DarknessPush vs APNs Helper
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
DarknessPush
This free, open-source utility allows developers to test push notifications on iOS and iPadOS devices. It provides a comprehensive set of APNS fields for configuring and sending test alerts.
- Free and open source
- Comprehensive APNS fields
- Autosave input data
- Supports P8 Auth Key
- Configurable APNS type and environment
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Free open source push utility on your iOS/iPadOS! Features: - Free - Open source - Rich set of APNS fields - Autosave all input data for next sessions APNS testing fields: - Team ID - P8 Auth Key - Key ID (fills automatically from P8 filename) - Bundle ID - Body - Collapse ID (optional) - APNS type (alert by default) - Environment (production by default) - Priority (10 by default) Source code: https://github.com/ILYA-2606/DarknessPush
APNs Helper
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This iOS app can help you send APNs notifications. Features include: - custom payload for notification - import *.p8 or input private key directly - supportted push type: alert、background、voip、fileprovider、location、liveactivity - you can save the app info as a preset config, so after you reboot the app, the app info can be reused
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: DarknessPush at 11.0 against APNs Helper's 17.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
DarknessPush ships an update every 3 months, APNs Helper every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | DarknessPush | APNs Helper |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 32 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | ILIA SHKOLNIK | 志舟 王 |
In-app purchases
DarknessPush
No in-app purchases
APNs Helper
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is DarknessPush free?
Is APNs Helper free?
Do DarknessPush or APNs Helper have ads?
Which is updated more often, DarknessPush or APNs Helper?
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