# Red Onion vs Orbot

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Red Onion at 71% against Orbot's 25%. Red Onion also leads on rating (4.2 vs 3.0). Orbot's advantage is price (Free vs $1.99) and device support (4 vs 2). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Orbot is free to download; Red Onion costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Red Onion holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.7K and 972 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of Red Onion's written reviews are positive against 25% of Orbot's.

Red Onion ships an update every 5 weeks, Orbot monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Red Onion | Orbot |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.2 (1.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/red-onion-darknet-browser/id829739720/reviews)** | [3.0 (972 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orbot/id1609461599/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.7K** | 972 |
| Positive reviews | **71.1% of reviews** | 25.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 88 MB | 119 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Omar Mody](https://appshunter.io/developer/297279263) | [The Tor Project](https://appshunter.io/developer/1199566365) |

## What reviewers say

### Red Onion

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/red-onion-darknet-browser/id829739720)

Browse the internet privately and anonymously using a Tor-powered browser. Your real IP address is hidden from websites, and cookies are automatically cleared upon exit. Enjoy features like multiple tabs, bookmarks, history, and real-time search.

**Highlights:** Tor network tunneling, IP address masking, Automatic cookie cleanup, Multiple tabs and bookmarks, Do Not Track support, Real-time search

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🔒 Provides privacy and anonymity
- 🚀 Fast and responsive
- 💡 Useful features like download manager
- 🔒 Secure browsing experience

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and connectivity issues
- 🐛 Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions
- 🐛 Inability to access certain websites
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 🐢 Slow browsing speeds

**Reported bugs**

- App fails to connect to Tor network
- Browser interface becomes unresponsive
- Certain download features not working
- Compatibility issues with iOS 16
- Captcha challenges get stuck indefinitely

**Requested features**

- Add support for Tor v3 onion sites
- Improve bookmark management
- Implement reading mode like Safari
- Provide more customization options
- Add option to backup/restore browser settings


### Orbot

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orbot/id1609461599)

This app provides a free and open-source Tor-powered VPN for enhanced internet safety and privacy. It allows users to browse the web over Tor, secure their traffic, and access .onion sites. While it offers increased privacy, users should be aware that browsing speeds may be slower than a standard VPN.

**Highlights:** Browse internet over Tor, Secure traffic from insecure networks, Access .onion sites, Free and open-source

**Features:** Safari Extension, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and reliable connection
- 🔒 Secure and private browsing
- 👍 Easy to use and intuitive
- 🌐 Bypasses censorship and internet restrictions

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent disconnections and unstable connection
- 🔋 High battery drain
- ⚠️ Incompatible with some iOS versions and devices
- 🕰️ Slow connection speeds

**Reported bugs**

- Fails to connect at 50% or gets stuck in a connection loop
- Causes Wi-Fi or mobile data connection issues
- Randomly disconnects without warning
- Onion Browser integration is unreliable

**Requested features**

- Add manual bridge configuration options
- Implement a kill switch to block internet access when VPN disconnects
- Improve compatibility with other iOS apps and services
- Provide more detailed connection logs and diagnostics


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Red Onion free?

Red Onion costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Orbot free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Red Onion or Orbot?

Red Onion is rated higher. Red Onion averages 4.2 out of 5 from 1.7K ratings, while Orbot averages 3.0 from 972 ratings.

### Do Red Onion or Orbot have ads?

Neither Red Onion nor Orbot shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Red Onion or Orbot?

Red Onion ships an update every 5 weeks, and Orbot monthly. Most recently, Red Onion was updated on October 26, 2026 and Orbot on October 25, 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.*