Shadow Reviews 5,852

They give the impression like it's "your" computer. It's NOT, it's not always on, it's shut off automatically, so you can't use it when you want. Then when you finally go back to use its says you are in a queue! wait 30 minutes! it's a joke for the price that it is. Cancelling immediately. They should get done for false advertisement, it's a con.

Shadow is actually a great product WHEN/IF it works. As others have chimed - it seems ever-increasingly plagued by issues, crashes, non-starts, endless update cycles.

When it works - fast PC and quite flawless as an experience. Heads up it does NOT allow for virtualization which might be its only "limitation" in terms of Windows experience. So no Claude CoWork/certain AI tools.

Audio is lag-free for me - both for sales calls+gaming. Video editing is fast+responsive. All of this is contingent on the launcher actually launching unfortunately.

Most recently, I started a SECOND account (already had 1, and added another PC) and I had to wait 12 HOURS to get access. The site says 30-60 minutes max. Would've been 4/5 otherwise, especially at its price point.

I was sold a plan without the limitations on supported applications being made clear upfront. When I tried to cancel, the process failed and I continued to be billed for several months before I noticed.

After raising this, the company refused to refund the charges made after the failed cancellation, leaving me no choice but to raise a dispute with my bank to recover the funds.

Poor transparency, well written but poor customer service, and a frustrating experience overall. Would not use again.

Easy continent only think I’d like to be able to change I probably can some how is that when I google it places me in Germany

The overall balance is excellent, it's a shame that at the moment there are problems with some games that have made me suspend the service. But I hope to get it back.

It was a great experience, not much else I can say 👍

Very legit, very powerful.

I use it every day -- I use the web browser on the go and the desktop version (on Windows) at home. I use it over ethernet cable. In the browser version, you can see some hiccups in performance, but the desktop version is superb; with a 1 Gbps connection speed and streaming settings at 50 Mbps, I've played Black Ops, MMOs, Assassin's Creed Shadows, State of Decay, all without any input lag or video lag or streaming stuttering. My basic package includes an RTX 2000 Ada Lovelace GPU with 15 GB VRAM, so this let me start playing with local AI models.

As far as business, they've been very approachable, transparent, responsive, and fair. I've been subscribed for over 2 years now. They've never arbitrarily raised the rates and they've honored my same discounted rate. The payments are regular, never any suspicious or unexpected charges. I've needed to contact customer service a couple times (like after a game installs a DirectX version that's incompatible and breaks Shadow) and they respond pretty quickly within their business hours, always resolving my issue.

Update after Shadow’s response:

Shadow responded to my review, but the central issue remains unaddressed.

Before subscribing, I asked their AI chatbot whether the “Always On” functionality was included in the plan I was about to purchase. The chatbot confirmed that it was, which influenced my decision to subscribe.

In their response, Shadow explains that the feature exists as a paid option. However, that was not the question that was asked. The question was whether this functionality was included in the plan being purchased.

No resolution or goodwill gesture has been offered.

For readers considering this service, the exchange between my review and the company’s response speaks for itself.

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Original review:
I subscribed to Shadow because I needed a cloud PC that could stay online for a 24/7 livestream.

Before purchasing, I specifically asked their AI chatbot whether the “Always On” functionality was included in the plan I was about to subscribe to. The chatbot confirmed that it was, which influenced my decision to proceed with the subscription.

After purchasing and installing the service, I discovered that the “Always On” functionality is only available through plans costing more than €200 per month. This is a completely different proposition from what was implied before the purchase.

When I contacted support about this situation, the responses were very disappointing. I was told there was no record of the chatbot conversation and that no refund could be issued because the right of withdrawal had been waived during signup.

In the same exchange, support also stated: “The EU consumer law doesn't apply here.”

For European customers, this is something worth being aware of before subscribing.

Overall, the experience, from the incorrect chatbot information to the handling by customer support, has left a very negative impression.

Absolutely brilliant service.

I’ve been using Shadow for around 3 years now and it has been fantastic. Being able to play high-graphics games for around £30 a month instead of spending £900+ on a gaming PC (and maintaining it) is incredible value.

I work quite a lot, so I’m not an intense gamer — usually just an hour or two in the evening after work — and Shadow is perfect for that. I can launch straight into my games with no issues and everything runs smoothly.

The customer service is also excellent. Anytime I’ve had a question or needed help, the team has responded within 24 hours and always been helpful.

Top-notch service. Thanks to the Shadow team!

I started using Shadow because I wanted access to a powerful PC without needing to upgrade my own hardware. The setup process was straightforward and I was able to start using the system quickly.

