Comparison

ExpressVPN · Secure & Fast VPN vs Charles Proxy

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

Head to head
About

ExpressVPN · Secure & Fast VPN

Secure your online activity with a premium VPN service offering blazing-fast speeds and unlimited bandwidth. Protect your data on public Wi-Fi and access a global network of servers in 113 countries. Enjoy enhanced privacy with a strict, independently audited no-logs policy.

Highlights
  • Blazing-fast servers
  • Global server network (113 countries)
  • Independently audited no-logs policy
  • Powerful online security with advanced encryption
  • Exclusive Lightway protocol
  • RAM-only servers
  • 24/7 customer support
Features
Read full description

ExpressVPN: Premium VPN for Security, Privacy, and Blazing-Fast Streaming Surf the web safely with just a few taps. ExpressVPN is a premium VPN service built for ultra-fast connections and private browsing on public Wi-Fi and other shared networks - across all your devices. BLAZING-FAST SERVERS Stream, game, and browse with lightning-fast speeds and unlimited bandwidth. Perfect for streaming your favorite TV shows and movies, sporting events, and more. LARGE SERVER NETWORK Access a global network with servers in 113 countries, including all 50 U.S. states, so you're covered wherever you go. NO-LOGS POLICY (INDEPENDENTLY AUDITED) Browse with enhanced privacy. Our strict no-logs policy has been independently audited to help ensure your IP address, location, and online activity stay private. POWERFUL ONLINE SECURITY Protect your data and online activity with advanced encryption that keeps your connection safe - even on public Wi-Fi hotspots and shared networks. EXCLUSIVE VPN PROTOCOL ExpressVPN's Lightway protocol was crafted from the ground up for enhanced speed, security, and reliability. PRIVACY-FIRST TECHNOLOGY ExpressVPN runs on RAM-only servers that never write data to a hard drive. All data is wiped on every reboot. WIDE LANGUAGE SELECTION Choose from 17 languages to make your app experience smooth and accessible, wherever you are in the world. 24/7 CUSTOMER SUPPORT Get instant help whenever you need it. Reach out via live chat or email, and our experts will gladly answer any questions. iOS APP FEATURES • Auto-reconnects if your VPN connection drops • Supports Lightway (UDP/TCP), OpenVPN (UDP/TCP), WireGuard, and IKEv2 encryption protocols • Threat Manager: helps prevent apps from sharing your activity with trackers or malicious third parties SUBSCRIPTION PLANS Your ExpressVPN subscription includes access to apps across all major platforms, letting you secure all your devices. With support for up to 14 simultaneous connections, you can stay protected anytime, anywhere. Subscriptions renew automatically at the end of each billing period unless canceled at least 24 hours beforehand. You can manage or cancel your subscription anytime in your App Store account settings. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when you purchase a Subscription. Terms of Service https://www.expressvpn.com/tos Privacy Policy https://www.expressvpn.com/privacy-policy

About

Charles Proxy

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
Read full description

Charles Proxy for iOS lets you capture, inspect and modify network requests and responses on your iOS device. You can view metadata, headers and bodies in the app, so you can finally debug your app’s networking issues without a computer. Charles Proxy for iOS is an app from the creator of Charles Proxy for desktop. HOW IT WORKS Turn Charles on when you want to start capturing. Charles captures your network requests and responses in the background while you test your app or website. Return to Charles to inspect the requests and responses. If you also have Charles on your desktop, you can transfer recorded sessions to your desktop to explore them on the big screen. Charles creates a local VPN on your device. All of your network traffic passes through Charles on your device, and then out to the internet as usual over either WiFi or Mobile / Cellular data. There is no remote server involved, and your data always remains private to you. FEATURES * SSL Proxying to view SSL requests in plain text * View and share request and responses bodies * Syntax highlighting for text request and response bodies * Measure network performance over WiFi or Mobile / Cellular networks * Block requests to nominated hosts * DNS spoofing

