# Hold the Wave vs Shadow Work

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hold the Wave at none against Shadow Work's 2. On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Shadow Work sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Hold the Wave asks for nothing beyond the download.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 days. Both last shipped on September 13, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hold the Wave | Shadow Work |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days | Every 3 days |
| Size | 2 MB | 21 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [You Lu](https://appshunter.io/developer/1460556784) | [Devanuj Nath](https://appshunter.io/developer/6780533110) |

## What reviewers say

### Hold the Wave

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hold-the-wave/id6766920065)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Shadow Work

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shadow-work-umbra/id6780533108)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Yearly | $39.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hold the Wave free?

Hold the Wave is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Shadow Work free?

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

### Do Hold the Wave or Shadow Work have ads?

Neither Hold the Wave nor Shadow Work shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hold the Wave or Shadow Work?

Hold the Wave ships an update every 3 days, and Shadow Work every 3 days. Most recently, Hold the Wave was updated on September 13, 2026 and Shadow Work on September 13, 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.*