# HE.NET Network Tools vs Charles Proxy

The clearest difference is price: HE.NET Network Tools at Free against Charles Proxy's $8.99. HE.NET Network Tools also leads on review sentiment (78% vs 52%) and device support (4 vs 2). On rating, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

HE.NET Network Tools is free to download; Charles Proxy costs $8.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.0 for HE.NET Network Tools against 4.0 for Charles Proxy. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 70 and 187 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 78% of HE.NET Network Tools's written reviews are positive against 52% of Charles Proxy's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | HE.NET Network Tools | Charles Proxy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $8.99 |
| Rating | [4.0 (70 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/henet-network-tools/id858241710/reviews) | [4.0 (187 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/charles-proxy/id1134218562/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 70 | **187** |
| Positive reviews | **77.8% of reviews** | 51.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Paid |
| Size | 9 MB | 20 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Hurricane Electric, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/317969600) | [XK72 Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/284393209) |

## What reviewers say

### HE.NET Network Tools

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/henet-network-tools/id858241710)

A comprehensive suite of network diagnostic tools for professionals. It offers features like ARP/NDP lookup, DNS queries, IP calculations, bandwidth testing, and port scanning. Securely manage two-factor authentication codes and view network routing tables.

**Highlights:** ARP/NDP lookup, DNS lookup, IP Calculator, iperf bandwidth test, Port Scan, SSL/TLS Information, Two-factor authentication code storage

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🎯 Comprehensive network diagnostic tools in one app
- 💰 Completely free with no ads or paywalls
- 🔒 Privacy-friendly and no data collection
- ⚡ Lightweight and efficient performance
- 🛠️ Advanced features like SSL cert chain analysis

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes on Interface Information tool
- 🐛 Dark mode text readability issues
- 🐛 iperf3 tool unreliable and buggy
- 🐛 DNS resolver doesn't show NXDOMAIN responses
- 🐛 App crashes when scrolling tool menu

**Reported bugs**

- Interface Information crashes app immediately
- iperf3 fails with 'operation not permitted' error
- iperf2 crashes on iOS 8+
- DNS lookups not responding after updates
- iperf3 only runs for 1 second despite longer duration settings

**Requested features**

- Vision Pro compatibility and controls
- SRV record lookup in DNS tool
- IPv6 subnet calculator
- WOL (Wake-on-LAN) magic packet support
- MTR (My Traceroute) tool


### Charles Proxy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/charles-proxy/id1134218562)

Capture and inspect network requests and responses directly on your iOS device. Debug networking issues without needing a computer. View detailed metadata, headers, and bodies, and even transfer sessions to a desktop for further analysis.

**Highlights:** Capture network requests and responses, Inspect metadata, headers, and bodies, SSL Proxying for plain text viewing, Measure network performance, Block requests to specific hosts, DNS spoofing

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great tool for developers
- 👍 Useful for debugging
- 🔒 SSL proxying works
- 💡 Convenient to use on mobile

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Stability issues, crashes
- 🐛 SSL certificate not trusted
- 🐛 Doesn't handle gzip compression
- 🐛 Slow performance compared to desktop

**Reported bugs**

- Doesn't work with latest iOS versions
- Fails to export sessions frequently
- Incompatible with apps using VPN
- Large JSON bodies not displayed properly

**Requested features**

- Add ability to edit and replay requests
- Improve JSON viewer and formatting
- Add support for WebSockets
- Provide option to map to local
- Add scripting and breakpoint features


## Frequently asked questions

### Is HE.NET Network Tools free?

HE.NET Network Tools is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Charles Proxy free?

Charles Proxy costs $8.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, HE.NET Network Tools or Charles Proxy?

HE.NET Network Tools and Charles Proxy are both rated 4.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 70 and 187 ratings respectively.

### Do HE.NET Network Tools or Charles Proxy have ads?

Neither HE.NET Network Tools nor Charles Proxy shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, HE.NET Network Tools or Charles Proxy?

HE.NET Network Tools ships an update every 2 months, and Charles Proxy every 2 months. Most recently, HE.NET Network Tools was updated on October 9, 2026 and Charles Proxy on October 15, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*