VPN Split Tunneling — Route Only the Traffic You Choose Through the VPN

FreeGuard currently offers region-based routing on desktop (Windows/macOS/Linux) via GeoIP rules. Per-app split tunneling is not yet available on mobile.

What FreeGuard Actually Offers Today: GeoIP Region Routing on Desktop

On the Tauri desktop app, you can choose one region (CN, US, JP, KR, RU, IR, ID, AE) whose traffic gets routed differently from the rest. This is destination-based routing, not per-app.

Traditional VPNs send every byte through the tunnel. FreeGuard’s desktop app lets you pick a GeoIP region in Settings so that traffic going to IPs in that region can bypass the VPN (for example, keeping China-local services fast on a CN-bound connection while everything else goes through the encrypted tunnel).

This is different from per-app split tunneling. GeoIP routing decides where traffic goes based on the destination IP’s country, not which app produced the traffic. You pick one region at a time; the default is off (all traffic through the tunnel).

Supported regions today: China (CN), United States (US), Japan (JP), Korea (KR), Russia (RU), Iran (IR), Indonesia (ID), UAE (AE).

Platform Availability: An Honest Snapshot

Desktop (Windows/macOS/Linux via Tauri): GeoIP region routing. Mobile (Android/iOS): not yet available. CLI: not yet available.

Desktop (Tauri): Settings → GeoIP Region lets you choose a region or turn the feature off. This is the only split-routing feature currently shipped to end users.

Android: The underlying Android VPN API supports per-app routing, but FreeGuard’s mobile app does not expose this setting yet. The capability is on our roadmap.

iOS: Apple’s Network Extension framework supports route-level include/exclude by IP range, not per-app. FreeGuard iOS does not currently expose user-facing split tunneling.

CLI: No split tunneling in the Go CLI today.

If per-app control is a hard requirement for you, use the desktop app’s GeoIP region routing as the closest shipping equivalent, or let us know on GitHub which platform you need.

How to Use GeoIP Region Routing (Desktop)

1. Step 1: Open FreeGuard on Windows, macOS, or Linux and go to Settings
2. Step 2: Find the “GeoIP Region” dropdown (it shows “Off” by default)
3. Step 3: Pick one region (CN, US, JP, KR, RU, IR, ID, AE) and reconnect — traffic to that region will take the separate route

Frequently Asked Questions

Does FreeGuard support per-app split tunneling like some other VPNs?

Not yet. Today the closest feature is GeoIP region routing on the desktop app, which splits traffic by destination country instead of by application. Per-app split tunneling is on the roadmap but not shipped.

Can I pick which specific apps use the VPN on Android?

Not through the FreeGuard app. Android’s system-level VPN API supports per-app rules, and you can work around this with the system “VPN always-on” / “Block connections without VPN” toggles, but FreeGuard does not yet offer an in-app app picker.

What exactly does GeoIP region routing do?

When you pick a region, traffic destined for IP addresses in that country is routed outside the VPN tunnel (or through a region-specific rule). Traffic to all other destinations still goes through FreeGuard. It is useful for keeping locally-hosted services fast without losing VPN protection elsewhere.

Is GeoIP routing the same as split tunneling?

They solve related problems but are different. Split tunneling chooses traffic by app. GeoIP routing chooses by destination country. A streaming app that hits servers in multiple regions will be affected differently by each approach.

Does GeoIP routing reduce my security?

Traffic outside the tunnel is not encrypted by FreeGuard. Use GeoIP routing only when you trust the destination region (for example, local banking or payment services in your own country). Sensitive traffic should stay on the default (Off) setting so everything goes through the tunnel.

Will per-app split tunneling come to mobile later?

It is on the roadmap but not committed to a release. Follow the changelog for updates. Until then, mobile users route all traffic through FreeGuard by default.

Does GeoIP routing work with the kill switch?

Yes on desktop. Traffic still handled by the tunnel is covered by the kill switch; traffic routed outside via GeoIP rules connects directly and is not affected if the tunnel drops.

Why not just ship per-app split tunneling on mobile now?

Doing it correctly on both Android and iOS (with reliable enable/disable, app change detection, and stable routing during network transitions) takes more work than the desktop GeoIP feature. We would rather ship it once it is solid than release a half-working toggle.