# Shadowrocket vs iCodex

The clearest difference is price: iCodex at Free against Shadowrocket's $2.99. Shadowrocket's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). On ads there is nothing between them.

iCodex is free to download; Shadowrocket costs $2.99 up front. iCodex sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Shadowrocket asks for nothing beyond the download.

Shadowrocket ships an update weekly, iCodex every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Shadowrocket | iCodex |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.5 (12K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shadowrocket/id932747118/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **12K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 57.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 53 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV** | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shadow Launch Technology Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/687237009) | [建祥 陈](https://appshunter.io/developer/1782685807) |

## What reviewers say

### Shadowrocket

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

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


### iCodex

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/icodex-claude-and-codex-usage/id6792240003)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lifetime Access | $1.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Shadowrocket free?

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

### Is iCodex free?

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

### Do Shadowrocket or iCodex have ads?

Neither Shadowrocket nor iCodex shows ads.

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

Shadowrocket ships an update weekly, and iCodex every 3 weeks. Most recently, Shadowrocket was updated on September 28, 2026 and iCodex on September 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.*