# Loon vs Bark

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Bark at 98% against Loon's 53%. Bark also leads on price (Free vs $7.99) and rating (4.9 vs 4.0). Loon's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and chart position (#16 vs unranked). On update cadence, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Bark is free to download; Loon costs $7.99 up front. Bark sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.69 per year. Loon asks for nothing beyond the download.

Bark holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 517 and 109 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 53% of Loon's written reviews are positive against 98% of Bark's.

Loon ships an update every 5 weeks, Bark every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Loon | Bark |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $7.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.0 (517 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/loon/id1373567447/reviews) | **[4.9 (109 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bark-custom-notifications/id1403753865/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **517** | 109 |
| Positive reviews | 52.9% of reviews | **98.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#16** | — |
| Size | 65 MB | 32 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Loon Lab Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1631584654) | [丰 黄](https://appshunter.io/developer/1090589311) |

## What reviewers say

### Loon

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/loon/id1373567447)

**Currently charting:** #16 Top Paid · Utilities, #98 Top Paid (US App Store)

This app is a powerful network tool for debugging and optimizing connections. It offers comprehensive traffic capture, detailed record-keeping, and advanced routing options. Features include robust ad-blocking and cutting-edge DNS capabilities.

**Highlights:** Wide protocol support (ss, vmess, trojan, etc.), Comprehensive traffic capture (HTTP, HTTPS, TCP, UDP), Detailed request/response header and body recording, MITM functionality over HTTP2, Advanced domain-based routing, Robust ad-blocking with custom rules, Traffic usage monitoring, Advanced DNS features (IPv6, DoH, DoQ, DoH3)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Good for ad blocking
- 🚀 Faster than Quantumult X
- 🔒 Secure and reliable
- 👍 Simple and user-friendly
- 👍 Frequent updates

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Unstable connection
- 🐛 Frequent crashes
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 🤔 Limited protocol support
- 💸 Expensive compared to alternatives

**Reported bugs**

- Nodes not working after iOS 16 update
- Subscription issues and inability to refund
- Mitm and script features not functioning properly
- Incompatibility with certain games and apps

**Requested features**

- Support for Reality protocol
- Support for gRPC protocol
- Proxy sharing feature
- Improved DNS hijacking protection
- Better widget and shortcut support


### Bark

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bark-custom-notifications/id1403753865)

Send custom push notifications to your iPhone via an HTTP API. Supports advanced features like custom icons, grouping, and critical alerts. Offers privacy-protected, end-to-end encrypted pushes with self-deployable server options.

**Highlights:** HTTP API for push notifications, Custom icons and grouping, Continuous and critical alerts, End-to-end push encryption, Self-deployable server options, Privacy-protected notifications

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Continuous support | $2.69 | per year |
| One-time donation | $2.69 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Loon free?

Loon costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Bark free?

Bark is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Loon or Bark?

Bark is rated higher. Loon averages 4.0 out of 5 from 517 ratings, while Bark averages 4.9 from 109 ratings.

### Do Loon or Bark have ads?

Neither Loon nor Bark shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Loon or Bark?

Loon ships an update every 5 weeks, and Bark every 3 weeks. Most recently, Loon was updated on October 16, 2026 and Bark on October 14, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*