# Vanilla vs Lens

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Vanilla at none against Lens's 4. Lens's advantage is ratings volume (54 vs 3) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Lens sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Vanilla asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Vanilla against 4.9 for Lens. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Lens has 54 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Vanilla ships an update daily, Lens every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Vanilla | Lens |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vanilla-private-browser/id6758962173/reviews)** | [4.9 (54 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lens-simple-private-browser/id6817076945/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 3 | **54** |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Daily** | Every 2 days |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 25 MB | 67 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [No Type Studio B.V.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1876024977) | [Maximos Angelakis](https://appshunter.io/developer/1809161226) |

## What reviewers say

### Vanilla

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vanilla-private-browser/id6758962173)

A privacy-focused mobile browser designed for quick searches and sensitive websites. It blocks trackers and ads by default, offering customizable settings for search engines and data clearing.

**Highlights:** Blocks trackers and ads by default, Customizable blocking per website, Tab management via address bar swipe, Choice of search engine and history suggestions, Selective browsing data clearing, Automatic data clearing option

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Lens

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lens-simple-private-browser/id6817076945)

A private web browser focused on speed and simplicity. It blocks ads and trackers by default, offers customizable search engine options, and features automatic tab archiving. Enhanced privacy controls include Face ID protection for private tabs.

**Highlights:** Search-first interface, Ad and tracker blocking, Customizable search engines, Automatic tab archiving, Face ID protected private tabs, Link preview and translation

**Features:** Apple Wallet, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Coffee | $3.99 | one-time |
| Coffee & Snack | $6.99 | one-time |
| Lunch | $14.99 | one-time |
| Big Thank-You | $29.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Vanilla free?

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

### Is Lens free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Vanilla or Lens?

Vanilla is rated higher. Vanilla averages 5.0 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Lens averages 4.9 from 54 ratings.

### Do Vanilla or Lens have ads?

Neither Vanilla nor Lens shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Vanilla or Lens?

Vanilla ships an update daily, and Lens every 2 days. Most recently, Vanilla was updated on November 9, 2026 and Lens on November 12, 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.*