# Purple Onion vs HackVault

The clearest difference is price: Purple Onion at $1.99 against HackVault's $9.99. Purple Onion also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.5). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Purple Onion costs $1.99 and HackVault $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Purple Onion ships an update every 3 weeks, HackVault every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Purple Onion | HackVault |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$1.99** | $9.99 |
| Rating | **[4.5 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/purple-onion-anonymous-vpn/id1445447109/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1.1K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 13.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 102 MB | 6 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 18.5 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [J C L TRAVELS INC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1445447108) | [Francisco Piedra](https://appshunter.io/developer/1820471944) |

## What reviewers say

### Purple Onion

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/purple-onion-anonymous-vpn/id1445447109)

Browse the internet securely and privately with this free application. It utilizes the Tor network to encrypt and anonymize your traffic by routing it through multiple computers worldwide, offering robust identity protection and access to blocked content.

**Highlights:** Tor-powered anonymous browsing, Encrypts and hides internet traffic, Bounces traffic through global computers, Access blocked or monitored websites, Private web surfing, Identity protection

**Features:** Apple Wallet, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 🔒 Good security features
- 👍 Great app when it works

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- ⚠️ Unreliable and unstable
- 💤 No longer works with latest iOS versions
- 🤖 Poor customer support

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on launch
- VPN issues and disconnects
- Download function not working
- Compatibility issues with iOS 16+

**Requested features**

- Update to support latest iOS versions
- Improve stability and reliability
- Add new identity option like Red Browser


### HackVault

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hackvault/id6748651021)

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Purple Onion free?

Purple Onion costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is HackVault free?

HackVault costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Purple Onion or HackVault have ads?

Neither Purple Onion nor HackVault shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Purple Onion or HackVault?

Purple Onion ships an update every 3 weeks, and HackVault every 5 months. Most recently, Purple Onion was updated on September 19, 2026 and HackVault on September 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.*