# Charles Proxy vs Pharos Pro

The clearest difference is rating: Charles Proxy at 4.0 against Pharos Pro's 3.2. Pharos Pro's advantage is price ($2.99 vs $8.99) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 4 months). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and chart position there is nothing between them.

Charles Proxy costs $8.99 and Pharos Pro $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Charles Proxy holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 185 and 105 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 52% of Charles Proxy's written reviews are positive against 64% of Pharos Pro's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Charles Proxy ships an update every 4 months, Pharos Pro every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Charles Proxy | Pharos Pro |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $8.99 | **$2.99** |
| Rating | **[4.0 (185 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/charles-proxy/id1134218562/reviews)** | [3.2 (105 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pharos-pro/id1456610173/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **185** | 105 |
| Positive reviews | 51.9% of reviews | **63.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 6 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#111** | #184 |
| Size | 20 MB | 134 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [XK72 Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/284393209) | [Pharos Limited Co.,Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1455766498) |

## What reviewers say

### Charles Proxy

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

**Currently charting:** #111 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


### Pharos Pro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pharos-pro/id1456610173)

**Currently charting:** #184 Top Paid · Utilities (US App Store)

This app acts as a powerful proxy client, capturing and redirecting all device traffic through configurable proxy servers. It supports numerous protocols and offers features like policy mode and node testing for secure and anonymous internet browsing.

**Highlights:** Capture all HTTP/HTTPS/TCP traffic, Redirect traffic to proxy servers, Support for multiple proxy protocols (Trojan, Vmess, SS, etc.), Policy mode with Clash.Meta config, Subscribe to proxy configurations, Test node delay

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 👍 Supports many protocols
- 👍 Compatible with Clash Meta
- 👍 Good UI and interface
- 👍 Fast speed

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Broken after updates
- 🐛 Configuration lost after updates
- 🐛 Crashes on import
- 🐛 Cannot connect after upgrade
- 🐛 VPN disconnects quickly

**Reported bugs**

- Configuration lost after updates
- Crashes on import
- Cannot connect after upgrade
- VPN disconnects quickly
- Not working on Mac

**Requested features**

- Add select all option for deleting servers
- Add widget support
- Add dock function and night mode
- Add iCloud sync between devices
- Add websockets on vmess


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Charles Proxy free?

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

### Is Pharos Pro free?

Pharos Pro costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Charles Proxy or Pharos Pro?

Charles Proxy is rated higher. Charles Proxy averages 4.0 out of 5 from 185 ratings, while Pharos Pro averages 3.2 from 105 ratings.

### Do Charles Proxy or Pharos Pro have ads?

Neither Charles Proxy nor Pharos Pro shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Charles Proxy or Pharos Pro?

Charles Proxy ships an update every 4 months, and Pharos Pro every 6 weeks. Most recently, Charles Proxy was updated on September 24, 2026 and Pharos Pro on September 18, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Charles Proxy or Pharos Pro?

Charles Proxy currently peaks at #111 in the App Store charts, and Pharos Pro at #184. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*