Comparison

Charles Proxy vs HelvetiKit

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

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
Read full description

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

About

HelvetiKit

A fast, on-device toolbox for developers, offering QR code generation and scanning, color conversions, JSON formatting, JWT decoding, and various text manipulation tools. It prioritizes speed and privacy with an intuitive interface for everyday development tasks.

Highlights
  • QR code generation and scanning
  • Color format conversion (HEX, RGB, HSL)
  • JSON pretty-printing, minifying, and validation
  • JWT decoding
  • Text case conversion
  • UUID generation
  • Hashing (MD5, SHA-1/256/512)
  • Base64 / URL encoding/decoding
  • Timestamp conversion
  • Regex testing and replacement
Features
Read full description

25 developer utilities in one focused toolbox. HelvetiKit brings code, text, conversions, generators, and network diagnostics to iPhone, iPhone Duo, and iPad. Find tools by name or keyword, pin your favorites, and keep your input while switching tools during a session. SMART PASTE Use the system Paste button to recognize copied content and open a matching tool with your input ready. Recognition runs on your device. CODE AND TEXT - Format, minify, validate, sort, and convert JSON to YAML. - Decode JWT headers, payloads, and claims. Inspect expiry; signatures are not verified. - Test regular expressions with flags, capture groups, highlighting, and replacement. - Compare text line by line and highlight changed characters with Text Diff. - Count characters, words, lines, and bytes with Text Inspector. - Convert CSV to JSON and back with delimiter detection and table previews. - Sort, deduplicate, trim, quote, and join text with Line Tools. - Build and inspect Unix file permissions with Chmod. ENCODE AND HASH - Encode and decode Base64, including URL-safe and wrapped input. - Encode and decode URLs and escape or unescape strings. - Calculate text and file hashes, HMAC, and compare checksums. CONVERT AND GENERATE - Convert HEX, RGB, and HSL colors and check WCAG contrast ratios. - Convert large numbers between binary, octal, decimal, and hexadecimal. - Convert Unix timestamps and dates; follow a live Unix clock. - Change text case and inspect Cron schedules. - Generate UUID v4 and v7, passwords, and Lorem Ipsum. QR AND NETWORK TOOLS - Generate QR codes with selectable error correction, share images, and scan QR codes and barcodes with the camera or a photo. - Query DNS records using a choice of DNS-over-HTTPS resolvers. - View public IP information and local interface addresses. - Measure HTTP request latency with a timing breakdown. - Calculate IPv4 and IPv6 subnet details. A WORKSPACE THAT FITS Return to recent tools from Home. Use syntax-colored JSON and YAML, symbol input shortcuts, sample inputs, and regex presets. Choose your appearance and clear session data or recent tools in Settings. Compact navigation keeps tools close at hand. Wider layouts show the library beside your workspace and place input alongside results when space allows. Supports light and dark appearances, larger text, English, and Simplified Chinese. PRIVACY-MINDED BY DESIGN Local tools process input on your device. Recent tool input stays in memory during the app session. Network tools contact the selected resolver, lookup service, or host only when you run them. Camera and photo access are optional QR features. No separate app account is required. TRY IT, THEN GO PRO Try 10 tool runs for free. An optional one-time HelvetiKit Pro purchase unlocks unlimited runs. Restore Purchase is available in the Pro sheet.

Screenshots

Charles Proxy4 screens
HelvetiKit4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: HelvetiKit at Free against Charles Proxy's $8.99. HelvetiKit also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.0). Charles Proxy's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (189 vs 1). On update cadence, ads, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

HelvetiKit is free to download; Charles Proxy costs $8.99 up front. HelvetiKit sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Charles Proxy asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

HelvetiKit holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Charles Proxy has 189 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Charles Proxy ships an update every 2 months, HelvetiKit every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Charles Proxy versus HelvetiKit: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCharles ProxyHelvetiKit
Price$8.99Free — better
Rating4.0 (189 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews51.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings189 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.5
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperXK72 Limited阳 张

Customer experience

Charles Proxy

All ratings187 ratings
Positive74.9%
Neutral5.3%
Negative19.8%
Written reviews231 reviews
Positive51.9%
Neutral11.7%
Negative36.4%

HelvetiKit

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

HelvetiKit

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Charles Proxy

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

HelvetiKit

One-time1
  • Pro User$0.99

Questions

Is Charles Proxy free?
Charles Proxy costs $8.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is HelvetiKit free?
HelvetiKit is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Charles Proxy or HelvetiKit?
HelvetiKit is rated higher. Charles Proxy averages 4.0 out of 5 from 189 ratings, while HelvetiKit averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Charles Proxy or HelvetiKit have ads?
Neither Charles Proxy nor HelvetiKit shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Charles Proxy or HelvetiKit?
Charles Proxy ships an update every 2 months, and HelvetiKit every 6 weeks. Most recently, Charles Proxy was updated on October 26, 2026 and HelvetiKit on October 28, 2026.

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