# Shadowrocket vs eSIM

The clearest difference is price: eSIM at Free against Shadowrocket's $2.99. Shadowrocket's advantage is rating (4.5 vs 1.0) and ratings volume (12K vs 1). On update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

eSIM 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 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.

Shadowrocket ships an update every 10 days, eSIM every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Shadowrocket | eSIM |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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/esim-home/id6758129406/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **12K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 57.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 53 MB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 16.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | +4 | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shadow Launch Technology Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/687237009) | [Tianlianke Shenzhen Technology Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1871070155) |

## What reviewers say

### Shadowrocket

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

**Currently charting:** #1 Top Paid · Utilities, #2 Top Paid, #128 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


### eSIM

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/esim-home/id6758129406)

Manage eSIM profiles securely and efficiently with this utility app. It allows for the activation, download, and organization of multiple eSIMs on compatible devices, offering a streamlined experience for controlling your mobile services.

**Highlights:** Manage eSIM profiles, Activate eSIMs, Download eSIMs, Organize multiple eSIMs, Bluetooth card reader support, Secure operations

**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 eSIM free?

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

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

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

### Do Shadowrocket or eSIM have ads?

Neither Shadowrocket nor eSIM shows ads.

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

Shadowrocket ships an update every 10 days, and eSIM every 3 weeks. Most recently, Shadowrocket was updated on November 1, 2026 and eSIM on October 28, 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.*