Comparison

Surge 5 vs Web Inspector

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

Head to head
About

Surge 5

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
Read full description

Surge is an advanced network toolbox and proxy utility. It is designed for developers and therefore requires professional knowledge to use. These four capabilities form the core workflow of Surge: · Takeover: Take over the network connections sent by the device. Surge supports both proxy service and virtual NIC takeover, capturing HTTP, HTTPS, TCP, and UDP traffic from any app — even those ignoring proxy settings. All features work on the cellular network. · Processing: Modify the requests and responses that have been taken over: URL rewrite, header and body rewrite, local file mapping, custom DNS answers, and JavaScript-based modification. · Forwarding: Forward requests to proxy servers, either globally or driven by a flexible rule system. Policy groups select the best server automatically by latency, availability, or learned connection quality. · Intercept: Record and inspect requests and responses, including headers and bodies, and decrypt HTTPS traffic with MITM. Highlighted Features · Proxy protocols: HTTP/HTTPS, SOCKS5, SOCKS5-TLS, HTTP2 CONNECT, TrustTunnel, Shadowsocks, Snell, Trojan, Hysteria 2, AnyTLS, and SSH, with UDP relay support. · Used as a WireGuard or Tailscale client, converting the L3 VPN into a proxy policy. · Rules based on domain match/suffix/keyword/wildcard, CIDR IP range, GeoIP, ASN, protocol, port, and logical combinations; reusable rule sets hosted locally or remotely. · Policy groups: manual selection, automatic latency testing, fallback, load balancing, and the self-learning Smart group. · Complete DNS suite: DNS-over-HTTPS, DNS-over-HTTP/3, DNS-over-QUIC, DNS-over-TLS, and concurrent queries for the fastest answer. · Local DNS mapping (equivalent to /etc/hosts) with wildcards, aliases, and per-domain DNS servers. Switch your app between production and development environments without changing any code. · Decrypt HTTPS traffic with Man-in-the-Middle and a built-in CA certificate generator. · Record and display HTTP requests and responses with JSON, text, image, and video viewers for the captured body; album mode for the request list; pre-filter for capturing. · Raw L3 packet capture. · Scripting: extend Surge with JavaScript — modify requests and responses, write custom rules, customize DNS answers, and run scheduled tasks. · Block unwanted requests by rules with high-performance pre-matching. · Measure traffic usage and network speed on Wi-Fi, cellular, and proxy connections. · Remote Dashboard: observe and debug traffic in real time from a Mac via Wi-Fi or USB, including cellular traffic. · Surge Ponte: access your home or office network remotely via your own devices, with no third-party service involved. · HTTPS proxy protocol supports client-side TLS certificate validation. · Safari extension to add rules; widgets and Information Panel for quick control. · Sync profiles across devices with iCloud Drive or Dropbox. · Full IPv6 support, TLS 1.3, HTTP/2, and QUIC. · High performance and industrial-grade stability, suitable for intensive use. Surge does not provide any proxy or VPN service; you need to configure your own servers. You may read the online manual for more information: https://nssurge.com/support Terms and Conditions: https://nssurge.com/legal/terms Privacy Policy: https://nssurge.com/legal/privacy

About

Web Inspector

This app provides a suite of web development tools for Safari on mobile devices. Inspect and edit the DOM, view element styles, execute JavaScript commands, monitor network requests, and examine stored resources like cookies.

Highlights
  • DOM inspection and editing
  • Element style viewer
  • JavaScript console
  • Network request monitoring
  • Resource storage details
Features
Read full description

Web Inspector expands Safari on iPhone and iPad with a set of web development tools: Elements: Browse the DOM tree and tap elements on the page to inspect them. View node details, styles, and computed values. Search the DOM, edit an element's HTML, and copy or delete nodes. Console: Type JavaScript commands to debug, modify, and get information about your webpage. Sources: Read the webpage's source with syntax highlighting. Network: See a list of network requests made by the webpage, with headers and responses. Filter requests, or copy one as a cURL command. Resources: Find details about the data stored by a webpage, such as cookies, local storage, and session storage. Tip: If you tap the Web Inspector button and nothing happens, reload the page once..

Screenshots

Surge 54 screens
Web Inspector4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Web Inspector at none against Surge 5's 2. Web Inspector also leads on update cadence (weekly vs monthly) and review sentiment (65% vs 52%). Surge 5's advantage is rating (4.1 vs 3.9) and ratings volume (1K vs 160). On price, ads 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

Both are free to download. Surge 5 sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per year. Web Inspector asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Surge 5 holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Surge 5 has 1K ratings behind it against 160, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 52% of Surge 5's written reviews are positive against 65% of Web Inspector's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Surge 5 ships an update monthly, Web Inspector weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Surge 5 versus Web Inspector: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSurge 5Web Inspector
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (1K ratings) — better3.9 (160 ratings)
Positive reviews51.6% of reviews64.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1K — better160
Update frequencyMonthlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#6 — better#57
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple TViPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size73 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSurge Networks Inc.And a Dinosaur

Customer experience

Surge 5

All ratings1,005 ratings
Positive77.3%
Neutral2.4%
Negative20.3%
Written reviews450 reviews
Positive51.6%
Neutral4.2%
Negative44.2%

Web Inspector

All ratings152 ratings
Positive68.4%
Neutral9.2%
Negative22.4%
Written reviews224 reviews
Positive64.7%
Neutral13.4%
Negative21.9%

Bugs and requests

Surge 5

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Web Inspector

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Disappears when reloading webpage
  • Doesn't work on newer iOS versions
  • Doesn't load on crashed tabs
  • Permissions issues

Requested features

4 requests
  • CSS editing capabilities
  • Resizable panel
  • Improved console functionality
  • Better integration with Safari

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Surge 5

Subscriptions1
  • Feature Subscription$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Surge Pro$49.99
None

Web Inspector

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Surge 5 free?
Surge 5 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Web Inspector free?
Web Inspector is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Surge 5 or Web Inspector?
Surge 5 is rated higher. Surge 5 averages 4.1 out of 5 from 1K ratings, while Web Inspector averages 3.9 from 160 ratings.
Do Surge 5 or Web Inspector have ads?
Neither Surge 5 nor Web Inspector shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Surge 5 or Web Inspector?
Surge 5 ships an update monthly, and Web Inspector weekly. Most recently, Surge 5 was updated on October 24, 2026 and Web Inspector on October 21, 2026.
Which is more popular, Surge 5 or Web Inspector?
Surge 5 currently peaks at #6 in the App Store charts, and Web Inspector at #57. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

Other comparisons