Comparison

Proxyman vs Tracer

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

Tracer

Monitor all network requests your iPhone makes in real-time, locally on your device. Identify third-party services, inspect request details, and understand where your data is going without it ever leaving your phone.

Highlights
  • Real-time network request monitoring
  • Inspect headers, bodies, and timing
  • Identify third-party services
  • Visualize server locations on a globe
  • Local data processing for privacy
  • No account required
Features
Read full description

Ever wonder what your apps are actually doing? Tracer lets you watch every network request your iPhone makes in real time. See where your data goes, who’s receiving it, and exactly what’s being sent - all without your traffic ever leaving your device. WATCH TRAFFIC LIVE * Every request flies across a live 3D globe * Inspect headers, bodies, timing, status codes, and more * See exactly where each server lives SEE WHO’S REALLY BEHIND AN APP * Instantly identify analytics, ads, payments, crash reporting, AI, and other third-party services * See who’s hosting them: AWS, Google Cloud, Cloudflare, and more PRIVATE BY DESIGN * Everything runs locally on your iPhone * Traffic is never uploaded * Your certificates are generated on-device and never leaves it * No account required BUILT FOR * App-curious who want to learn what apps are built with * Developers debugging APIs * QA teams testing apps on real devices * Privacy nerds who want receipts Setup takes just a few minutes. Install Tracer’s certificate, start a capture, and open any app. Your phone. Your traffic. Your business. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tracer is free to use. Certain features require a paid subscription. Terms: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Proxyman4 screens
Tracer3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Proxyman at 4.8 against Tracer's 4.0. Proxyman also leads on ratings volume (810 vs 1) and chart position (#8 vs #128). Tracer's advantage is update cadence (daily vs weekly) and review sentiment (100% vs 81%). 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 Tracer sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. 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 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Proxyman has 810 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 81% of Proxyman's written reviews are positive against 100% of Tracer's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Proxyman ships an update weekly, Tracer daily. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Proxyman versus Tracer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterProxymanTracer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (810 ratings) — better4.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews80.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings810 — better1
Update frequencyWeeklyDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
Best chart rank#8 — better#128
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size73 MB29 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperProxyman LLCRyan Kotzebue

Customer experience

Proxyman

All ratings806 ratings
Positive94.7%
Neutral2.0%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews154 reviews
Positive80.5%
Neutral4.5%
Negative14.9%

Tracer

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Tracer

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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

Tracer

Subscriptions2
  • Pro access$4.997 Days
  • Pro access7 Days trial$59.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro access$199.00

Questions

Is Proxyman free?
Proxyman is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tracer free?
Tracer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Proxyman or Tracer?
Proxyman is rated higher. Proxyman averages 4.8 out of 5 from 810 ratings, while Tracer averages 4.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Proxyman or Tracer have ads?
Neither Proxyman nor Tracer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Proxyman or Tracer?
Proxyman ships an update weekly, and Tracer daily. Most recently, Proxyman was updated on October 29, 2026 and Tracer on October 28, 2026.
Which is more popular, Proxyman or Tracer?
Proxyman currently peaks at #8 in the App Store charts, and Tracer at #128. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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