Comparison

DefaultVPN vs Ghostlane

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

Head to head
About

DefaultVPN

This is a free, open-source VPN client that requires a separate VPN configuration key to function. It prioritizes user privacy by storing all data locally on the device and not collecting or transmitting personal information.

Highlights
  • Free open-source VPN client
  • Requires VPN configuration key
  • No personal data collection
  • Local data storage
  • Privacy-focused
Features
Read full description

Default VPN is a free open-source VPN client. It is not a ready-made VPN service. To use it, a VPN configuration in the form of a key is required. Default VPN does not collect or transmit personal data. All data entered by users is stored locally on the device.

About

Ghostlane

This app routes your internet traffic through disguised video calls to bypass network restrictions. It supports multiple advanced protocols and allows you to import your own VPN server configurations for flexible connectivity.

Highlights
  • Traffic disguised as video calls
  • Supports VLESS, Reality, Hysteria2, XHTTP
  • Import custom server configurations
  • Real-time latency measurement
  • Device-wide VPN routing
  • No data collection or analytics
Read full description

Ghostlane carries your traffic inside a video call. Most tunnels are recognisable. On a network that inspects what passes through it and drops anything shaped like a VPN, they stop working — not because the encryption failed, but because the shape of the connection gave it away. olcRTC is a different answer. It opens a WebRTC media session to a public meeting service — the same kind of call the network already carries all day — and moves your traffic inside it. What stays on the wire is a video call. ROOMS, AND HOW FULL THEY ARE An olcRTC relay holds a fixed number of slots, and a full room cannot take you. So the app asks each room how full it is and shows that in the list, before you pick one. It is the sort of thing you only need when the thing you are connecting to has rooms. IT ALSO SPEAKS THE ORDINARY PROTOCOLS A call-shaped tunnel costs bandwidth, and it is not needed until it is. The same app connects over the standard transports too, and you move between them as the network around you changes: • VLESS with Reality • VLESS over TLS, including through a CDN • Hysteria2, with Salamander obfuscation • XHTTP One app, because the moment you need the fallback is the worst possible moment to be installing another one. BRINGING YOUR OWN SERVERS Add a server list by pasting its link, scanning its QR code, or importing a file. The app groups servers by where they came from, filters them by protocol, remembers which exit you last used, and refreshes the list on a schedule you choose. Connecting routes the whole device through the exit you picked, using Apple's own packet tunnel. The status screen shows how long the session has been up and how much has gone through it. MEASURING Latency is measured where it can honestly be measured: through the tunnel for the connection you are on, and by ICMP echo for a server you are not connected to. Where neither is possible the app says so instead of showing a number it guessed. PRIVACY Nothing is collected. No account, no analytics, no advertising identifier, no crash reporting service. Your server lists and the app's own log stay on the device and are never sent anywhere. The app talks to exactly two kinds of address: the server-list URL you added, and the VPN servers in it. The one exception is a partner link that has to be resolved into a server-list URL, and that request carries the link and nothing about you. REQUIREMENTS A server configuration from a VPN provider: a server-list URL, a QR code, or a pasted link. The app does not sell one and does not include one. Any provider that speaks the protocols above will work. OPEN SOURCE https://github.com/ghostlane-project/ghostlane

Screenshots

DefaultVPN4 screens
Ghostlane4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Ghostlane at 4.7 against DefaultVPN's 3.7. Ghostlane also leads on review sentiment (75% vs 43%) and update cadence (every 3 days vs every 4 weeks). DefaultVPN's advantage is ratings volume (58 vs 7). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Ghostlane holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: DefaultVPN has 58 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 43% of DefaultVPN's written reviews are positive against 75% of Ghostlane's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DefaultVPN ships an update every 4 weeks, Ghostlane every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
DefaultVPN versus Ghostlane: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDefaultVPNGhostlane
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (58 ratings)4.7 (7 ratings) — better
Positive reviews42.9% of reviews75.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings58 — better7
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeksEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size83 MB139 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperAMNEZIA UNIPESSOAL LDAGlobvent INC

Customer experience

DefaultVPN

All ratings58 ratings
Positive67.2%
Neutral0.0%
Negative32.8%
Written reviews91 reviews
Positive42.9%
Neutral7.7%
Negative49.5%

Ghostlane

All ratings7 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral14.3%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

DefaultVPN

No in-app purchases

None

Ghostlane

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is DefaultVPN free?
DefaultVPN is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Ghostlane free?
Ghostlane is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, DefaultVPN or Ghostlane?
Ghostlane is rated higher. DefaultVPN averages 3.7 out of 5 from 58 ratings, while Ghostlane averages 4.7 from 7 ratings.
Do DefaultVPN or Ghostlane have ads?
Neither DefaultVPN nor Ghostlane shows ads.
Which is updated more often, DefaultVPN or Ghostlane?
DefaultVPN ships an update every 4 weeks, and Ghostlane every 3 days. Most recently, DefaultVPN was updated on October 17, 2026 and Ghostlane on October 15, 2026.

Other comparisons