WAS vs DeskView Browser
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
WAS
Easily switch between mobile and desktop website views with a single click. Test your own websites or browse any site as it would appear on different devices using custom user-agent strings. This browser simplifies cross-device testing without needing emulators.
- Switch between mobile and desktop views
- Change user-agent strings
- Built-in WebView browser
- Add custom user agents
- Quick compatibility testing settings
- Content verification tools
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The WAS browser allows you to switch between mobile and desktop views of a website with one click. Now you can browse any site or test your own by changing the user-agent string—which determines how the website is displayed. With the built-in WebView browser, you can see how your site will look on various smartphones, screens, and devices without needing to buy them or install additional emulators. WAS offers a wide range of built-in user agents, but if they aren't enough, you can easily add or create your own. Additionally, the application includes many built-in settings for quick compatibility testing and content verification. Download the app now and say goodbye to the hassle of testing websites on different devices!
DeskView Browser
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DeskView is a minimalist browser with one clear goal: view websites in their desktop version from your phone — the ones that always serve you the reduced mobile layout on iPhone whether you want it or not. Safari's "Request Desktop Website" only changes how the browser identifies itself, but leaves the viewport narrow, so many sites keep showing their mobile design. DeskView forces the real width: the desktop layout actually kicks in. NEW IN THIS VERSION • TABS. Open as many as you like and switch without losing anything: each keeps its page, its scroll position and your signed-in session. Press and hold a link to open it in a new tab. And if you tap something in history that you already have open, it jumps to that tab instead of loading it again. They're optional. • READER MODE. One tap leaves the article with only what matters: no menus, no sidebars, no banners. Large comfortable text, with dark mode. Tap again to go back to the normal page. • DATA SAVER with three levels. Requests are blocked before they reach the network, so the saving is real: nothing is downloaded and then hidden. – Light: no images or video (~60-70% less). Most sites still work normally. – Text only: also no fonts or stylesheets (~80% less). – Extreme: also no JavaScript (~90% less). Each level tells you what it blocks and what you'll notice. • AUTO-RELOAD. Press and hold either reload button and pick how often the page refreshes, from 5 seconds to 5 minutes. Perfect for dashboards, live scores, or waiting for something to change. It pauses when you leave the app and stops after half an hour, so it can't quietly eat your data. • MULTIPLE BLOCKLISTS. Each list is stored separately: enable, disable or delete it without touching the others. The 50,000 domain cap is per list, so several lists add up. REAL DESKTOP MODE • 7 widths in one tap: 480, 640, 768, 1024, 1280, 1440 and 1920 px. • Browser identity (user agent) picker: Safari (Mac), Chrome (Windows) or Safari (iPhone), independent from the width. AD AND TRACKER BLOCKING • Import domain blocklists from a file or a URL. • Native, efficient blocking that persists between sessions. COMFORTABLE BROWSING • Favorites (now removable from their own menu) and history. • Your choice of search engine: DuckDuckGo, Google or Ecosia. • Find text within the page. • Normal reload and reload without cache. • Share the current page. • Persistent session: your logins survive closing the app. • Reopens the last page when you come back. MADE YOUR WAY • Customizable toolbar: pick which buttons to show (up to 5) from history, favorites, find, share, reader mode and tabs, and drag them into the order you want. • The bar hides as you scroll and returns when you scroll up. • Experimental night mode for any website. • Optional pinch-to-zoom. • Export and import your data to move devices. FOR THE CURIOUS • JavaScript console, page source, and a built-in mini game that doubles as the offline screen. PRIVACY No accounts, no ads, no tracking. Everything is stored on your device; the app does not send your data to any server of ours. WORTH KNOWING BEFORE YOU INSTALL • Biometric verification for some services (for example, signing in to Google with Face ID or passkeys) does not work inside the app: it is a limitation of iOS's web engine for third-party apps. Use password plus a code; your session is still saved. • DeskView has not been tested with every website in the world. It works great on most, but we cannot guarantee compatibility with every site. • Pinch-to-zoom is disabled by default for stability on very heavy pages. You can enable it in Settings. • Data-saving percentages are a rough guide: they vary a lot per site. • Reader mode needs the page to be an article. On home pages, search results or dashboards there is nothing to simplify, and the app tells you so. Interface in English or Spanish (also Catalan, Galician and Basque), matching your iPhone's language.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: DeskView Browser at every 2 days against WAS's fortnightly. WAS's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.5). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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
WAS costs $2.49 and DeskView Browser $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
WAS ships an update fortnightly, DeskView Browser every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | WAS | DeskView Browser |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.49 | $1.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.6 (95 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 53.8% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 95 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 26.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 10 MB | 11 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Andreii Simaranov | Diego Lago Gomez |
In-app purchases
WAS
No in-app purchases
DeskView Browser
No in-app purchases









