# Hacker Terminal vs Shadow Node

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hacker Terminal at none against Shadow Node's 1. Hacker Terminal also leads on ads (none vs shown). Shadow Node's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, update cadence and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Shadow Node sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Hacker Terminal asks for nothing beyond the download.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hacker Terminal | Shadow Node |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Size | 17 MB | 109 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Yusuf Burak Elkan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1688419501) | [NETBYTE UG (haftungsbeschränkt)](https://appshunter.io/developer/1854412817) |

## What reviewers say

### Hacker Terminal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hacker-terminal/id6756082800)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Shadow Node

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shadow-node-idle-hacker/id6759072485)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium | $1.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hacker Terminal free?

Hacker Terminal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Shadow Node free?

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

### Do Hacker Terminal or Shadow Node have ads?

Shadow Node shows ads; Hacker Terminal does not.

### Which is updated more often, Hacker Terminal or Shadow Node?

Hacker Terminal ships an update weekly, and Shadow Node weekly. Most recently, Hacker Terminal was updated on September 25, 2026 and Shadow Node on September 19, 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.*