3lines.org vs Shadowscale
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
3lines.org
Convert Chinese ePub files and web pages into a three-line format, adding romanization and translation. The converted documents can be saved as PDFs or copied for further use.
- ePub to three-line conversion
- Add romanization (pinyin, Sidney Lau, Yale)
- Add native language translation (English, Spanish)
- Convert to PDF
- Paste Chinese text
- Import from URL
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Import ePub files that are in Simplified or Traditional Chinese and then have them converted to add a romanization line (pinyin, Sidney Lau, Yale), and a native language line (English, Spanish). The document can then be converted to PDF. It is also possible to copy Chinese text and paste it into the app. In addition, you can copy a URL from the Safari web browser, and paste in the URL to pull up the entire web page in the app and then convert it to 3 lines.
Shadowscale
This VPN client simplifies secure internet access by allowing users to import configurations via QR codes or manual URL entry. It provides a straightforward way to set up and manage your VPN connection for enhanced online privacy and security.
- VPN client
- QR code configuration import
- Manual URL configuration
- Secure internet access
- Enhanced online privacy
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A VPN client for WEB. Allows configuration to be imported by scanning QR codes or by manually entering URLs with the settings.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: 3lines.org at every 4 days against Shadowscale's every 5 weeks. 3lines.org also leads on review sentiment (85% vs 71%) and ratings volume (66 vs 20). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for 3lines.org against 4.5 for Shadowscale. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 66 and 20 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 85% of 3lines.org's written reviews are positive against 71% of Shadowscale's.
3lines.org ships an update every 4 days, Shadowscale every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | 3lines.org | Shadowscale |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (66 ratings) — better | 4.5 (20 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 84.8% of reviews — better | 71.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 66 — better | 20 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days — better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 66 MB | 24 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jon Hargett | 12VPX |
Customer experience
3lines.org
Shadowscale
In-app purchases
3lines.org
No in-app purchases
Shadowscale
No in-app purchases
