JichangDarenShadowrocket Download and Setup: Official Site, Requirements, Fixes
If you searched for the Shadowrocket official site, a download, or an IPA, the first job is telling real sources from fake ones. This page covers the official channel, what you need before installing, the most common fault, and which providers we list ship their own dedicated app instead.
Facts verified: 10/7/2026 · Reviewed by DaRen
The short answer
Shadowrocket is a paid app, and the only official way to install it is the App Store. Its official site, shadowlaunch.com, is the developer website registered on the App Store listing; it is a single page whose download button just links to the App Store and it hosts no installer, so any site offering a "Shadowrocket IPA download" is not official. The app is not listed on the China-region App Store, so you need a non-China Apple ID to download and update it. One prerequisite people overlook: Shadowrocket is a third-party client and can only import a generic subscription link. If your provider only works inside its own app, Shadowrocket cannot use it.
Which sources are official, and which are not
"Official site" gets abused a lot in this niche. This table sorts it out.
| Source | Official? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| App Store listing | Yes | The only official install channel. Paid app, US-store price $2.99 — check the store page for the current price. |
| shadowlaunch.com | Yes (official site) | Shadow Launch Technology Limited's one-page site. The App Store listing names it as the developer's website, and it links back to the same listing; it hosts no installer. |
| "Shadowrocket IPA download" sites | No | The developer has not published an IPA. Such files cannot be checked against the official build; we advise against installing them. |
| Rented / shared-account sites | No | Not an official channel. The account isn't yours; if its owner changes the password or takes it back, the app and its licence go with it. |
Three things you need before installing
- System: iOS 13.0 or later.
- Account: it isn't listed on the China-region App Store, so downloading it needs a non-China Apple ID, and updates need the same account — a China-region account can't update it. How to set an account up is a matter for Apple's own documentation; we don't cover it here.
- Payment: this is a paid app, not free software. The price is whatever your region's App Store page shows.
After installing: import a subscription and connect
- 1
Get the link
- From your provider's dashboard or support, get a generic subscription link
- Providers with an app-only setup have no such link
- 2
Import
- In Shadowrocket, add a node of the subscription type
- Paste the link, save, and wait for the node list to refresh
- 3
Connect
- Pick a node and flip the switch at the top
- Allow the VPN configuration prompt iOS shows
Button positions and menu names change between versions; follow the interface in the version you have.
Want to avoid the foreign-account step? Two other iOS clients
Clash Mi and Nextin are the other two common iOS clients. To be clear up front: none of the three is on the China-region App Store, so switching clients doesn't remove the non-China account requirement.
| App | Price | Requires | Core | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadowrocket | Paid, US-store price $2.99 | iOS 13.0+ | Own core, closed source | App Store; site shadowlaunch.com |
| Clash Mi | Free | iOS 15+ | mihomo, open source | App Store; site clashmi.app |
| Nextin | Free, with in-app purchases | iOS 15.0+ | Clash Meta, closed source | App Store |
Which provider for Shadowrocket? Start with these 3 — buy now
Shadowrocket can only import a provider's subscription link: to keep using it, pick one that issues a link; to skip the hassle, pick one with its own app. 10 of the 16 providers we list offer only their own dedicated app, so Shadowrocket can't use them.
Firefly
Our first pickIPLC Dedicated Line · ¥8/mo (annual) · 4.9 / 5
Issues a link
Start here if you want to keep using Shadowrocket: an IPLC dedicated line at about ¥8/month annually, no speed or device limits; the subscription link comes from support, which responds fast.
Code
firefly· 20% offIPLC · ¥14.9/mo · 4.5 / 5
Own app
An IPLC dedicated line plus its own iOS app, no speed or device limits, dense plan tiers and no-expiry buyouts.
Code
rabbit· 10% offIEPL Dedicated Line · ¥8/mo (annual) · 4.5 / 5
Own app
IEPL dedicated line at about ¥8/month annually; its own iOS app works with a plain account login.
Code
nmw888· 10% off
We haven't checked each provider's subscription format or whether Shadowrocket accepts it — ask support before you pay. Full comparison table →
This page contains affiliate links. Signing up through the link above may earn us a commission — at no extra cost to you, and it never affects our reviews or rankings.
It disconnects the moment you connect — is the provider down?
Usually not. iOS caps the memory of a Network Extension process: about 15 MB before iOS 15, about 50 MB from iOS 15 on. Exceed it and the system kills the process outright. Every iOS proxy client runs its tunnel in a process like this.
The symptom: tap connect, the extension launches, loads the core, node list and rules, crosses the ceiling, gets killed, and the switch flips itself off within a second. To the user that looks exactly like "the provider is down" — but the same subscription works fine on desktop, which has no such cap.
This mechanism first turned up in Clash Mi's official FAQ and is corroborated by an iOS developer's write-up of the Jetsam configuration keys. We couldn't cite Apple's own forum thread directly; for a primary source, Apple's NetworkExtension documentation is the reference.
- Cut the number of rules first — more rules means more memory.
- Don't import many subscriptions at once; the node table takes memory too.
- Some providers choose which config to serve based on the client's User-Agent. If nodes come up empty or the format errors out, ask support whether they support Shadowrocket.
Shadowrocket FAQ
Shadowrocket download and setup
What is Shadowrocket's official site?
shadowlaunch.com (Shadow Launch Technology Limited), which is also the developer website registered on the App Store listing. It is a single page whose only download button points to the App Store; the site itself hosts no installer.
Is there an official Shadowrocket IPA?
No. It is distributed only through the App Store. Any site offering a "Shadowrocket IPA download" is not an official channel, and the file can't be checked against the official build.
Why can't I find Shadowrocket on the China App Store?
Because it isn't listed there. Downloading it needs a non-China Apple ID, and updates need the same account. Preparing the account is a matter for Apple's own documentation.
Will Shadowrocket definitely work with the service I bought?
Not necessarily. Shadowrocket is a third-party client and only imports generic subscription links; a provider that works only in its own app has no such link. Even with a link, whether Shadowrocket accepts its format is for the provider to confirm — ask support before you buy.
Shadowrocket or Clash Mi?
The differences are mainly price and core: Shadowrocket is paid, closed-source, with its own core; Clash Mi is free, open source, built on the mihomo core, and requires iOS 15 or later. If you already have a generic subscription link and want to spend nothing first, try Clash Mi — but note that neither is on the China-region App Store.
Is Shadowrocket a VPN, and does it make things faster?
Shadowrocket describes itself as a rule-based proxy client. It is not a provider and supplies no routes of its own, so how fast and stable it feels depends on the provider subscription you import, not on the app.
Where do I get nodes for Shadowrocket?
Shadowrocket doesn't sell nodes. They come from a provider's subscription: you buy a plan, then import the subscription link into the app. See the picks above; a provider that only offers its own app has no link to import.
What to read next
Clash client downloads →
Picking a Clash-family client on desktop or Android, and importing a subscription.
v2rayN / v2rayNG downloads →
v2rayN's official site, its GitHub releases, and how to verify a download.
How to pick a service →
The client is step one; this covers lines and price.
Clash Verge Rev download →
The most common desktop Clash client: official GitHub source, install and fixes.
FlClash download →
The most-used Clash client on Android: the site the project lists, GitHub installers and fixes.
FAQ →
Subscriptions, protocols, drop-outs, and shutdown warning signs.