Screenshots

ExpressVPN · Secure & Fast VPN4 screens
Charles Proxy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ExpressVPN · Secure & Fast VPN at Free against Charles Proxy's $8.99. ExpressVPN · Secure & Fast VPN also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.0) and review sentiment (86% vs 52%). Charles Proxy's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10). On ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

ExpressVPN · Secure & Fast VPN is free to download; Charles Proxy costs $8.99 up front. ExpressVPN · Secure & Fast VPN sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per 7 days. Charles Proxy asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ExpressVPN · Secure & Fast VPN holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ExpressVPN · Secure & Fast VPN has 420K ratings behind it against 189, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 86% of ExpressVPN · Secure & Fast VPN's written reviews are positive against 52% of Charles Proxy's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ExpressVPN · Secure & Fast VPN ships an update weekly, Charles Proxy every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard10 real differences · 1 level
ExpressVPN · Secure & Fast VPN versus Charles Proxy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterExpressVPN · Secure & Fast VPNCharles Proxy
PriceFree — better$8.99
Rating4.7 (420K ratings) — better4.0 (189 ratings)
Positive reviews86.2% of reviews — better51.9% of reviews
Number of ratings420K — better189
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#11 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size158 MB20 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperExpress VPNXK72 Limited

Customer experience

ExpressVPN · Secure & Fast VPN

All ratings419,932 ratings
Positive92.3%
Neutral2.9%
Negative4.8%
Written reviews7,936 reviews
Positive86.2%
Neutral2.2%
Negative11.6%

Charles Proxy

All ratings187 ratings
Positive74.9%
Neutral5.3%
Negative19.8%
Written reviews231 reviews
Positive51.9%
Neutral11.7%
Negative36.4%

User reviews

ExpressVPN · Secure & Fast VPN

From 420K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and stable connection
  • 🔒 Secure and private
  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 💡 Versatile for streaming, gaming, and browsing

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent connection issues, especially in China
  • 🔋 High data consumption
  • 🔒 Concerns about privacy and security
  • 💰 Expensive compared to alternatives

Charles Proxy

From 189 App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

Bugs and requests

ExpressVPN · Secure & Fast VPN

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes and freezes
  • Inability to connect or stay connected
  • Issues with WiFi and cellular data switching

Requested features

4 requests
  • Automatic server selection and reconnection
  • More server locations, especially in Asia
  • Better compatibility with mobile devices
  • Improved customer support response times

Charles Proxy

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • 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

5 requests
  • 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

In-app purchases

7 purchases

ExpressVPN · Secure & Fast VPN

Subscriptions7
  • 1-Week Subscription$9.997 Days
  • 1-Month Plan (Basic)3 Days trial$11.991 Month
  • 1-Month Subscription3 Days trial$11.991 Month
Show 4 more
  • 1-Month Subscription7 Days trial$12.991 Month
  • 1-Month Subscription2 variants$12.991 Month
  • 12-Month Plan (Basic)7 Days trial$79.991 Year
  • 12-Month Subscription7 Days trial3 variants$99.991 Year
None

Charles Proxy

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ExpressVPN · Secure & Fast VPN free?
ExpressVPN · Secure & Fast VPN is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Charles Proxy free?
Charles Proxy costs $8.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ExpressVPN · Secure & Fast VPN or Charles Proxy?
ExpressVPN · Secure & Fast VPN is rated higher. ExpressVPN · Secure & Fast VPN averages 4.7 out of 5 from 420K ratings, while Charles Proxy averages 4.0 from 189 ratings.
Do ExpressVPN · Secure & Fast VPN or Charles Proxy have ads?
Neither ExpressVPN · Secure & Fast VPN nor Charles Proxy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ExpressVPN · Secure & Fast VPN or Charles Proxy?
ExpressVPN · Secure & Fast VPN ships an update weekly, and Charles Proxy every 2 months. Most recently, ExpressVPN · Secure & Fast VPN was updated on November 6, 2026 and Charles Proxy on November 2, 2026.

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