# ExpressVPN · Secure & Fast VPN vs Charles Proxy

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | ExpressVPN · Secure & Fast VPN | Charles Proxy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $8.99 |
| Rating | **[4.7 (420K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/expressvpn-secure-and-fast-vpn/id886492891/reviews)** | [4.0 (189 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/charles-proxy/id1134218562/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **420K** | 189 |
| Positive reviews | **86.2% of reviews** | 51.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#11** | — |
| Size | 158 MB | 20 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Express VPN](https://appshunter.io/developer/1687252195) | [XK72 Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/284393209) |

## What reviewers say

### ExpressVPN · Secure & Fast VPN

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/expressvpn-secure-and-fast-vpn/id886492891)

**Currently charting:** #11 Top Grossing · Utilities, #34 Top Free · Utilities (US App Store)

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:** iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-Week Subscription | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| 1-Month Plan (Basic) | $11.99 | per month |
| 1-Month Subscription | $11.99 | per month |
| 1-Month Subscription | $12.99 | per month |
| 1-Month Subscription | $12.99 | per month |
| 12-Month Plan (Basic) | $79.99 | per year |
| 12-Month Subscription | $99.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

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


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