Comparison

avsonar vs DeskView Browser

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

Head to head
About

avsonar

Features
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AVSonar is a free network scanning companion for AV installers and home theater dealers. Quickly discover mDNS and Bonjour devices on any network — AV receivers, streamers, Sonos, AirPlay, Chromecast, and more. Run a full network diagnosis to identify what's blocking your control apps, with clear fix steps for each issue. Built for professionals who need fast answers on-site. FEATURES Ā· mDNS / Bonjour device discovery Ā· Network diagnostics with fix steps Ā· AP isolation and subnet mismatch detection Ā· Indoor and outdoor display modes Ā· Clean, minimal interface built for dark rooms The full pro version with SSDP/UPnP scanning and unlimited rescans is available for Mac at avsonar.app.

About

DeskView Browser

Features
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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

avsonar4 screens
DeskView Browser4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: avsonar at Free against DeskView Browser's $1.99. avsonar also leads on iOS requirement (17.6 vs 26.5). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

avsonar is free to download; DeskView Browser costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard2 real differences Ā· 4 level
avsonar versus DeskView Browser: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteravsonarDeskView Browser
PriceFree — better$1.99
Update frequency—Every 2 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.6 — better26.5
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB11 MB
Age rating9+17+
DeveloperARTURO ADAM DE LA CERDADiego Lago Gomez

In-app purchases

None

avsonar

No in-app purchases

None

DeskView Browser

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is avsonar free?
avsonar is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is DeskView Browser free?
DeskView Browser costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do avsonar or DeskView Browser have ads?
Neither avsonar nor DeskView Browser shows ads.

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