# Shadowrocket vs XP3Player

The clearest difference is rating: Shadowrocket at 4.5 against XP3Player's 2.4. Shadowrocket also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 6 weeks) and ratings volume (12K vs 30). On review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Shadowrocket costs $2.99 and XP3Player $7.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Shadowrocket holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 2.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shadowrocket has 12K ratings behind it against 30, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of Shadowrocket's written reviews are positive against 53% of XP3Player's.

Shadowrocket ships an update weekly, XP3Player every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Shadowrocket | XP3Player |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$2.99** | $7.99 |
| Rating | **[4.5 (12K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shadowrocket/id932747118/reviews)** | [2.4 (30 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xp3player/id1064060287/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **12K** | 30 |
| Positive reviews | **57.5% of reviews** | 53.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 53 MB | 36 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Shadow Launch Technology Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/687237009) | [聃 张](https://appshunter.io/developer/1064060286) |

## What reviewers say

### Shadowrocket

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shadowrocket/id932747118)

**Currently charting:** #1 Top Paid, #1 Top Paid · Utilities, #153 Top Grossing · Utilities (US App Store)

This utility client captures and redirects all device traffic to a proxy server. It records requests, allows rule-based configuration, and measures network performance. It also supports ad blocking, local DNS mapping, and advanced proxy features.

**Highlights:** Capture and redirect all device traffic, Record HTTP, HTTPS, and DNS requests, Configure rules by domain, IP, and GeoIP, Measure traffic usage and network speed, Import rule files from URL or iCloud, Block ads by domain and user agent, Local DNS Mapping

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent VPN performance
- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 🔒 Robust security features
- 💡 Useful customization options

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Connectivity issues after updates
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 🤔 Confusing setup process for some users

**Reported bugs**

- Incompatibility with newer iOS versions
- Unreliable server connections leading to timeouts
- Subscription management and customer support issues

**Requested features**

- Add support for more protocols (e.g. SSTP, L2TP)
- Implement auto-connect and load balancing features
- Develop a native macOS version


### XP3Player

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xp3player/id1064060287)

This interactive video player supports a wide range of media formats on iOS devices. Easily transfer videos via USB using iTunes or wirelessly through an embedded web server over WiFi.

**Highlights:** Supports AVI, RMVB, MP4, XP3, MKV formats, Interactive video playback, USB file transfer via iTunes, WiFi file transfer via embedded web server, Written in C++

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Shadowrocket free?

Shadowrocket costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is XP3Player free?

XP3Player costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Shadowrocket or XP3Player?

Shadowrocket is rated higher. Shadowrocket averages 4.5 out of 5 from 12K ratings, while XP3Player averages 2.4 from 30 ratings.

### Do Shadowrocket or XP3Player have ads?

Neither Shadowrocket nor XP3Player shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Shadowrocket or XP3Player?

Shadowrocket ships an update weekly, and XP3Player every 6 weeks. Most recently, Shadowrocket was updated on October 14, 2026 and XP3Player on October 10, 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.*