Comparison

Spectre VPN vs TextNova

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Spectre VPN

This app provides secure internet access using Shadowsocks and Trojan protocols. It offers strong encryption to protect your privacy from third parties and features an intuitive design for ease of use. It is available for free.

Highlights
  • Shadowsocks and Trojan protocol support
  • Strong encryption for privacy
  • Lightweight and efficient proxy
  • Intuitive and simple design
  • Free to use
Features
Read full description

A multi-protocol VPN and proxy client for your own servers. Import subscriptions, control traffic with routing rules, and connect from your Home Screen. IMPORT ONCE, KEEP SERVERS TOGETHER Add a server by scanning its QR code, pasting a link, or entering the details yourself. Import subscriptions to manage multiple nodes in one place. Check server latency before choosing a connection. CHOOSE WHAT GOES THROUGH YOUR PROXY Use Global mode for proxy routing, or Rule mode to choose which traffic connects directly and which uses your proxy. Edit your own rules or import a rule list from a URL. CONNECT FROM YOUR HOME SCREEN See the active server and connection status in the widget, then use its switch to connect or disconnect. On iOS 18 and later, add Spectre VPN to Control Center for another quick way to control your connection. USE THE PROTOCOL YOUR SERVER NEEDS - Shadowsocks and Trojan - VMess and VLESS - Hysteria2 and TUIC - SOCKS and HTTP For advanced setups, use a complete custom sing-box JSON configuration. The app interface supports 14 languages. BRING YOUR OWN SERVER Spectre does not include VPN servers or sell VPN service subscriptions. A compatible server configuration or subscription link is required.

About

TextNova

A powerful text transformation tool for developers, offering over 107 built-in transformers for encoding, decoding, formatting, and hashing text. It features on-device AI for text manipulation and a developer-friendly editor with advanced functionalities.

Highlights
  • 107+ text transformers
  • On-device AI for text manipulation
  • Developer-friendly editor
  • Bidirectional transforms
  • Command palette for quick access
  • Universal app for Mac, iPhone, iPad
Features
Read full description

TextNova is a fast, native text toolbox for developers. Convert, encode, decode, hash, and format text with 151 built-in transformers, all in one clean interface on Mac, iPhone, and iPad. HIGHLIGHTS • 151 transformers in 7 categories: JSON/YAML/TOML/XML conversion, Base64/Hex/URL encoding, MD5/SHA hashing, case conversion, text and data utils, and date/time tools • Markdown preview: see your document rendered, with tables, task lists, images, and syntax highlighted code. Select blocks and copy them with their formatting intact • Change history: every transform, paste, and file load is recorded, per tab. Compare any point against your current text, or revert to it • On-device AI: summarize, fix grammar, translate, or rewrite with Apple Intelligence. Your text never leaves your device • Developer-grade editor: monospace type, line numbers, syntax highlighting, search and replace, and a built-in diff view • Command Palette: find and run any transformer without leaving the keyboard • Favorites and Recents: your most-used transformers always within reach • Private by design: works fully offline. No accounts, no servers, no tracking Whether you're decoding a JWT, pretty-printing JSON, or turning CSV into a Markdown table, TextNova gets it done in seconds. Available in English, Korean, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Spanish, French, and German.

Screenshots

Spectre VPN4 screens
TextNova4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Spectre VPN at Free against TextNova's $1.99. Spectre VPN also leads on chart position (#80 vs unranked). TextNova's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 68%) and update cadence (every 6 days vs every 2 weeks). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Spectre VPN is free to download; TextNova costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Spectre VPN ships an update every 2 weeks, TextNova every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Spectre VPN versus TextNova: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpectre VPNTextNova
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating3.9 (248 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews68.1% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings248 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
Best chart rank#80 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size136 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPassion OnlyHWAN LEE

Customer experience

Spectre VPN

All ratings248 ratings
Positive72.2%
Neutral4.8%
Negative23.0%
Written reviews216 reviews
Positive68.1%
Neutral5.6%
Negative26.4%

TextNova

Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Spectre VPN

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Crashes on iOS 12.5.5 and older
  • Incompatibility with certain devices and OS versions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Support for more protocols (e.g., VMess, VLESS, SSTP)
  • Server sorting by ping/latency
  • Websocket connection support
  • Manual server configuration
  • Multiple server import from clipboard

TextNova

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Spectre VPN

No in-app purchases

None

TextNova

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Spectre VPN free?
Spectre VPN is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is TextNova free?
TextNova costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Spectre VPN or TextNova have ads?
Neither Spectre VPN nor TextNova shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Spectre VPN or TextNova?
Spectre VPN ships an update every 2 weeks, and TextNova every 6 days. Most recently, Spectre VPN was updated on October 19, 2026 and TextNova on October 20, 2026.

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