# Surge 5 vs Developer Laboratory

The clearest difference is price: Surge 5 at Free against Developer Laboratory's $0.99. Surge 5 also leads on ratings volume (994 vs 6) and chart position (#8 vs unranked). Developer Laboratory's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.1) and review sentiment (60% vs 51%). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Surge 5 is free to download; Developer Laboratory costs $0.99 up front. Surge 5 sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per year and Developer Laboratory sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Developer Laboratory holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Surge 5 has 994 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 51% of Surge 5's written reviews are positive against 60% of Developer Laboratory's.

Surge 5 ships an update every 5 weeks, Developer Laboratory monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Surge 5 | Developer Laboratory |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $0.99 |
| Rating | [4.1 (994 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/surge-5/id1442620678/reviews) | **[4.7 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/developer-laboratory/id1568656582/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **994** | 6 |
| Positive reviews | 51.5% of reviews | **60.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#8** | — |
| Size | 81 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Surge Networks Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1442620677) | [恒盛 程](https://appshunter.io/developer/1533201832) |

## What reviewers say

### Surge 5

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/surge-5/id1442620678)

**Currently charting:** #8 Top Grossing · Developer Tools, #27 Top Free · Developer Tools (US App Store)

This advanced network utility allows developers to intercept, process, and forward network traffic. It offers deep control over connections, including URL redirection, local file mapping, and HTTPS decryption. Ideal for debugging and network analysis.

**Highlights:** Network connection takeover, Modify network requests/responses, Forward traffic to other proxies, Intercept and save network data, Decrypt HTTPS traffic, Rule-based forwarding, Ad blocking by domain

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Feature Subscription | $14.99 | per year |
| Surge Pro | $49.99 | one-time |


### Developer Laboratory

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/developer-laboratory/id1568656582)

This app provides a collection of example code and UI components for iOS developers. It demonstrates various functionalities like app icon creation, image viewing, web page loading, and custom controls. Access the source code to learn implementation details.

**Highlights:** APP icon creation, Imitation of WeChat Moments, Web page loading, Custom UI components, QR code scanning, Facial tracking, Database operations

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

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 0 ice cola | $0.99 | one-time |
| 1 ice cola | $0.99 | one-time |
| A sip of iced cola | $0.99 | one-time |
| 一元商品 | $0.99 | one-time |
| 2 ice cola | $1.99 | one-time |
| 3 ice cola | $2.99 | one-time |
| 4.16 ice cola | $3.99 | one-time |
| 16.5 ice cola | $14.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Surge 5 free?

Surge 5 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Developer Laboratory free?

Developer Laboratory costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Surge 5 or Developer Laboratory?

Developer Laboratory is rated higher. Surge 5 averages 4.1 out of 5 from 994 ratings, while Developer Laboratory averages 4.7 from 6 ratings.

### Do Surge 5 or Developer Laboratory have ads?

Neither Surge 5 nor Developer Laboratory shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Surge 5 or Developer Laboratory?

Surge 5 ships an update every 5 weeks, and Developer Laboratory monthly. Most recently, Surge 5 was updated on September 22, 2026 and Developer Laboratory on September 10, 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.*