Tongs vs PacketCircle
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β with what reviewers say about each.
Tongs
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Tongs is a network debugging toolkit for developers, QA engineers, and technical users who need to inspect and troubleshoot traffic directly on iPhone or iPad. With Tongs, you can start a local capture session, inspect HTTP and HTTPS requests, review headers and response details, filter traffic by domain or status, replay requests, export HAR data, and build rule-based debugging workflows. Key Features: β’ Local HTTP/HTTPS traffic capture β’ Packet Tunnel based on-device debugging β’ Optional HTTPS inspection with user-installed CA certificate β’ Request history and session review β’ Request detail viewer with headers, body preview, timing, and status β’ Request replay for API debugging β’ HAR export and manual report delivery β’ Hosts, block, rewrite, and map rules β’ Domain bypass and external proxy forwarding β’ HTTP/2 capture support β’ Picture in Picture capture monitor β’ Remote device rule synchronization by QR code β’ Local privacy cleanup for capture history and sessions Tongs is designed for debugging traffic on the userβs own device and authorized test environments. It does not provide public VPN servers, anonymous browsing, location spoofing, or geo-restriction bypass services.
PacketCircle
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PacketCircle turns packet captures into a clear picture of who is talking to whom. Instead of scrolling endless packet lists, you see communication pairs as an interactive circle: endpoints on the rim, conversations as edges, colors by protocol or session quality. Ideal when you need to understand a capture quickly β on site, in a meeting, or reviewing a file someone sent you. What you can do β’ Open PCAP and PCAPNG captures β’ Explore Top talkers on a circle, table, or gauges view β’ Filter by protocol and focus on the conversations that matter β’ Inspect session health, ports/services, and application hints β’ Jump into a Wireshark-style decode (packet list, protocol tree, hex) β’ Follow TCP streams and export a conversation as PCAP Built for analysis, not noise PacketCircle is a native iOS app with a shared engine designed for conversation-centric troubleshooting β DNS, HTTP, TLS, SMB, and more when the payload is visible β without requiring Wireshark on your phone. Open a capture. See the circle. Understand the network. Made with love for the packet community.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: PacketCircle at none against Tongs's shown. On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | Tongs | PacketCircle |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | β | Monthly |
| Ads | Yes | No β better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad β better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 β better | 17.0 |
| Further details β not scored | ||
| Size | 43 MB | 16 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | VZ TECH SOLUTIONS, LLC | Walter Hofstetter |
In-app purchases
Tongs
No in-app purchases
PacketCircle
No in-app purchases









