# Lantern vs HPLC Calculator

The clearest difference is ads: Lantern at none against HPLC Calculator's shown. Lantern also leads on chart position (#175 vs unranked). HPLC Calculator's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Lantern sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month and HPLC Calculator sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $0.59 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Lantern ships an update every 6 weeks, HPLC Calculator every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Lantern | HPLC Calculator |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.0 (13 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lantern-fast-secure-vpn/id1457872372/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **13** | — |
| Positive reviews | 22.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#175** | — |
| Size | 194 MB | 66 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Brave New Software Project, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1769431553) | [Youhana Mehany](https://appshunter.io/developer/1600330996) |

## What reviewers say

### Lantern

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lantern-fast-secure-vpn/id1457872372)

**Currently charting:** #175 Top Free · Productivity (US App Store)

This app provides a secure and fast VPN connection to keep your internet activity private. It offers both a free plan and a Pro subscription with advanced features, all from a nonprofit dedicated to an open internet.

**Highlights:** Secure and private internet connection, Host your own VPN server, Global network access, Open source code, Strict no-logs policy, Built-in ad blocking (Pro), Unlimited data (Pro)

**Features:** Apple Wallet

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $12.99 | per month |
| One Year Plan | $48.00 | per year |
| Lantern Pro: One Month Plan | $12.00 | one-time |
| Lantern Pro: One Year Plan | $55.99 | one-time |
| Lantern Pro: Two Year Plan | $100.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast connection
- 🔒 Secure and encrypted
- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 💡 Useful for bypassing censorship

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and connection issues
- 🔋 Drains battery quickly
- 👎 Unreliable and unstable
- 💸 Paid version doesn't work as expected

**Reported bugs**

- iOS version frequently fails to connect
- Paid subscription doesn't work on all devices
- Inconsistent performance across different platforms
- Confusing or missing in-app settings

**Requested features**

- Add support for more devices and platforms
- Improve customer support and responsiveness
- Provide better guidance on using the paid version
- Implement more advanced security and privacy features


### HPLC Calculator

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hplc-calculator/id1600330994)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $0.59 | per month |
| Remove Ads | $4.99 | per year |
| 50K Token Top-Up | $2.99 | one-time |
| 100K Token Top-Up | $4.99 | one-time |
| 250K Token Top-Up | $9.99 | one-time |
| 500K Token Top-Up | $12.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Lantern free?

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

### Is HPLC Calculator free?

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

### Do Lantern or HPLC Calculator have ads?

HPLC Calculator shows ads; Lantern does not.

### Which is updated more often, Lantern or HPLC Calculator?

Lantern ships an update every 6 weeks, and HPLC Calculator every 5 weeks. Most recently, Lantern was updated on October 29, 2026 and HPLC Calculator on October 27, 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.*