Source 3 vs Surge 5
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Source 3
View the HTML source code of any webpage directly within Safari. This app offers customizable syntax highlighting for a better developer experience on iOS devices.
- View HTML source code
- Safari extension integration
- Customizable syntax highlighting
- Easy access via Action icon
- Supports iPhone and iPad
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Source is an app plus a Safari extension that makes it easy to do one key web developer task: view the HTML source of any web page, with beautiful and customisable syntax highlighting. Just browse the web in Safari as you normally would, and if you want to view the source for your current page just tap the Action icon and choose Source. The following steps show you how to get extensions to enhance your browsing experience in Safari on iOS 15. Settings app → Safari → Extensions → toggle on the app or settings.
Surge 5
This advanced network utility allows developers to intercept, process, and forward network traffic. It offers deep control over connections, including URL redirection, local file mapping, and HTTPS decryption. Ideal for debugging and network analysis.
- Network connection takeover
- Modify network requests/responses
- Forward traffic to other proxies
- Intercept and save network data
- Decrypt HTTPS traffic
- Rule-based forwarding
- Ad blocking by domain
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Surge is an advanced network toolbox and proxy utility. It is designed for developers and therefore requires professional knowledge to use. These four capabilities form the core workflow of Surge: · Takeover: Take over the network connections sent by the device. Surge supports both proxy service and virtual NIC takeover, capturing HTTP, HTTPS, TCP, and UDP traffic from any app — even those ignoring proxy settings. All features work on the cellular network. · Processing: Modify the requests and responses that have been taken over: URL rewrite, header and body rewrite, local file mapping, custom DNS answers, and JavaScript-based modification. · Forwarding: Forward requests to proxy servers, either globally or driven by a flexible rule system. Policy groups select the best server automatically by latency, availability, or learned connection quality. · Intercept: Record and inspect requests and responses, including headers and bodies, and decrypt HTTPS traffic with MITM. Highlighted Features · Proxy protocols: HTTP/HTTPS, SOCKS5, SOCKS5-TLS, HTTP2 CONNECT, TrustTunnel, Shadowsocks, Snell, Trojan, Hysteria 2, AnyTLS, and SSH, with UDP relay support. · Used as a WireGuard or Tailscale client, converting the L3 VPN into a proxy policy. · Rules based on domain match/suffix/keyword/wildcard, CIDR IP range, GeoIP, ASN, protocol, port, and logical combinations; reusable rule sets hosted locally or remotely. · Policy groups: manual selection, automatic latency testing, fallback, load balancing, and the self-learning Smart group. · Complete DNS suite: DNS-over-HTTPS, DNS-over-HTTP/3, DNS-over-QUIC, DNS-over-TLS, and concurrent queries for the fastest answer. · Local DNS mapping (equivalent to /etc/hosts) with wildcards, aliases, and per-domain DNS servers. Switch your app between production and development environments without changing any code. · Decrypt HTTPS traffic with Man-in-the-Middle and a built-in CA certificate generator. · Record and display HTTP requests and responses with JSON, text, image, and video viewers for the captured body; album mode for the request list; pre-filter for capturing. · Raw L3 packet capture. · Scripting: extend Surge with JavaScript — modify requests and responses, write custom rules, customize DNS answers, and run scheduled tasks. · Block unwanted requests by rules with high-performance pre-matching. · Measure traffic usage and network speed on Wi-Fi, cellular, and proxy connections. · Remote Dashboard: observe and debug traffic in real time from a Mac via Wi-Fi or USB, including cellular traffic. · Surge Ponte: access your home or office network remotely via your own devices, with no third-party service involved. · HTTPS proxy protocol supports client-side TLS certificate validation. · Safari extension to add rules; widgets and Information Panel for quick control. · Sync profiles across devices with iCloud Drive or Dropbox. · Full IPv6 support, TLS 1.3, HTTP/2, and QUIC. · High performance and industrial-grade stability, suitable for intensive use. Surge does not provide any proxy or VPN service; you need to configure your own servers. You may read the online manual for more information: https://nssurge.com/support Terms and Conditions: https://nssurge.com/legal/terms Privacy Policy: https://nssurge.com/legal/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Surge 5 at Free against Source 3's $0.99. Surge 5 also leads on ratings volume (994 vs 10) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 2 months). Source 3's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and rating (4.3 vs 4.1). On review sentiment, ads and device support 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
Surge 5 is free to download; Source 3 costs $0.99 up front. Surge 5 sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per year. Source 3 asks for nothing beyond the download.
Source 3 holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Surge 5 has 994 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 44% of Source 3's written reviews are positive against 51% of Surge 5's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Source 3 ships an update every 2 months, Surge 5 every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Source 3 | Surge 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.3 (10 ratings) — better | 4.1 (994 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 43.8% of reviews | 51.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 10 | 994 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 5 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #58 | #11 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 81 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Street Coder LLC | Surge Networks Inc. |
Customer experience
Source 3
Surge 5
In-app purchases
Source 3
No in-app purchases
Surge 5
- Feature Subscription$14.991 Year
- Surge Pro$49.99









