# Lantern vs Imagic

The clearest difference is rating: Lantern at 4.0 against Imagic's 1.0. Lantern also leads on ratings volume (13 vs 1) and chart position (#190 vs unranked). Imagic's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 weeks). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Lantern sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month and Imagic sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Lantern holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Lantern has 13 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Lantern ships an update every 6 weeks, Imagic fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Lantern | Imagic |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.0 (13 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lantern-fast-secure-vpn/id1457872372/reviews)** | [1.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/imagic-ai-image-generator/id6745152802/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **13** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 22.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#190** | — |
| Size | 194 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 18.4.1 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Brave New Software Project, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1769431553) | [Rachid OUBAOUG](https://appshunter.io/developer/1788196965) |

## What reviewers say

### Lantern

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

**Currently charting:** #190 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


### Imagic

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/imagic-ai-image-generator/id6745152802)

Transform your text into stunning AI-generated artwork with a variety of artistic styles. Quickly create custom-sized images and share them directly to social media or save them to your device. Enjoy a generous number of daily creations for free.

**Highlights:** Create images from text descriptions, Multiple artistic styles, Customizable image sizes, Fast generation times, Direct social media sharing, Save to photo library, Free daily generations

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ImaGen Pro | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Lantern free?

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

### Is Imagic free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Lantern or Imagic?

Lantern is rated higher. Lantern averages 4.0 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while Imagic averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Lantern or Imagic have ads?

Neither Lantern nor Imagic shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Lantern or Imagic?

Lantern ships an update every 6 weeks, and Imagic fortnightly. Most recently, Lantern was updated on October 26, 2026 and Imagic on October 13, 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.*