# Shadowrocket vs VPN

The clearest difference is price: VPN at Free against Shadowrocket's $2.99. Shadowrocket's advantage is rating (4.5 vs 1.0) and in-app purchases (none vs 10). On update cadence, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

VPN is free to download; Shadowrocket costs $2.99 up front. VPN sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Shadowrocket asks for nothing beyond the download.

Shadowrocket holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shadowrocket has 12K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Shadowrocket | VPN |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.5 (12K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shadowrocket/id932747118/reviews)** | [1.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vpn-flyshadow/id6502557196/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **12K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 57.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 53 MB | 28 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 14 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Shadow Launch Technology Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/687237009) | [OrangePlusZero LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1717812805) |

## What reviewers say

### Shadowrocket

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

**Currently charting:** #1 Top Paid · Utilities, #3 Top Paid, #171 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


### VPN

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vpn-flyshadow/id6502557196)

This app provides intelligent network management for iOS devices. It allows users to easily import server nodes, switch proxy modes, and capture all network traffic. Advanced rule management enables precise control over connections and ad blocking.

**Highlights:** One-click server node import, Multiple proxy modes, HTTP, HTTPS, and TCP traffic capture, Advanced rule configuration, Traffic usage monitoring, Ad blocking, Local DNS mapping

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Light Plan | $2.99 | one-time |
| Semi-Annual Light Plan | $17.99 | one-time |
| Semi-Annual Standard Plan | $23.49 | one-time |
| Quarterly Premium Plan | $24.99 | one-time |
| Annual Light Plan | $35.49 | one-time |
| Lifetime Plan V2 | $42.49 | one-time |
| Annual Standard Plan | $46.49 | one-time |
| Semi-Annual Premium Plan | $48.49 | one-time |
| Lifetime Plan V3 | $94.99 | one-time |
| Annual Premium Plan | $96.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Shadowrocket free?

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

### Is VPN free?

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

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

Shadowrocket is rated higher. Shadowrocket averages 4.5 out of 5 from 12K ratings, while VPN averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Shadowrocket or VPN have ads?

Neither Shadowrocket nor VPN shows ads.

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

Shadowrocket ships an update weekly, and VPN weekly. Most recently, Shadowrocket was updated on September 24, 2026 and VPN on September 14, 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.*