted folder: no registry keys, and deleting the folder removes essentially everything.

People often assume portable means lighter. Extracted size is usually within a rounding error of an installed copy — the difference is system integration, not disk usage.

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Decide on these four points

  • You want TUN mode: lean installer. TUN has to create a virtual adapter and routes, which normally requires a service running with administrator rights. Portable builds can do it, but you either run the app elevated every time or install that service anyway, which defeats the point.
  • You want automatic updates: lean installer. Portable update flows often amount to "download the new zip and overwrite yourself", and some clients hide the update button entirely in portable mode.
  • You need it on a USB stick or a machine where you are not an admin: portable only. On a locked-down work laptop this is the only option, and the trade-off is that you are limited to system-proxy mode.
  • You want to wipe it cleanly at any moment: portable. Delete the folder and you are done — no registry leftovers, no uninstall entry.

Where a portable build keeps its config

This is not standardised. Some clients write into a subfolder of the extracted directory, others still use %APPDATA%. Testing takes a minute: extract, launch once, add a subscription, then look for a new folder inside the program directory. If nothing appeared, the config went to your user profile — which means this "portable" copy will not carry your settings to another PC.

If you genuinely need portability, do not rely on the package format. Back up the profile files separately; that works regardless of client.

Two mistakes that cost people an evening

  • Extracting the portable build into C:\Program Files. That path is read-only for standard users, so writing the config fails and the symptom is a subscription that disappears after every restart. Extract into your user folder or another drive instead.
  • Running an installed copy and a portable copy at the same time. Both grab the same port; the second one either reports the port as in use or silently picks another, and now your browser proxy points at a port nothing is listening on.
Whichever you pick, get the package from the project’s official release page. "Optimised" repacks hosted on third-party sites are exactly that — repacked — and a tampered proxy client hands your entire traffic to whoever built it.