DNS Sinkhole vs ArcanAI
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
DNS Sinkhole
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Choose encrypted DNS without replacing your VPN. Sinkhole helps you understand, select, and configure a trusted DNS-over-HTTPS provider on iPhone and iPad. It adds an encrypted DNS configuration for the provider you choose, using the system API iOS provides for this. SIMPLE GUIDED SETUP Choose your goal โ privacy and security, family protection, or advanced custom DNS โ then follow clear installation steps designed for everyone. CURATED PROVIDERS Compare privacy and security-focused options from established public DNS providers. Depending on your selection, provider-side filtering may cover known malware, phishing, trackers, ads, or adult content. ADVANCED MODE Use a trusted custom HTTPS DNS endpoint from a service you control or configure, including compatible self-hosted resolvers. HONEST STATUS Sinkhole reads its own state from iOS: whether a configuration exists, and whether iOS has it active. It also sends a single DNS test request to confirm the selected endpoint is reachable, and keeps that separate from activation. PRIVACY BY DESIGN โข No Sinkhole account โข No LorisLabs DNS server โข No VPN tunnel and no VPN configuration โข No advertising or analytics SDK โข No DNS query or browsing history received by Sinkhole Once active, DNS requests go directly from your device to the provider you selected. That provider's privacy policy and filtering behavior apply. Sinkhole cannot see or fabricate per-domain statistics. IMPORTANT iOS asks for your approval before Sinkhole can add a DNS configuration, and only you can select it in Settings > General > VPN & Device Management > DNS. You can switch away or remove it there at any time, without the app. A VPN may choose to override system DNS settings; behavior depends on that VPN.
ArcanAI
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ArcanAI is a private, on-device AI chat app that runs open-source language models entirely on your iPhone or iPad. No accounts. No subscriptions. No cloud. No internet required. Import any GGUF model from Hugging Face and start chatting โ every conversation happens locally, powered by hardware-accelerated inference using Apple's Metal framework. Your messages never leave your device. KEY FEATURES - Run AI models 100% offline โ on a plane, off the grid, anywhere - Import any GGUF model from Hugging Face โ choose the size and capability that fits your device - Store and switch between up to 5 models at once - Analyze documents โ upload PDFs, spreadsheets, text files, CSVs, and more - GPU-accelerated inference for fast, streaming responses - Full conversation history with multiple independent chats - Edit messages and regenerate responses - Customize temperature, max tokens, and system prompts - Beautiful dark UI with markdown-rendered responses - Text-to-speech support SUPPORTED MODEL FAMILIES Llama, Gemma, Mistral, Phi, Qwen, and any ChatML-compatible model. RECOMMENDED STARTER MODELS - Llama 3.2 1B (~570 MB) โ great for older devices - Gemma 2 2B (~1.0 GB) โ balanced performance - Qwen 2.5 3B (~1.5 GB) โ multilingual and code capabilities PRIVACY FIRST Zero data collection. Zero telemetry. Zero crash reporting. Zero cloud sync. Your conversations and model files stay on your device โ always.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: ArcanAI at 15.1 against DNS Sinkhole's 17.0. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | DNS Sinkhole | ArcanAI |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod โ better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.1 โ better |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 37 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Christine Martin | Jackson Giordano |
In-app purchases
DNS Sinkhole
No in-app purchases
ArcanAI
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is DNS Sinkhole free?
Is ArcanAI free?
Do DNS Sinkhole or ArcanAI have ads?
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