Onion Browser vs MSR Easy Connect
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Onion Browser
This app provides a secure and private way to browse the internet using the Tor network. It protects your privacy from trackers, secures your traffic on public Wi-Fi, and allows access to .onion sites. It also offers features to block scripts and clear cookies automatically.
- Browse internet over Tor
- Protect privacy from website tracking
- Secure traffic on insecure networks
- Access .onion sites
- Block scripts
- Automatically clear cookies and tabs
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Onion Browser is the original free and open-source Tor-powered web browser for iOS. Onion Browser helps you access the internet with more safety and privacy, and no extra cost to you. “The best Tor-related offering on iOS right now is Onion Browser” - The Daily Dot, October 14, 2015. Featured in: The New York Times, The Guardian, Salon, TechCrunch, Gizmodo, Boing Boing, Lifehacker, Macworld, The Daily Dot, & others. FEATURES: • Browse the internet over Tor: - Protect your privacy from website tracking - Secure your traffic from insecure wireless networks and ISPs - Access .onion sites that are only accessible over Tor. • Fight online tracking: block scripts and automatically clear cookies and tabs, based on your preferences. • And more privacy-enhancing features! DISCLAIMERS: - Web browsing is much slower than through a normal web browser or a VPN because your traffic is encrypted and relayed through the Tor network. - Onion Browser might not work on networks with advanced network restrictions. If the app does not connect, try using bridges (or a different type of bridge), force-quit, and then restart the app. - Use of Onion Browser is at your own risk; remember that sensitive data does not always belong on a mobile device. ** Onion Browser is free and open-source software. You can read more about Onion Browser and how to support development of Tor on iOS by visiting onionbrowser.com **
MSR Easy Connect
Interact with your MSR device via Bluetooth LE. Read, write, and edit track data directly on your iPhone or iPad. Save your information to Files or iCloud.
- Read and write MSR device data
- Edit track data
- Enable/disable tracks
- Save data to Files/iCloud
- Supports ISO and raw format
- Bluetooth low energy connectivity
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*** Requires external hardware *** MSR Easy Connect allows you to read and write to your MSR device using Bluetooth low energy technology. With this app, you can conveniently interact with your MSR device with your iPhone or iPad. Simply open the app, select your MSR from the list of devices, and tap to connect. Once connected, you can read, write, and erase using your MSR device. You can edit the track data directly in the app, and enable and disable each track. You can also save your data to the Files app or to your iCloud account. This app supports reading and writing in ISO and raw format. Please note that an MSR device is required and must be purchased separately.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Onion Browser at Free against MSR Easy Connect's $17.99. Onion Browser also leads on review sentiment (41% vs 10%) and ratings volume (2.1K vs 183). MSR Easy Connect's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and rating (3.5 vs 3.2). On update cadence, ads and device support 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
Onion Browser is free to download; MSR Easy Connect costs $17.99 up front. Onion Browser sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. MSR Easy Connect asks for nothing beyond the download.
MSR Easy Connect holds the better App Store score, 3.5 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Onion Browser has 2.1K ratings behind it against 183, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 41% of Onion Browser's written reviews are positive against 10% of MSR Easy Connect's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Onion Browser ships an update monthly, MSR Easy Connect every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Onion Browser | MSR Easy Connect |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $17.99 |
| Rating | 3.2 (2.1K ratings) | 3.5 (183 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 41.0% of reviews — better | 10.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2.1K — better | 183 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 12.2 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 88 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Mike Tigas | Thomas Backes |
Customer experience
Onion Browser
MSR Easy Connect
User reviews
Onion Browser
From 2.1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fast and stable
- 🔒 Secure and private
- 👍 Recommended by Tor Project
- 💡 Customizable security settings
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent disconnections and reconnections
- 🐛 Unstable and unreliable
- 🐛 Endless permission loops
- 🐛 Bookmarking issues
- 🔋 Drains battery quickly
MSR Easy Connect
From 183 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Reads cards without a hitch
- 👍 Great app, thank you!
Room to improve
- 🐛 Doesn't write
- 🐛 Doesn't erase
- 🐛 Reads track 2 on track 3
- 🐛 App is unusable
- 🐛 Not working
Bugs and requests
Onion Browser
Reported bugs
4 issues- Fails to connect to Tor network
- Crashes or freezes when switching apps
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- Inability to disable JavaScript completely
Requested features
4 requests- Add option to disable JavaScript
- Improve tab management and browsing experience
- Integrate with more privacy-focused search engines
- Allow setting custom default search engine
MSR Easy Connect
Reported bugs
24 issues- Stopped writing but would still read
- Doesn't write
- Doesn't erase
- Reads track 2 on track 3
- App is unusable
Show 19 moreShow fewer
- Only reading not writing or erasing
- App doesn't let me Write Track 1 or 2 or Erase
- Doesn't write
- It will read any card already made, but won’t write to track 2 at all
- Doesn’t work majority of time
- Reads but doesn’t erase or write
- Shows up in track 3 which is weird
- App doesn’t work at all
- It's doesn't connect to the device
- Not letting me write on track 3 keep popping up as T3
- Cut me off sometimes
- Nth happens when swipe card
- Not compatible for iPhone for direct connect
- Deftun BT MSR is not working it close app when I try to write
- Swiping the card on my Bluetooth MSR x6 and nothing is happening
- App isn’t working closes out anytime I try to write
- App completely shut down on me
- Trying to write on track 2 and doesn’t let me closes app when it says it writes reads and erase
- Doesn’t erase or write
Requested features
5 requests- How to grab dumps from Telegram and put them on the right tracks
- Fix app unusable issues
- Fix writing/erasing problems
- Provide email or phone number for help
- Easy MSR functionality
In-app purchases
Onion Browser
- Small Onion Browser Tip$0.99
- Medium Onion Browser Tip$4.99
- Large Onion Browser Tip$9.99
MSR Easy Connect
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Onion Browser free?
Is MSR Easy Connect free?
Which has better reviews, Onion Browser or MSR Easy Connect?
Do Onion Browser or MSR Easy Connect have ads?
Which is updated more often, Onion Browser or MSR Easy Connect?
Other comparisons
