Charles Proxy vs Free VPN
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Charles Proxy
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.
- 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
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Charles Proxy for iOS lets you capture, inspect and modify network requests and responses on your iOS device. You can view metadata, headers and bodies in the app, so you can finally debug your app’s networking issues without a computer. Charles Proxy for iOS is an app from the creator of Charles Proxy for desktop. HOW IT WORKS Turn Charles on when you want to start capturing. Charles captures your network requests and responses in the background while you test your app or website. Return to Charles to inspect the requests and responses. If you also have Charles on your desktop, you can transfer recorded sessions to your desktop to explore them on the big screen. Charles creates a local VPN on your device. All of your network traffic passes through Charles on your device, and then out to the internet as usual over either WiFi or Mobile / Cellular data. There is no remote server involved, and your data always remains private to you. FEATURES * SSL Proxying to view SSL requests in plain text * View and share request and responses bodies * Syntax highlighting for text request and response bodies * Measure network performance over WiFi or Mobile / Cellular networks * Block requests to nominated hosts * DNS spoofing
Free VPN
Connect to free VPN servers worldwide for a fast, secure, and anonymous internet experience. Protect your data with encryption and enjoy unlimited locations. Watch ads for full access or go ad-free with a premium subscription.
- Global VPN server access
- Fast and secure connection
- Private and encrypted data
- Unlimited location options
- Ad-free premium option
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Free VPN lets you connect to VPN servers all around the world — completely free. With just one tap, enjoy a fast, secure, and anonymous internet experience. - Unlimited location options: Tokyo, Paris, London... connect wherever you want. - High-speed connection: No buffering, no waiting — just smooth browsing. - Keeps your data private and encrypted: Your safety is our priority. - Watch a few ads to unlock everything for free. - Want peace and quiet? Go ad-free with our premium version. - Whether you're at school, at a café, or abroad, - Free VPN keeps you protected — and your freedom in your pocket. And remember, you can always reach us at apps@freevpnapp.co.uk Stay free with love. - Subscriptions Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase.Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period.Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal.Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase.Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. Privacy: https://freevpnapp.co.uk/privacy/ Terms of Use : https://freevpnapp.co.uk/terms/ Contact : apps@freevpnapp.co.uk Free VPN LTD
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Free VPN at Free against Charles Proxy's $8.99. Free VPN also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.0) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 4 months). Charles Proxy's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and ads (none vs shown). On review sentiment, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Free VPN is free to download; Charles Proxy costs $8.99 up front. Free VPN sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Charles Proxy asks for nothing beyond the download.
Free VPN holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Free VPN has 50K ratings behind it against 185, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 52% of Charles Proxy's written reviews are positive against 60% of Free VPN's.
Charles Proxy ships an update every 4 months, Free VPN every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Charles Proxy | Free VPN |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $8.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.0 (185 ratings) | 4.7 (50K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 51.9% of reviews | 59.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 185 | 50K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #46 — better | #166 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 20 MB | 39 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | XK72 Limited | Free VPN LTD (Apps) |
Customer experience
Charles Proxy
Free VPN
User reviews
Charles Proxy
From 185 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Great tool for developers
- 👍 Useful for debugging
- 🔒 SSL proxying works
- 💡 Convenient to use on mobile
Room to improve
- 🐛 Stability issues, crashes
- 🐛 SSL certificate not trusted
- 🐛 Doesn't handle gzip compression
- 🐛 Slow performance compared to desktop
Free VPN
From 50K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fast and stable connection
- 👍 Genuinely free VPN with ads option
- 🔒 Keeps location anonymous
- 🎥 Allows access to region-locked content
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional disconnections and connection issues
- 🔍 Limited server locations
- ⚠️ Potential privacy/security concerns
- 🕰️ Ads required to access VPN
Bugs and requests
Charles Proxy
Reported bugs
4 issues- 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
5 requests- 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
Free VPN
Reported bugs
4 issues- Inability to connect to certain servers
- Asks for authentication credentials unexpectedly
- Interferes with other apps/services
- Inconsistent performance across devices
Requested features
4 requests- More server location options
- Ability to add more time before expiration
- Improved stability and reliability
- Clearer communication on privacy/security
In-app purchases
Charles Proxy
No in-app purchases
Free VPN
- Boosted & Ad Free VPN$3.997 Days
- Boosted & Ad Free VPN3 Days trial$4.997 Days
- Boosted & Ad-Free$12.991 Month
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- Boosted & Ad-Free3 Days trial$12.991 Month
- 2 Month - Ad Free Premium3 Days trial$17.992 Months
- Boosted & Ad Free VPN$89.991 Year
Questions
Is Charles Proxy free?
Is Free VPN free?
Which has better reviews, Charles Proxy or Free VPN?
Do Charles Proxy or Free VPN have ads?
Which is updated more often, Charles Proxy or Free VPN?
Which is more popular, Charles Proxy or Free VPN?
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