Dispatch is a local SOCKS proxy that spreads new connections across your computer’s network interfaces so you can put more than one internet link to use at the same time. It runs as a small command-line service, listens on a port you set, and forwards each new connection through one of the local IP addresses you choose. Selection is simple and consistent because Dispatch uses weighted round robins. You can give a higher weight to a faster or cheaper link and lower weights to the rest, and each fresh connection is assigned accordingly.
After a connection is assigned, it stays on that path for its lifetime, which keeps behavior stable for apps that download, stream, seed, or sync. You point a client that understands SOCKS to localhost, pass Dispatch the IPs for Wi-Fi, Ethernet, or a tethered adapter, and it balances the load one connection at a time. You can list interfaces, start the proxy with your chosen addresses, set the listening IP and port, and keep system routes untouched. The design favors clarity over hidden magic, stays in user space, and focuses on doing one job—dispatching connections—cleanly and predictably.
Why Should I Download Dispatch?
You should download Dispatch when you want a practical way to combine multiple links for real workloads without changing operating-system routing or adding extra hardware. Many desktops and laptops sit on more than one path—Ethernet plus Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi plus a phone hotspot, or several VLANs—and only one path carries traffic by default. Dispatch lets you funnel app traffic through a local proxy and distribute new connections across every link you list. That matters for tools that open several connections in parallel, because a batch of connections split across links can move faster and feel smoother than a single saturated path. It helps with control, too. You can run more than one Dispatch instance, each bound to a different set of local addresses, then point specific apps to specific instances so traffic is separated by design.
Weighted round robin gives you a direct dial to prefer a primary line while still pulling help from secondary lines. Because Dispatch makes a per-connection choice instead of splitting packets, it avoids the jitter and reordering risks that packet-level bonding can introduce when paths have different latency. The workflow stays readable end to end. You list addresses, you start the proxy, you set a client to use it, and you watch connections spread in a way that matches your weights. If your goal is to put idle links to work quickly and keep full control on the machine in front of you, Dispatch gives you that without drivers, kernel modules, or complicated policy rules.
Is Dispatch Free?
Yes. Dispatch is open source, and you can use it in personal or commercial environments without payment. You can install it as a pre-built binary or build it yourself with a standard Rust toolchain. There is no account screen and no sign-in inside the tool. You get a concise command to list network interfaces and a clear command to start a SOCKS server bound to the local addresses you choose, with optional weights that shape how often each interface is selected.
The flags are straightforward, the help output is short, and logs can go to stdout when you want to see decisions during tests. If you prefer reproducible builds or want to slot it into CI, the source path supports that. If you want a zero-build path, the downloadable artifacts cover common platforms. The intent is to keep the barrier low: download or compile, run a single command, point a client at the local proxy, and start dispatching connections across the links you already have.
What Operating Systems Are Compatible with Dispatch?
Dispatch is compatible with macOS, Windows, and Linux. You can download a build for your platform or compile from source, then follow the same workflow everywhere. You run the list command to see available network interfaces. Start the proxy and pass the local IP addresses that belong to the interfaces you want to use, optionally adding weights to favor one link over another. You can set which local IP the proxy listens on and which port to accept connections from, with sensible defaults for a local machine.
Any client that supports a SOCKS proxy can be pointed at that endpoint. Because Dispatch stays in user space and forwards entire connections, you can keep operating-system routes simple and avoid platform-specific packet handling. If a destination resolves to IPv4, you provide IPv4 local addresses; if it resolves to IPv6, you provide IPv6 local addresses. That rule ensures the proxy always selects a matching local address for the connection. The result is a small, portable tool that behaves the same way whether you run it on a Linux server, a Windows desktop, or a Mac laptop, which makes it easy to include in personal setups and mixed fleets.
What Are the Alternatives to Dispatch?
OpenMPTCProuter is router-centric. It bonds and aggregates network bandwidth of multiple internet connections at the network edge using MultiPath TCP along with an OpenWrt-based stack. It is aimed at individual devices that are dedicated gateway devices and not individual applications. When you focus on combining DSL, fiber, and cellular into a single bonded connection in one path to a complete home or office, then this is a way to provide real aggregation with a system designed to do so. You give up the simplicity of a local proxy in favor of a complete edge solution, which includes links defining all the devices of a router.
Speedify is a service and an app that utilizes channel bonding and automatic failover across several connections on a client-server architecture. It seeks to introduce one quicker and more robust pipe with Wi-Fi and cellular united with Ethernet and tethered connections, and it introduces transport options, which are useful with live streams and calls. In case you desire bonding, as well as smoothing on your behalf, with desktop and mobile clients and a managed backbone, this option is higher in the stack than a local SOCKS dispatcher and encompasses more devices simultaneously.
NetOptimizer is of a different style. It is concentrated on the optimization of Windows network settings to enhance performance based on the system parameters. It does not divide traffic between interfaces or bond links. Rather, it examines the PC and implements optimizations to make the one connection you already have seem faster or more responsive. This type of utility is useful in case your constraint is configuration on one side of an adapter, and you wish to make automated adjustments without having to edit the registry by hand. It does not lie opposite, but conceptually next to Dispatch, as it operates on a path, and Dispatch brings many paths together.
