Proxy QA BrowserShort answers about cost, responsible use, locations, browsers, automation, privacy and updates, grouped in chapters. Each answer links to the guide with the details.
What the app is, what it costs and what you need to start.
A free, open-source desktop app for authorized QA of your own web forms and sites. It opens a browser in a fresh temporary profile, emulates a phone, tablet or desktop, and connects directly or, with your own proxy plan, through an exit IP in the country, US state, city or ZIP code you pick, checked before the window opens. See the introduction.
No. Proxy QA Browser is free for everyone and open source under the Apache License 2.0, with no account. You pay your proxy provider for your own plan if you use one.
Windows 10 and 11 (x64), Linux on x86-64 as an AppImage, and macOS 12 or later on Apple silicon and Intel. Phones and tablets are emulated inside the desktop app; there is no mobile app. Get the file for your system on the download page.
Direct launches and QA automation runs without location targets work on your own connection. Only location targeting, including location cases in a QA automation matrix, needs a plan. See Proxy providers.
DataImpulse (live-tested) and Bright Data, Oxylabs, Decodo and IPRoyal (community-verified: written from their official documentation, not tested with a live account). QA automation (not manual launches) can also use any HTTP or HTTPS gateway, or an unauthenticated SOCKS5 gateway, as a custom gateway. Each provider has a setup guide, for example DataImpulse proxy setup.
Who and what the app is for, and what it will never do.
Only forms, funnels and sites that you own or are explicitly contracted to test, with a proxy plan you are entitled to use. See Responsible use and the Acceptable use policy.
No, and it is not meant to. The app does not spoof fingerprints, solve CAPTCHAs or imitate human input to avoid detection, and such features are out of scope for the project. If your own site's protection blocks your QA runs, allowlist your test traffic with a site access token, CAPTCHA test keys or an allowlisted staging environment.
Targeting a country, US state, city or ZIP code, and how exact it is.
Only by country: country targeting accepts any two-letter country code, for testing your site from other countries. State, city and ZIP search covers the United States only.
No. IP geolocation is a third-party estimate, some ZIP codes have very few exit IPs, and carrier IPs often geolocate to the carrier's hub; the ZIP targeting caveat lists what to do.
Bundled engines, installed browsers and emulated device presets.
The open-source engine Safari is built on, not Apple Safari itself. It is useful for catching WebKit-specific layout and behaviour issues, but it is not a substitute for testing in Apple Safari when that matters. See cross-browser testing with WebKit.
WebKit and Chromium-family browsers; Playwright Firefox has no mobile emulation. See phone and tablet presets per browser.
No. Every launch uses a fresh temporary profile. Your own bookmarks, cookies and extensions are never touched.
Yes. Turn off Settings → General → One session at a time. One profile can still have only one open session. In QA automation, a matrix runs 1 to 4 browsers concurrently (2 by default).
Recorded scenarios, consent and accessibility checks, CI and AI assistants.
Yes, as QA aids. The consent disclosure check tests presence, approved wording, visibility, font size, contrast and distance to the submit button against thresholds you set. The consent checkbox check fails if the box is pre-checked or unlabelled, a rule you can require in your QA. They are not legal advice and do not decide whether a disclosure is sufficient. See TCPA consent testing.
Yes. Export a scenario or suite for CI and run it headless with the command-line runner, its Docker image or the GitHub Action, with JSON, JUnit and HTML reports. See CI runner.
Yes. The qa-mcp server lets Claude Code, Cursor or another MCP client run device-aware checks, with navigation limited to the origins you allowlist. It ships with the source code and the runner Docker image, not with the desktop download, and location checks need proxy credentials passed as environment variables. See MCP server.
What stays on your computer and how proxy keys are protected.
No. There is no telemetry and nothing is uploaded. The app contacts your proxy gateway, the IP-check service, the sites you test, browser download sources and the signed update feed. See Network connections.
On your computer, in the app's data folder. See Data locations.
It is encrypted with AES-256-GCM in a local vault whose key is protected by Windows DPAPI, the macOS Keychain or your Linux keyring (or a machine-derived key, flagged as Reduced protection). It is never shown again after saving and never written to logs or the database. With WebKit it never reaches the browser process (a local relay adds the login); Chromium-family browsers and Firefox receive it to authenticate to the proxy directly.
Anyone who can log in as your operating-system user can, in principle, use the app with it, so protect your OS account. See Credential vault.
Yes. The files contain no credentials and no personal data; everything is created on first run on each computer. Each person needs their own proxy plan and enters their own keys.
The EXE is not Authenticode-signed unless a code-signing certificate is configured for the release. Click More info, then Run anyway. Update packages are still verified with the publisher's Ed25519 signature; see Updates.
Differences between Windows, Linux and macOS, updates, moving and uninstalling.
The features are the same. The main differences:
| Windows | Linux | macOS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bundled engines | Downloaded on first run | Built into the AppImage | Downloaded on first run |
| Vault key protection | Windows DPAPI | GNOME Keyring / KWallet, or machine-derived | macOS Keychain |
| Vendor browser installs | winget (Opera GX available) | Official packages unpacked into the app folder, no root (no Opera GX) | Vendor download page |
| Updates | In the app, online or USB | In the app, online or USB | From the download page |
| WebKit | Native Windows build | Needs glibc 2.38 or newer | Native macOS build |
Yes. Every release includes DMGs for Apple silicon and Intel Macs (macOS 12 or later) on the download page. They are free but unsigned (not notarized by Apple, because the project has no Apple Developer account yet), so macOS asks you to allow each downloaded copy once: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway. See Install. Updates on Mac come from the download page, so allow each new version the same way.
On Windows and Linux the app checks the signed release feed and installs a newer version after verifying its Ed25519 signature, size and SHA-256. On macOS it tells you about the new version and you download it from the website. See Updates.
Install the app there and run the first-run setup with your proxy keys; the vault cannot be decrypted on another machine. Copy the database to keep profiles and history. See Move to another computer.
Delete the program and the data and key folders. See Uninstall.
Report a problem, suggest a change or get in touch.
Yes, within the project scope. See Contributing.
Open an issue on GitHub with the steps, your operating system and app version, and the error code and redacted message from Settings → Advanced → Logs. Never include real credentials. The troubleshooting guide explains every error code.
Privately, never in a public issue. See the security policy.
Email support@ubaidbinwaris.com for help with installing or using the app, or ubaid@ubaidbinwaris.com for questions, feedback and collaboration. If neither reaches me, write to ubaidwaris34@gmail.com. Never send proxy passwords or other credentials by email.