# Shadowrocket vs Magic Pencil+

The clearest difference is price: Magic Pencil+ at Free against Shadowrocket's $2.99. Shadowrocket's advantage is chart position (#1 vs unranked) and device support (5 vs 3). On update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Magic Pencil+ is free to download; Shadowrocket costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Shadowrocket ships an update weekly, Magic Pencil+ every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Shadowrocket | Magic Pencil+ |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.5 (12K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shadowrocket/id932747118/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **12K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 57.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 53 MB | 15 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shadow Launch Technology Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/687237009) | [Shenzhen Cheng'an Innovation Technology Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1807438081) |

## What reviewers say

### Shadowrocket

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

**Currently charting:** #1 Top Paid, #1 Top Paid · Utilities, #147 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


### Magic Pencil+

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magic-pencil-plus/id6747154750)

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Shadowrocket free?

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

### Is Magic Pencil+ free?

Magic Pencil+ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Shadowrocket or Magic Pencil+ have ads?

Neither Shadowrocket nor Magic Pencil+ shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Shadowrocket or Magic Pencil+?

Shadowrocket ships an update weekly, and Magic Pencil+ every 2 weeks. Most recently, Shadowrocket was updated on October 15, 2026 and Magic Pencil+ on October 11, 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.*