# Stash vs Chatbox

The clearest difference is price: Chatbox at Free against Stash's $5.99. Chatbox also leads on review sentiment (78% vs 62%). Stash's advantage is chart position (#2 vs unranked). On rating, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Chatbox is free to download; Stash costs $5.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Chatbox holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.2K and 619 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of Stash's written reviews are positive against 78% of Chatbox's.

Stash ships an update fortnightly, Chatbox weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Stash | Chatbox |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $5.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.4 (1.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stash-rule-based-proxy/id1596063349/reviews) | **[4.6 (619 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chatbox-powerful-ai-client/id6471368056/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.2K** | 619 |
| Positive reviews | 61.6% of reviews | **77.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | **#2** | — |
| Size | 131 MB | 48 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [STASH NETWORKS LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/1596063351) | [2.5 HK LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/1772881024) |

## What reviewers say

### Stash

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stash-rule-based-proxy/id1596063349)

**Currently charting:** #2 Top Paid · Utilities, #82 Top Paid (US App Store)

This app is a powerful rule-based proxy client for iOS, offering advanced network management. It supports multiple proxy protocols and features like JavaScript rewriting, MitM decryption, and on-demand connections. Easily route traffic based on domain, IP, or User-Agent for enhanced network control.

**Highlights:** Rule-based proxy client, Multiple proxy protocol support, JavaScript rewriting, Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) decryption, SSID Policy Groups, On-Demand Connections, Native UI dashboard

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Stable and fast connection
- 💡 Comprehensive features
- 🚀 Efficient performance
- 🔒 Secure and private
- 👍 Simple and user-friendly

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 🐛 Frequent disconnections and reconnections
- 🐛 Subscription and activation problems
- 🐛 Unreliable VPN functionality

**Reported bugs**

- Corrupt VPN profile detection
- Inability to remember last used proxy mode
- Incompatibility with some subscription links
- Lack of support for certain protocols (e.g., vless, mkcp)
- Automatic mode switching issues

**Requested features**

- Support for latest protocols (e.g., reality, hysteria2)
- Customizable VPN profiles and settings
- Improved widget functionality
- Automatic reconnection on sleep/wake
- Detailed network usage statistics


### Chatbox

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chatbox-powerful-ai-client/id6471368056)

This application acts as a universal client, connecting you to leading AI models across various devices. It offers features like code assistance, image generation, and smart file understanding, all while prioritizing local data storage for privacy.

**Highlights:** Connect to multiple AI models, Analyze documents, images, and code, AI-powered code generation and optimization, Text-to-image generation, Local data storage for privacy, Cross-device synchronization

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Good customization options
- 🚀 Works well with local LLMs
- 💡 Supports multiple API formats
- 🔒 Privacy-focused (account-free)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Local network access issues on iOS
- 🐛 Compatibility problems with older iOS versions
- 🐛 Streaming response issues
- 🐛 UI/UX not optimized for mobile

**Reported bugs**

- Cannot select Ollama models
- Custom API URL connections failing
- Live scrolling issues during streaming
- Proxy settings not working on mobile

**Requested features**

- Add support for local Ollama models
- Improve organization features (folders, projects, etc.)
- Implement iCloud syncing
- Add Chinese language support


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Stash free?

Stash costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Chatbox free?

Chatbox is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Stash or Chatbox?

Chatbox is rated higher. Stash averages 4.4 out of 5 from 1.2K ratings, while Chatbox averages 4.6 from 619 ratings.

### Do Stash or Chatbox have ads?

Neither Stash nor Chatbox shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Stash or Chatbox?

Stash ships an update fortnightly, and Chatbox weekly. Most recently, Stash was updated on September 24, 2026 and Chatbox on September 23, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*