Comparison

Proxyman vs Desktop Browser

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

About

Desktop Browser

Experience a full desktop web on your mobile device. This browser simulates a large, resizable screen to display desktop versions of websites, avoiding mobile-optimized layouts. Enjoy features like zoom control, full-screen mode, and privacy-focused data collection.

Highlights
  • Desktop website rendering
  • Zoomable screen (1x-3x)
  • Full screen mode
  • Portrait/landscape transitions
  • Favorites management
  • UI customization
  • Multiple tabs (Pro)
  • Theme customization (Pro)
Features
Read full description

Zoomable is a browser that provides a full desktop web experience. It simulates a large and resizable screen and shows the desktop version of websites, so you can stay away from those bad mobile web experiences. • Zoom freely between 1x and 3x. • Seamless transitions between portrait and landscape mode. • Supports full screen mode. • Save and manage favorites. • Lightning fast and super small install size. • Supports UI customization for both portrait and landscape mode. • Respects user privacy; the app only collects anonymous diagnostic data unrelated to browsing, and you can opt out. • [Pro] Multiple tabs. • [Pro] Customize themes. The app is designed for everyone, it works great with many websites. However, it is particularly useful for developers. For example, accessing App Store Connect and Firebase Console works great in this app because of the screen scale feature.

Screenshots

Proxyman4 screens
Desktop Browser4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Proxyman at every 8 days against Desktop Browser's every 5 weeks. Proxyman also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.5) and review sentiment (81% vs 64%). Desktop Browser's advantage is ratings volume (3.3K vs 799) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Proxyman sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month and Desktop Browser sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Proxyman holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 799 and 3.3K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of Proxyman's written reviews are positive against 64% of Desktop Browser's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Proxyman ships an update every 8 days, Desktop Browser every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Proxyman versus Desktop Browser: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterProxymanDesktop Browser
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (799 ratings) — better4.5 (3.3K ratings)
Positive reviews80.9% of reviews — better64.4% of reviews
Number of ratings7993.3K — better
Update frequencyEvery 8 days — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#8 — better#22
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size71 MB15 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperProxyman LLCActowise LLC

Customer experience

Proxyman

All ratings799 ratings
Positive94.9%
Neutral2.0%
Negative3.1%
Written reviews152 reviews
Positive80.9%
Neutral4.6%
Negative14.5%

Desktop Browser

All ratings3,300 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral3.7%
Negative8.8%
Written reviews222 reviews
Positive64.4%
Neutral5.4%
Negative30.2%

User reviews

Proxyman

From 799 App Store ratings

What 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

Desktop Browser

From 3.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and efficient
  • 👍 Intuitive user interface
  • 🔍 Effective desktop mode
  • 💡 Useful zoom feature
  • 🔒 Secure browsing

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and reloads
  • 🔍 Inconsistent desktop mode performance
  • 📱 Incompatible with some mobile apps
  • 💸 Paid version required for full functionality
  • 🔌 High battery consumption

Bugs and requests

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

Desktop Browser

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Issues connecting to local IP addresses
  • Inability to use Google account login
  • Blank pages when resizing or zooming
  • Redirects to search engine instead of desired site

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add ad-blocking capabilities
  • Implement local network access
  • Allow setting as default browser
  • Introduce a virtual trackpad mode
  • Improve bookmark management

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Proxyman

Subscriptions3
  • Premium Monthly Subscription$8.991 Month
  • PROJECT PASS Quarterly Subscription$19.993 Months
  • Premium Annual Subscription$49.991 Year
One-time2
  • Proxyman Lifetime with Black Friday$69.99
  • Lifetime Access$99.99
3 purchases

Desktop Browser

One-time3
  • 2 Extra Tabs$2.99
  • Pro Lifetime$9.99
  • Pro Lifetime$14.99

Questions

Is Proxyman free?
Proxyman is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Desktop Browser free?
Desktop Browser is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Proxyman or Desktop Browser?
Proxyman is rated higher. Proxyman averages 4.8 out of 5 from 799 ratings, while Desktop Browser averages 4.5 from 3.3K ratings.
Do Proxyman or Desktop Browser have ads?
Neither Proxyman nor Desktop Browser shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Proxyman or Desktop Browser?
Proxyman ships an update every 8 days, and Desktop Browser every 5 weeks. Most recently, Proxyman was updated on September 24, 2026 and Desktop Browser on September 22, 2026.
Which is more popular, Proxyman or Desktop Browser?
Proxyman currently peaks at #8 in the App Store charts, and Desktop Browser at #22. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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