Net-merge, a Free Open-Source App, Spreads Your Downloads Across Wi-Fi, Ethernet and a Phone Hotspot at Once

The README opens with one line: “Use all your internet connections at the same time.” Then it lays out the terms: “It works on Windows, macOS and Linux. It is free. There is no account, no server and no VPN.”

The trick is simple, and the README is honest about where it stops. “net-merge gives every new connection to one of your links. When an app opens many connections, they spread over all your links.” Faster links get more connections. It handles TCP and UDP over IPv4 and IPv6 without a proxy. The limit comes right after: “One connection always uses one link, so one big file from one connection does not get faster.”

That makes the list of good fits specific. Steam, browsers, system updates, cloud uploads, download managers and torrents all open many connections at once. The developers’ test used Wi-Fi, an Android phone over USB and an iPhone hotspot: “9 downloads at once: 232-303 Mbit/s. The fastest connection alone gave about 121 Mbit/s.” A demo on a Mac with Wi-Fi and an Android phone reached about 326 Mbit/s.

The project is young. The GitHub repository was created on October 12, has passed 2,500 stars, and version 0.3.6 landed October 28. It installs with a one-line script on each system or through package repositories. The Windows build is “not signed yet,” so Windows asks you to click More info, then Run anyway. The README says the cost is “about 0.18 CPU cores per 100 Mbit/s,” and promises that “if net-merge crashes, your internet keeps working.”

There’s an Android beta for Android 8.0 and up, with two warnings. It takes the phone’s VPN slot, since “Android lets only one VPN app run,” and “Mobile data stays on,” so keep an eye on your data plan. A paid upgrade called RoutEngine adds per-app adapter choice, fallback, speed limits and data caps; it’s free for personal use and Pro for work.

The obvious comparison is Speedify, which “bonds Wi-Fi, 4G/5G, Ethernet, Starlink, and satellite into a single connection” and says it runs “hundreds of servers around the world,” adding “Every link runs through an encrypted tunnel under a strict no-logs policy.” The difference is where the combining happens:

	net-merge	Speedify
Where links combine	On your computer, per connection	Through Speedify’s servers, in one tunnel
Price	Free (MIT license)	$14.99/month or $89.99/year after a 7-day trial
One big single-connection download	Not faster, by its own README	Not stated; Speedify claims “up to 95%” of combined throughput
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android beta	iPhone and iPad, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux, routers

Speedify’s prices come from its pricing page, which lists no free tier. Neither project has published a head-to-head test.

Net-merge doesn’t replace a bonding service for a video call or a single huge file. It fits the jobs that already open dozens of connections, which covers much of what makes a home connection feel slow. Whether the Windows build gets signed, and how the Android beta treats a phone’s data cap, are the next things to check on its GitHub page.