Comparison

Hacker Sim vs Shadow Node

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

Head to head
About

Hacker Sim

Build a digital empire through strategic hacking, trading, and mining. Manage your "Heat" level, complete contracts, and upgrade your rig. Features a new story mode where you battle a cyber threat.

Highlights
  • Story Mode with branching objectives
  • Multi-stage hacking mechanics
  • Real-time Heat management system
  • Simulated cryptocurrency market trading
  • In-game crypto mining
  • Botnet building and management
  • Hardware and skill upgrades
Features
Read full description

Your rig is humming. The target is live. One clean breach and the Blacknet pays out. Hacker Sim is a layered hacking strategy game — not a tapper. Run live multi-stage breaches, upgrade your rig, trade a simulated crypto market, and keep your Trace low enough to stay invisible. Your operation keeps earning while you're away. RUN LIVE BREACHES Recon. Penetrate. Escalate. Extract. Cleanup. Every stage shifts your odds, payout, and Trace exposure. Push deeper for a bigger score, or abort before the grid lights up. MANAGE TRACE Every action leaves a signal. Let Trace climb and targets harden, success rates fall, and the net closes in. Cool down, lay low, and choose your moment to strike again. BUILD YOUR RIG Upgrade CPU, RAM, GPU, storage, network, and cooling. Better hardware means faster breaches, higher success rates, and stronger mining output. EARN WHILE YOU'RE AWAY Mining rigs and botnets keep working when the app is closed. Come back to stacked earnings, finished research, and a cache waiting to be claimed. TRADE THE BLACKNET Track a simulated crypto market with live price movement, volatility, and portfolio value — then unlock the Trading Desk to buy, sell, and ride the swings. COMPLETE CONTRACTS Time-boxed contract work with escalating rewards and streaks. Operator Pass members unlock the Operator Contract Board with higher-value objectives. RESEARCH NEW CAPABILITIES Develop your Research Lab to unlock new methods, skills, and permanent advantages for breaching, mining, and staying hidden. CLAIM DAILY CACHES Log in daily to build your streak and collect escalating rewards. Operator Pass unlocks a second Daily Cache Lane every day. PLAY STORY MODE Step into Aegis Sentinel's SOC in Circuit Breakers — a narrative cyber thriller where you triage threats, investigate incidents, and battle The Choir across episodic missions with branching choices. COMPETE AND PROGRESS • Earn cash, reputation, achievements, and titles • Climb Game Center leaderboards • Long-term progression that respects your time OPERATOR PASS Full Blacknet membership: the Trading Desk, Operator Contract Board, a second Daily Cache Lane, Circuit Breakers access, extra operation capacity, an extra research queue, and no ads on sponsored rewards. IMPORTANT Hacker Sim is a strategy simulation game. It does not teach, enable, or encourage real hacking. All hacking, crypto, malware, botnet, and market systems are fictional and simulated for entertainment only. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Shadow Node

Features
Read full description

Welcome to Shadow Node – the ultimate hacker idle experience. You are an elite hacker on a mission to infiltrate global networks, breach high-security servers, and mine valuable data fragments. Your ultimate goal? The legendary Shadow Node—a network so secretive it is only spoken of in whispers on the deepest dark web forums. Are you ready to bring the digital world to its knees? FEATURES Progressive Hacking Network Work your way up from simple local networks to complex government databases. Every successful hack brings you closer to the top of the digital food chain. Idle Gameplay: Your Botnet Never Sleeps Progress even while you’re offline. Your scripts automatically gather data fragments while you're away. Return to collect massive rewards—perfect for hackers on the go. Deep Upgrade System Invest in cutting-edge hacking tools, AI assistants, massive botnets, and quantum processors. Optimize your mining rate with hundreds of unique upgrades. Strategic Prestige System Perform a strategic reset to unlock permanent bonuses and multipliers. Plan your ascension carefully to exponentially increase your earning potential. Milestones & Achievements Complete challenging objectives to unlock legendary Dark Matter upgrades that fundamentally transform your gameplay. Immersive Cyberpunk Atmosphere Experience an atmospheric soundtrack and a dark aesthetic designed to pull you deep into the world of cybercrime. HIGHLIGHTS Offline Progression: Your mining operations run 24/7. Fully Customizable: Tweak visual effects, haptic feedback, and choose from multiple languages. Mobile Optimized: Smooth gameplay and intuitive touch controls. PREMIUM MODE (Optional) Maximize your efficiency with the Premium Upgrade: 2x Mining Rate: Double the speed of your data extraction. Ad-Free: No interruptions, just pure hacking. Instant Boosts: Get immediate payouts with zero delays. Leave no trace. Download Shadow Node now and begin your ascent to hacker stardom!

Screenshots

Hacker Sim4 screens
Shadow Node4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Shadow Node at weekly against Hacker Sim's every 5 weeks. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. Hacker Sim sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and Shadow Node sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hacker Sim ships an update every 5 weeks, Shadow Node weekly. The most recent releases landed on August 1, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Hacker Sim versus Shadow Node: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHacker SimShadow Node
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (17 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings17 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksWeekly — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.115.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size45 MB109 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperJOBEE DEVELOPMENTS LTDNETBYTE UG (haftungsbeschränkt)

In-app purchases

16 purchases

Hacker Sim

Subscriptions2
  • Operator Pass Monthly$6.991 Month
  • Operator Pass Annual$39.991 Year
One-time14
  • Extra Streak Freeze$0.99
  • Cash Pack (Small)$1.99
  • Heat Amnesty Token$1.99
Show 11 more
  • Recovery Kit$2.99
  • Crypto Stash (Small)$2.99
  • Heat Insurance (1hr)$2.99
  • Field Kit$3.99
  • Cash Pack (Medium)$3.99
  • Black Budget Cache$4.99
  • Research Boost Bundle$4.99
  • Crypto Stash (Medium)$5.99
  • Circuit Breakers Forever$6.99
  • Cash Pack (Large)$9.99
  • Lifetime Operator License$14.99
1 purchases

Shadow Node

One-time1
  • Premium$1.99

Questions

Is Hacker Sim free?
Hacker Sim is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shadow Node free?
Shadow Node is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Hacker Sim or Shadow Node have ads?
Both Hacker Sim and Shadow Node show ads.
Which is updated more often, Hacker Sim or Shadow Node?
Hacker Sim ships an update every 5 weeks, and Shadow Node weekly. Most recently, Hacker Sim was updated on August 1, 2026 and Shadow Node on September 19, 2026.

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