# Charles Proxy vs Free VPN

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 11 days vs every 2 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.

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 52K ratings behind it against 189, 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 2 months, Free VPN every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Charles Proxy | Free VPN |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $8.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.0 (189 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/charles-proxy/id1134218562/reviews) | **[4.7 (52K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/free-vpn-fast-and-secure-proxy/id1575330471/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 189 | **52K** |
| Positive reviews | 51.9% of reviews | **59.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 11 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 20 MB | 39 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | +4 |
| Developer | [XK72 Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/284393209) | [Free VPN LTD (Apps)](https://appshunter.io/developer/1575330473) |

## What reviewers say

### Charles Proxy

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

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


### Free VPN

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/free-vpn-fast-and-secure-proxy/id1575330471)

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.

**Highlights:** Global VPN server access, Fast and secure connection, Private and encrypted data, Unlimited location options, Ad-free premium option

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Boosted & Ad Free VPN | $3.99 | per 7 days |
| Boosted & Ad Free VPN | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Boosted & Ad-Free | $12.99 | per month |
| Boosted & Ad-Free | $12.99 | per month |
| 2 Month - Ad Free Premium | $17.99 | per 2 months |
| Boosted & Ad Free VPN | $89.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and stable connection
- 👍 Genuinely free VPN with ads option
- 🔒 Keeps location anonymous
- 🎥 Allows access to region-locked content

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional disconnections and connection issues
- 🔍 Limited server locations
- ⚠️ Potential privacy/security concerns
- 🕰️ Ads required to access VPN

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to connect to certain servers
- Asks for authentication credentials unexpectedly
- Interferes with other apps/services
- Inconsistent performance across devices

**Requested features**

- More server location options
- Ability to add more time before expiration
- Improved stability and reliability
- Clearer communication on privacy/security


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Charles Proxy free?

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

### Is Free VPN free?

Free VPN is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Charles Proxy or Free VPN?

Free VPN is rated higher. Charles Proxy averages 4.0 out of 5 from 189 ratings, while Free VPN averages 4.7 from 52K ratings.

### Do Charles Proxy or Free VPN have ads?

Free VPN shows ads; Charles Proxy does not.

### Which is updated more often, Charles Proxy or Free VPN?

Charles Proxy ships an update every 2 months, and Free VPN every 11 days. Most recently, Charles Proxy was updated on October 29, 2026 and Free VPN on November 1, 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.*