The performance has been very solid so far. It feels surprisingly close to using a local machine, and streaming quality has been stable on my connection, with a disconnect ones in a while when i pushed it a little to far, but with a click of a button i could start again withing seconds. I mainly use it for demanding software and gaming with many mods, and the GPU performance has handled everything I tried without Major issues.

What I like most is having access to a full Windows environment from anywhere. It makes it easy to install software and work just like on a normal PC.

Overall the experience has been smooth and reliable, and it’s a great option if you want powerful hardware without owning a high-end machine that will have you break the bank in this day and age.

I’m honestly so frustrated with my experience using Shadow PC.

First of all, it’s expensive. You’re already paying a high monthly subscription, and yet the service doesn’t feel stable or reliable enough to justify the cost.

The biggest issue for me is that when installing games, the system shuts down automatically after around 20–25 minutes of inactivity. If the game installer doesn’t allow you to pause and resume, you’re basically stuck and have to start all over again. That’s incredibly annoying and wastes so much time.

On top of that, if you’re using Steam or other platforms, you’re paying for Shadow and paying full price for the games themselves. It starts to feel like you’re spending a lot just to deal with constant limitations.

Another frustrating part is having to wait for a slot unless you pay even more for a higher-tier plan. It already feels like a premium-priced service, yet you’re pushed toward paying even more just to get proper access.

Overall, this has been a disappointing experience. I definitely won’t be continuing after the first month. I really wish I had read more Trustpilot reviews before wasting my hard-earned money.

Not worth it for me.

I have been using shadow for about 4 years ago. It has been reliable. I have used a Chromebook this entire time, yet with shadow PC I have been able to play all the latest games. They have upgraded their hardware at least once.

I subscribed to Shadow PC exclusively to play Arc Raiders.

After setting up Windows, installing drivers, and fully configuring the system, the game consistently crashes and does not run in this cloud environment.

I understand that some developers may restrict cloud GPUs, but this was the sole purpose of my subscription.

Although my usage time appears extended, it was strictly related to setup, troubleshooting, and repeated crash testing — not actual gameplay or productive use.

Unfortunately, no refund was offered despite the service being unusable for its intended purpose.

The platform itself functions, but compatibility limitations should be more clearly communicated before purchase.

I cancelled my subscription but got charged anyway. I contacted support and they said they couldn’t give me a refund. Absolute shady behavior from the company. Not only is the service just not good but they also scam their customers. I reported this to PayPal but Shadow takes a suspicious amount of time to respond. I’ve initiated a chargeback with my bank. I wouldn’t give this company a single cent.

This has honestly been the absolute worst experience I had with a company, ever. Incompetent support (looking at you, “Atlas”) and even worse developers (fix your server side software).

0/5 Stars

The shadow display is great on low people hours. But at the end of the day, around 5 to 9, it's unsuable

I subscribed expecting a Windows 11 cloud PC with GPU that I could run continuously. I quickly realised the machine automatically shuts down when not actively in use, which makes it unsuitable for always-on workloads.

I attempted to cancel almost immediately during provisioning and never logged into or used the service. However, because I had waived the withdrawal right at checkout, my refund request was refused.

This may work fine for gaming sessions, but if you need a true 24/7 persistent machine, be aware this requires a very expensive add-on.\

edit: this poor review score because of the shockingly anti-consumer refund policy

I wouldn't recommend. I wanted to try the service out and even though I have a very fast fiber connection (950 up, 650 down) plugged right into the tap, the video was pixellated and horribly compressed. I wanted to use it to stream PC games, but there's no way you can make content from that crappy looking video. I used the service for literally 10 minutes and then wrote the company asking for a refund and they said they do not do refunds unless their service is down.

Unusable service and dismissive support - Avoid!
I subscribed to Shadow PC expecting a functional cloud service, but the service has been completely unusable due to persistent technical issues. When I contacted their support to find a solution, the experience was even worse.
Instead of actually fixing the problem, the support team eventually shut down the conversation entirely. They claimed I "refused troubleshooting" simply because their suggested steps didn't work/weren't relevant, and then they unilaterally closed my ticket, stating they would "no longer assist."
It is important for potential customers to know that Shadow tries to use their "waiver of withdrawal right" to deny any form of refund, even when the service they provide is broken. According to EU consumer law (Directive 2019/770), a consumer is always entitled to a functional service or a refund if the service is faulty, regardless of their internal policies.
Disappointing service and even worse customer treatment. I have been forced to escalate this via PayPal and consumer protection agencies. Avoid this company if you value your consumer rights.