Comparison

Storm Sniffer vs Tracer

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

Head to head
About

Storm Sniffer

Capture and inspect HTTP/HTTPS traffic directly on your iOS device. Debug network issues, rewrite requests and responses in real-time, and replay HTTP requests. Offers advanced scripting capabilities for enhanced scalability.

Highlights
  • Packet capture via local VPN
  • HTTP/HTTPS request/response inspection
  • Real-time request/response rewriting
  • HTTP request replay with cron support
  • JavaScript scripting for scalability
Features
Read full description

Storm Sniffer lets you capture and inspect HTTP / HTTPS requests &responses on your iOS device. It's easy to debug your app’s networking issues without a computer. * Features Packet capture: capture http / HTTPS traffic from iOS devices using local VPN. View http / HTTPS requests and responses in text form, and support HTML, JS, CSS formatting preview; Rewrite: modify http / HTTPS requests and responses in real time. Including URL redirection, custom header, local / remote file mock, etc; Replay: Perform arbitrary HTTP requests with cron support; Scripts: Use local/remote Javascript for more scalability. * How it works Storm Sniffer creates a local VPN on your device, then forwarding all traffic to a Local Man-in-The-Middle Server. As long as the VPN is active, Storm Sniffer can capture all HTTP / HTTPS traffic over Wi-Fi or Cellular Data. * About the sensitive data Storm Sniffer's Root Certificate is a self-signed certificate that is generated in your device. All HTTP / HTTPS requests & responses are captured and stored on your devices WITHOUT ANY REMOTE SERVERS involved. * About Subscription After subscription, you can unlock all advanced functions. Currently, there are three kinds of auto-renewable subscription: Annual $17.99、Quarterly $3.99、 Monthly $1.99 * Terms of Use https://sniffer.x-storm.com/terms/ * Privacy Policy https://sniffer.x-storm.com/privacy/

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

Storm Sniffer4 screens
Tracer3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Tracer at freemium against Storm Sniffer's subscription. Tracer also leads on update cadence (daily vs monthly) and review sentiment (100% vs 76%). Storm Sniffer's advantage is ratings volume (120 vs 1) and chart position (#21 vs #151). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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. Storm Sniffer sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.9 for Storm Sniffer against 4.0 for Tracer. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Storm Sniffer has 120 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 76% of Storm Sniffer's written reviews are positive against 100% of Tracer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Storm Sniffer ships an update monthly, Tracer daily. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Storm Sniffer versus Tracer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStorm SnifferTracer
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (120 ratings)4.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews76.4% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings120 — better1
Update frequencyMonthlyDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFreemium — better
Best chart rank#21 — better#151
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS10.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size47 MB29 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHunan Storm Technology Co.,LtdRyan Kotzebue

Customer experience

Storm Sniffer

All ratings121 ratings
Positive68.6%
Neutral5.8%
Negative25.6%
Written reviews148 reviews
Positive76.4%
Neutral4.1%
Negative19.6%

Tracer

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

Bugs and requests

Storm Sniffer

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Frequent app crashes
  • Subscription/account issues
  • Incompatibility with certain devices/OS versions

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add support for web server monitoring
  • Integrate VPN functionality
  • Improve HTTPS traffic capture
  • Provide more customization options

Tracer

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Storm Sniffer

Subscriptions3
  • Monthly Auto-renew VIP$1.991 Month
  • Quarter Auto-renew VIP$3.993 Months
  • Annual Auto-renew VIP$12.491 Year
One-time4
  • Packet Capture - LiftTime$2.99
  • Full Unlock$14.99
  • Full Unlock$22.99
Show 1 more
  • Full Unlock$24.99
3 purchases

Tracer

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

Questions

Is Storm Sniffer free?
Storm Sniffer 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, Storm Sniffer or Tracer?
Tracer is rated higher. Storm Sniffer averages 3.9 out of 5 from 120 ratings, while Tracer averages 4.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Storm Sniffer or Tracer have ads?
Neither Storm Sniffer nor Tracer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Storm Sniffer or Tracer?
Storm Sniffer ships an update monthly, and Tracer daily. Most recently, Storm Sniffer was updated on October 30, 2026 and Tracer on October 28, 2026.
Which is more popular, Storm Sniffer or Tracer?
Storm Sniffer currently peaks at #21 in the App Store charts, and Tracer at #151. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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