Comparison

Potatso vs Pharos Pro

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

Head to head
About

Potatso

This powerful network tool enhances your mobile experience by creating a clean network environment. It supports various proxy protocols and offers smart routing rules to optimize data usage and speed, making it suitable for both new and experienced users.

Highlights
  • Supports Shadowsocks, ShadowsocksR, Socks, HTTP(s) proxy
  • Seamless background operation
  • Works on cellular data and Wi-Fi
  • Custom DNS support
  • Smart routing rules for Chinese users
  • QR code, URI, and manual input for proxies
Features
Read full description

Potatso is a powerful network tool designed to create a clean network environment and enhance your mobile experience, friendly for both beginners and professional users. Potatso now supports Shadowsocks, ShadowsocksR, Socks, HTTP(s) proxy protocols. You can use proxies you've set up yourself or purchased from any service provider. Providing you with a Shadowrocket-like network experience. The built-in smart routing rules effectively help Chinese users reduce server data consumption and speed up access to domestic websites. === Features === - Custom proxy supports Shadowsocks (SS), ShadowsocksR (SSR), Socks, HTTP(s) (supports QR code, URI, manual input) - Runs quietly in the background without interruption, bringing you a truly seamless experience - Supports both mobile cellular data and Wi-Fi - Supports custom DNS - Built-in smart routing rules for Chinese users === Privacy === We respect your privacy and will not upload or share your private data with any third parties === Terms === By using the app, you agree to the standard Apple Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ === Feedback === Please send email to hi@potatso.com

About

Pharos Pro

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
Currently charting
Read full description

*THIS APPLICATION DOES NOT PROVIDE ANY SERVER SIDE SERVICE* Pharos Pro is a simple but powerful proxy client. You can configure which traffics route to proxy servers,Its core value is to provide the most secure proxy, The NEVPNManager API gives Pharos Pro the ability to create and manage a Personal proxy configuration on iOS. It can capture all HTTP/HTTPS/TCP traffic from any applications on your device, and redirect to an HTTP/SOCK5 proxy server following highly configurable rules. # Feature: Capture all HTTP/HTTPS/TCP traffic from any applications on your device,and redirect to an HTTP/SOCK5 proxy server following highly configurable rules. - Support protocol : Trojan,Vmess,Https,SS,SS-Simpleobfs,SSR,Trojan-Go,Xray,Hysteria,,Tuic,Anytls,mieru. - Support policy mode with Clash.Meta config. - Support Subscribe. - Support scan QR code. - Support custom node. - Support test delay of node. - Easy to use — just tap the connect button. - Fast, reliable access to the safety internet. # What can you do with a proxy client? - Enhance your online privacy and enable you to safely and anonymously browse the Internet. - Protect you when using a public WIFI hotspot. - Allows you to create a secure connection to another network over the Internet. #Notes: - Pharos Pro does not provide any server side services. Please setup your own servers. - Pharos Pro requires to add proxy Configurations to add your own proxy Configuration. - Pharos Pro is a client side application.No user data will be sent to our severs.More details are listed in https://pharospro.com/privacy-policy. # Privacy Policy: * When the user is in normal use, we will not log any logs related to the user. * Only when the app is crash, we will collect the necessary user connection and crash log. * Details: https://pharospro.com/privacy-policy

Screenshots

Potatso3 screens
Pharos Pro4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Potatso at Free against Pharos Pro's $2.99. Potatso also leads on rating (4.4 vs 3.2) and ratings volume (6.1K vs 105). Pharos Pro's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On review sentiment and device support 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

Potatso is free to download; Pharos Pro costs $2.99 up front. Potatso sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $5.99 per year. Pharos Pro asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Potatso holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Potatso has 6.1K ratings behind it against 105, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 58% of Potatso'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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Potatso ships an update fortnightly, Pharos Pro every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Potatso versus Pharos Pro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPotatsoPharos Pro
PriceFree — better$2.99
Rating4.4 (6.1K ratings) — better3.2 (105 ratings)
Positive reviews58.4% of reviews63.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings6.1K — better105
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#184 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size86 MB134 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPotatso Lab LTDPharos Limited Co.,Ltd

Customer experience

Potatso

All ratings6,051 ratings
Positive85.2%
Neutral3.6%
Negative11.2%
Written reviews476 reviews
Positive58.4%
Neutral9.5%
Negative32.1%

Pharos Pro

All ratings105 ratings
Positive55.2%
Neutral4.8%
Negative40.0%
Written reviews80 reviews
Positive63.7%
Neutral5.0%
Negative31.3%

User reviews

Potatso

From 6.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Efficient and stable
  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🔒 Secure connection
  • 💰 Free to use

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional disconnections
  • 🔌 Compatibility issues with iOS 15
  • 📈 Lacks speed/latency testing
  • 🗑️ Difficult to delete proxies

Pharos Pro

From 105 App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

Bugs and requests

Potatso

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Subscription links not working
  • Smart routing mode causing issues
  • Frequent disconnections on cellular network

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add support for V2Ray protocol
  • Implement a 'delete all proxies' feature
  • Introduce a speed/latency test option
  • Provide macOS version

Pharos Pro

Reported bugs

24 issues
  • Configuration lost after updates
  • Crashes on import
  • Cannot connect after upgrade
  • VPN disconnects quickly
  • Not working on Mac
Show 19 more
  • Unusable
  • Cannot import addresses
  • Trojan protocol stops working
  • No support for socks5
  • Unstable connection
  • Cannot use at all
  • Configuration issues with Clash
  • Proxy mode not working
  • Cannot connect to VMess
  • Widget bug: cannot toggle on/off
  • App crashes occasionally on iOS 10.3.3
  • Incompatible with older devices
  • VPN connection unstable, switching between 4G and WiFi
  • Clash configuration not working for Netflix split
  • Update required error
  • Cannot connect b/c update is needed despite it being the latest version
  • Auto-update breaks connectivity
  • VPN closes automatically after a few seconds
  • Cannot enter tuic and hy2 protocols

Requested features

10 requests
  • 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
Show 5 more
  • Add support for certificates on Trojan
  • Add IP address country icon for nodes
  • Add speed test display
  • Support for clash protocol
  • Support for testflight application

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Potatso

Subscriptions1
  • Pro - Ad-Free Experience$5.991 Year
None

Pharos Pro

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Potatso free?
Potatso is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pharos Pro free?
Pharos Pro costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Potatso or Pharos Pro?
Potatso is rated higher. Potatso averages 4.4 out of 5 from 6.1K ratings, while Pharos Pro averages 3.2 from 105 ratings.
Do Potatso or Pharos Pro have ads?
Potatso shows ads; Pharos Pro does not.
Which is updated more often, Potatso or Pharos Pro?
Potatso ships an update fortnightly, and Pharos Pro every 6 weeks. Most recently, Potatso was updated on September 22, 2026 and Pharos Pro on September 18, 2026.

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