# TLS Inspector vs Charles Proxy

The clearest difference is price: TLS Inspector at Free against Charles Proxy's $8.99. TLS Inspector also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.0) and review sentiment (83% vs 52%). Charles Proxy's advantage is chart position (#163 vs unranked). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

TLS Inspector is free to download; Charles Proxy costs $8.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

TLS Inspector holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 256 and 187 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of TLS Inspector's written reviews are positive against 52% of Charles Proxy's.

TLS Inspector ships an update monthly, Charles Proxy every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on August 5, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | TLS Inspector | Charles Proxy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $8.99 |
| Rating | **[4.8 (256 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tls-inspector/id1100539810/reviews)** | [4.0 (187 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/charles-proxy/id1134218562/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **256** | 187 |
| Positive reviews | **83.0% of reviews** | 51.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | **#163** |
| Size | 18 MB | 20 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ian Spence](https://appshunter.io/developer/572311760) | [XK72 Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/284393209) |

## What reviewers say

### TLS Inspector

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tls-inspector/id1100539810)

Inspect TLS certificates for any domain or IP address to understand trust and safety. Detect man-in-the-middle attacks by highlighting invalid certificates. Access detailed certificate properties and integrate with your browser.

**Highlights:** Input domain or IP for inspection, Inspect websites via browser extension, View entire issue chain and trust status, Detailed TLS certificate properties, Detect man-in-the-middle attacks, Share sheet integration with Safari

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- ✅ Essential security utility
- 🔧 Useful for cert renewals
- 📱 Inspects certs on mobile
- 💡 Innovative CA root updating
- 👍 Seamless share sheet integration

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Share extension not working
- ⚠️ Error messages for updates
- 📉 No longer works for some
- 🥶 App freezes
- 🚫 Unauthorized app claim

**Reported bugs**

- App crash issue fixed
- Share extension 'inspect website' never works
- Error checking for TLS bundle updates
- App freezes
- App locks up, non functional

**Requested features**

- Continue making app great and helpful
- Add dark mode option
- More advanced features


### Charles Proxy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/charles-proxy/id1134218562)

**Currently charting:** #163 Top Paid · Utilities (US App Store)

Capture and inspect network requests and responses directly on your iOS device. Debug networking issues without needing a computer. View detailed metadata, headers, and bodies, and even transfer sessions to a desktop for further analysis.

**Highlights:** Capture network requests and responses, Inspect metadata, headers, and bodies, SSL Proxying for plain text viewing, Measure network performance, Block requests to specific hosts, DNS spoofing

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great tool for developers
- 👍 Useful for debugging
- 🔒 SSL proxying works
- 💡 Convenient to use on mobile

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Stability issues, crashes
- 🐛 SSL certificate not trusted
- 🐛 Doesn't handle gzip compression
- 🐛 Slow performance compared to desktop

**Reported bugs**

- Doesn't work with latest iOS versions
- Fails to export sessions frequently
- Incompatible with apps using VPN
- Large JSON bodies not displayed properly

**Requested features**

- Add ability to edit and replay requests
- Improve JSON viewer and formatting
- Add support for WebSockets
- Provide option to map to local
- Add scripting and breakpoint features


## Frequently asked questions

### Is TLS Inspector free?

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

### Is Charles Proxy free?

Charles Proxy costs $8.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, TLS Inspector or Charles Proxy?

TLS Inspector is rated higher. TLS Inspector averages 4.8 out of 5 from 256 ratings, while Charles Proxy averages 4.0 from 187 ratings.

### Do TLS Inspector or Charles Proxy have ads?

Neither TLS Inspector nor Charles Proxy shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, TLS Inspector or Charles Proxy?

TLS Inspector ships an update monthly, and Charles Proxy every 2 months. Most recently, TLS Inspector was updated on August 5, 2026 and Charles Proxy on September 30, 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.*