Spectre VPN vs Proxyman
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Spectre VPN
This app provides secure internet access using Shadowsocks and Trojan protocols. It offers strong encryption to protect your privacy from third parties and features an intuitive design for ease of use. It is available for free.
- Shadowsocks and Trojan protocol support
- Strong encryption for privacy
- Lightweight and efficient proxy
- Intuitive and simple design
- Free to use
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A multi-protocol VPN and proxy client for your own servers. Import subscriptions, control traffic with routing rules, and connect from your Home Screen. IMPORT ONCE, KEEP SERVERS TOGETHER Add a server by scanning its QR code, pasting a link, or entering the details yourself. Import subscriptions to manage multiple nodes in one place. Check server latency before choosing a connection. CHOOSE WHAT GOES THROUGH YOUR PROXY Use Global mode for proxy routing, or Rule mode to choose which traffic connects directly and which uses your proxy. Edit your own rules or import a rule list from a URL. CONNECT FROM YOUR HOME SCREEN See the active server and connection status in the widget, then use its switch to connect or disconnect. On iOS 18 and later, add Spectre VPN to Control Center for another quick way to control your connection. USE THE PROTOCOL YOUR SERVER NEEDS - Shadowsocks and Trojan - VMess and VLESS - Hysteria2 and TUIC - SOCKS and HTTP For advanced setups, use a complete custom sing-box JSON configuration. The app interface supports 14 languages. BRING YOUR OWN SERVER Spectre does not include VPN servers or sell VPN service subscriptions. A compatible server configuration or subscription link is required.
Proxyman
This app acts as a web debugging proxy, allowing you to capture and inspect HTTP/HTTPS traffic directly from your iPhone or iPad. It decrypts requests and responses, offers advanced debugging tools, and ensures your sensitive data remains on your device.
- Capture & Inspect HTTP/HTTPS from iOS devices
- Decrypt and view requests/responses
- JSON syntax highlighting
- Quick filtering by URL, header, body
- Advanced debugging tools (SSL Proxying, Block List)
- Secure with FaceID/TouchID/Passcode
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Meet a superb Web Debugging Proxy that can act like a middleman, aka Proxyman. ### Features - Directly Capture & Inspect HTTP/HTTPS from your iOS/iPad Devices without using MacBooks. - Decrypt and View HTTP/HTTPS Request/Response in plain text - JSON Syntax Highlighting - Exclusively designed for iPhone and iPad (Landscape and Two Columns) - Share traffic to Proxyman macOS - a native macOS app for better inspection - Pin working domains - Quick filter with URL, Header Body, and Type of Request/Response (e.g., JSON, Form, HTML, CSS, Document, etc) - Better Request/Response Previewer: Multiple columns, JSON Preview, JSON TreeView, etc - Safe Lock: Protect your sensitive data with FaceID / TouchID / Passcode - Advanced Debugging Tools: SSL Proxying, Block List, Map Local, Breakpoint, etc - Rewrite & Scripting ### Proxyman macOS Proxyman for iOS works perfectly with Proxyman for macOS (native macOS app, supports macOS 26 and M4 Chip) ### How it works Proxyman iOS creates a local VPN on your device and then forwards all traffic to a Local Man-in-The-Middle Server. As long as the VPN is active, Proxyman iOS can capture all traffic over Wi-Fi and cellular Data. ### How about my sensitive data? - Proxyman Root Certificate is a self-signed certificate that is generated on your local machine. Thus, all requests and responses are captured and stored on your devices and Proxyman does not have access to your data. - There are no remote servers involved. What’s in your devices, it’s in your devices. ************* - Support: https://proxyman.com/support - Privacy Policy: https://proxyman.com/privacy - Terms of Services: https://proxyman.com/terms-of-use
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Proxyman at 4.8 against Spectre VPN's 3.9. Proxyman also leads on chart position (#8 vs #80) and ratings volume (799 vs 248). Spectre VPN's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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
Both are free to download. Proxyman sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month. Spectre VPN asks for nothing beyond the download.
Proxyman holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 248 and 799 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 74% of Spectre VPN's written reviews are positive against 81% of Proxyman's.
Spectre VPN ships an update every 2 weeks, Proxyman every 8 days. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Spectre VPN | Proxyman |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.9 (248 ratings) | 4.8 (799 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 74.2% of reviews | 80.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 248 | 799 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 8 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #80 | #8 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 136 MB | 71 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Passion Only | Proxyman LLC |
Customer experience
Spectre VPN
Proxyman
User reviews
Spectre VPN
From 248 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Reliable and efficient app
- 🚀 Smooth and fast performance
- 🔒 Secure and trustworthy
- 💡 Lightweight and easy to use
Room to improve
- 🐛 Video loading issues
- 🐛 Connectivity problems after updates
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and timeouts
- 🔋 High battery consumption
Proxyman
From 799 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Powerful networking tools
- 🔒 Secure and reliable
- 💡 Helpful for debugging and development
- 🤖 Great for reverse engineering APIs
Room to improve
- 💰 Expensive premium version
- 🔋 High data usage reported by some users
- 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
- 🤖 Confusing user experience for free version
Bugs and requests
Spectre VPN
Reported bugs
2 issues- Crashes on iOS 12.5.5 and older
- Incompatibility with certain devices and OS versions
Requested features
5 requests- Support for more protocols (e.g., VMess, VLESS, SSTP)
- Server sorting by ping/latency
- Websocket connection support
- Manual server configuration
- Multiple server import from clipboard
Proxyman
Reported bugs
4 issues- Breakpoint functionality not working properly
- Losing session state when relaunching the app
- Incompatibility issues with certain apps and websites
- Crashes when trying to view large response bodies
Requested features
5 requests- Add support for Simplified Chinese
- Implement scripting capabilities like the desktop version
- Improve handling of WebSocket and MQTT traffic
- Allow grouping of related requests
- Add an option to change DNS settings within the app
In-app purchases
Spectre VPN
No in-app purchases
Proxyman
- Premium Monthly Subscription$8.991 Month
- PROJECT PASS Quarterly Subscription$19.993 Months
- Premium Annual Subscription$49.991 Year
- Proxyman Lifetime with Black Friday$69.99
- Lifetime Access$99.99









