Comparison

Surge 5 vs FX

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

FX

Design and present business processes on your mobile device. This tool brings the web version's powerful features to your fingertips, enabling clear viewing and demonstration of workflows anywhere, anytime. Enhance team collaboration and boost professionalism in meetings and presentations.

Highlights
  • Mobile business process design
  • Web version feature parity
  • On-the-go viewing and demonstration
  • Enhanced team collaboration
  • Client presentation tool
  • Internal training aid
Features
Read full description

Creative Freedom, Presented in Your Hand FX-Designer APP is a mobile business process design and presentation tool built for enterprises and teams. It extends the powerful features of the Web version to mobile devices, ensuring that no matter where you are, you can clearly view, demonstrate, and experience the business processes you’ve designed. Key Highlights: Access Anywhere, Anytime: Faithfully restores the Web design experience with every process, element, and detail presented at your fingertips. Enhanced Team Collaboration: Easily showcase business workflows to support discussions and client communications. Versatile Scenarios: Perfect for meetings, client presentations, or internal training—boosting professionalism and efficiency in every setting. Technology Empowering Business: Achieve more precise operations and structured teamwork, turning design into true productivity. FX-Designer APP seamlessly combines creative freedom with efficient collaboration, ensuring your business process designs are no longer limited by time or space.

Screenshots

Surge 54 screens
FX4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: FX at 5.0 against Surge 5's 4.1. FX also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). Surge 5's advantage is ratings volume (1K vs 1) and update cadence (monthly vs every 5 months). 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. FX asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

FX holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Surge 5 has 1K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Surge 5 ships an update monthly, FX every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Surge 5 versus FX: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSurge 5FX
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (1K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews51.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings1K — better1
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#7 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple TViPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size73 MB30 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSurge Networks Inc.Wuhan Jingyao Technology Co., Ltd.

Customer experience

Surge 5

All ratings1,005 ratings
Positive77.3%
Neutral2.4%
Negative20.3%
Written reviews451 reviews
Positive51.7%
Neutral4.2%
Negative44.1%

FX

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

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Surge 5

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

FX

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Surge 5 free?
Surge 5 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is FX free?
FX is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Surge 5 or FX?
FX is rated higher. Surge 5 averages 4.1 out of 5 from 1K ratings, while FX averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Surge 5 or FX have ads?
Neither Surge 5 nor FX shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Surge 5 or FX?
Surge 5 ships an update monthly, and FX every 5 months. Most recently, Surge 5 was updated on October 27, 2026 and FX on October 6, 2026.

Other comparisons