Comparison

Dunova VPN vs ShadowVPN

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

Head to head
About

Dunova VPN

Protect your internet connection on public Wi-Fi, access geo-restricted content, and hide your IP address. Offers smart auto-connect and a lifetime purchase option for ongoing privacy and security.

Highlights
  • Public Wi-Fi protection
  • Access geo-restricted content
  • Hide IP and location
  • Smart auto-connect
  • Servers in 40+ cities
  • Lifetime purchase option
  • Ad-blocking DNS
Read full description

Dunova VPN protects your connection without getting in your way. Connect by hand when you want to — or set your rules once and let the app decide when protection should switch on. WHEN A VPN HELPS - Cafe, airport and hotel Wi-Fi: on shared-password networks, others nearby can watch your traffic. Everything is encrypted so banking and logins stay private - Reach home services while travelling: connect to a server back home and use the sites and streaming you normally would - Reach content from other countries: news, sport and shopping sites through a local server - Hide your IP and location: ad networks and trackers no longer see your real address - Avoid monitoring and throttling: keeps your traffic away from provider inspection and speed limits SERVERS IN 40+ CITIES Dedicated VPN servers (UDP / AES-256-GCM) built and tuned for Dunova in each city, so speeds stay usable at peak hours. Asia, Europe, North America and South America are covered. FREQUENTLY ASKED Q. Is there a monthly fee? A. Not with the lifetime purchase. Pay once, no yearly billing, no extra charges. Only the monthly, 6-month and annual plans bill per period. Q. Do I have to buy again on a new device? A. No. Purchases are tied to your Apple ID, so signing in with the same Apple ID restores access. If it does not appear, tap Restore Purchases in the app. Q. Are there data or time limits? A. After purchase there are no data caps and no session time limits. Q. What if speeds are low? A. The further away the server, the slower the connection. Pick a nearby city, and use the built-in connection diagnostics to check. FREE 1-DAY TRIAL Try Dunova VPN before you buy. The trial starts the first time you connect in the app and runs for 24 hours. - 10 cities are available during the trial. All 40+ cities unlock after purchase - No payment and no auto-renewal. After 24 hours you simply return to the free state - The free trial is available once per device BUY ONCE, NO MONTHLY FEE Most VPNs charge every month. Dunova VPN offers a lifetime option: pay once and keep using it, with no yearly billing and no extra charges. Monthly, 6-month and annual plans are also available if you only need it for a while. SMART AUTO-CONNECT - Auto-connect the moment you join untrusted or public Wi-Fi - Trusted network list: stay off the VPN at home, protect everywhere else - Reconnect automatically on app launch or after a reboot SEE WHERE YOU ARE CONNECTED - Interactive world map showing your current server and location - Live session details: IP address, DNS, duration, upload and download - Smart location picks the nearest fast server for you YOUR DATA STAYS YOURS - Usage statistics are computed and stored on your device only - No activity logs on our servers - Built-in IP and DNS leak check - Connection diagnostics for when something feels off MORE TOOLS - Home Screen widget: connection status and one-tap connect - Ad-blocking DNS option - Servers in 40+ cities worldwide PREMIUM Dunova VPN Premium unlocks all servers and removes limits. Choose a monthly, 6-month or annual subscription, or a one-time lifetime purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription anytime in your App Store account settings. Dunova VPN is independently developed and operated by CloudEx Inc. on our own VPN infrastructure. Privacy Policy: https://dunovavpn.cloud-ex.biz/privacy/ Terms of Use: https://dunovavpn.cloud-ex.biz/terms/ FAQ: https://dunovavpn.cloud-ex.biz/faq/

About

ShadowVPN

Features
Read full description

ShadowVPN is a minimal, fast, point-to-point VPN client built on the ShadowVPN protocol — a UDP, pre-shared-key, layer-3 tunnel using the shadowsocks AEAD encryption scheme. You bring your own server; ShadowVPN connects to it. Nothing is proxied through us, and there is no account to create. Follow the link to build your own server: https://github.com/madeye/shadowvpn FEATURES • Fast UDP tunnel — a lightweight raw-IP data plane with no SOCKS layer or userland TCP stack overhead. • Strong encryption — shadowsocks AEAD ciphers protect every datagram. • Split tunneling — route only what you need and bypass traffic by country using an on-device GeoIP database. • Multiple profiles — store and switch between several servers. • Traffic obfuscation — optional obfuscation to blend in with ordinary traffic. • On-device only — your keys and configuration never leave your device. • Native & efficient — a SwiftUI app driving Apple's Network Extension, with a compact Rust core for the data plane. ShadowVPN is for users who want a simple, transparent, self-hosted VPN.

Screenshots

Dunova VPN4 screens
ShadowVPN4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Dunova VPN at Free against ShadowVPN's $2.99. Dunova VPN also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs every 3 months). ShadowVPN's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4). On ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

Dunova VPN is free to download; ShadowVPN costs $2.99 up front. Dunova VPN sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. ShadowVPN asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dunova VPN ships an update every 6 days, ShadowVPN every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Dunova VPN versus ShadowVPN: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDunova VPNShadowVPN
PriceFree — better$2.99
Rating4.6 (9 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings9 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size60 MB3 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperCloudEx Inc.Shanghai Tangzixiang Information Technology Co., Ltd

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Dunova VPN

Subscriptions3
  • Dunova VPN (1 Month)$1.991 Month
  • Dunova VPN (6 Months)$9.996 Months
  • Dunova VPN (1 Year)$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Dunova VPN (Lifetime Access)$9.99
None

ShadowVPN

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Dunova VPN free?
Dunova VPN is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ShadowVPN free?
ShadowVPN costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Dunova VPN or ShadowVPN have ads?
Neither Dunova VPN nor ShadowVPN shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Dunova VPN or ShadowVPN?
Dunova VPN ships an update every 6 days, and ShadowVPN every 3 months. Most recently, Dunova VPN was updated on October 24, 2026 and ShadowVPN on October 25, 2026.

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