# Shadowrocket vs AIMerchandiser

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Shadowrocket at 57% against AIMerchandiser's 9%. Shadowrocket also leads on rating (4.5 vs 2.3) and ratings volume (12K vs 3). AIMerchandiser's advantage is price (Free vs $2.99). On update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

AIMerchandiser is free to download; Shadowrocket costs $2.99 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 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shadowrocket has 12K ratings behind it against 3, 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 9% of AIMerchandiser's.

Shadowrocket ships an update weekly, AIMerchandiser every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Shadowrocket | AIMerchandiser |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.5 (12K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shadowrocket/id932747118/reviews)** | [2.3 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aimerchandiser/id6450662088/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **12K** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | **57.5% of reviews** | 9.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 11 days |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 53 MB | 62 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shadow Launch Technology Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/687237009) | [Yitunnel](https://appshunter.io/developer/1432411606) |

## What reviewers say

### Shadowrocket

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

**Currently charting:** #1 Top Paid, #1 Top Paid · Utilities, #148 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


### AIMerchandiser

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aimerchandiser/id6450662088)

This app helps businesses inspect store displays for compliance. It uses reference images to guide users in capturing actual store layouts, ensuring adherence to display standards.

**Highlights:** Store display compliance inspection, Reference image guidance, Actual store layout capture, Adherence to display standards

**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 AIMerchandiser free?

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

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

Shadowrocket is rated higher. Shadowrocket averages 4.5 out of 5 from 12K ratings, while AIMerchandiser averages 2.3 from 3 ratings.

### Do Shadowrocket or AIMerchandiser have ads?

Neither Shadowrocket nor AIMerchandiser shows ads.

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

Shadowrocket ships an update weekly, and AIMerchandiser every 11 days. Most recently, Shadowrocket was updated on October 18, 2026 and AIMerchandiser on October 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.*