Best Debuggers in 2026
Updated
In short: LLDB is ranked #1 of 27 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of GDB and FlowStorm. The best-ranked option with a free plan is GDB. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Xdebug at £16.67/mo.
When a program behaves unexpectedly, a debugger can help you pause execution and inspect what is happening. Compare supported languages and target platforms first, then consider conditional and exception breakpoints, remote debugging, and core dump debugging. Time-travel debugging is another feature to check, alongside free-plan availability and paid-from pricing. LLDB and GDB appear at the start, with Xdebug and Delve among the early entries. The ranking offers one way to navigate the options; weigh it against the languages, targets, and debugging capabilities relevant to your work.
27 debuggers ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
27ranked
6free plans on this page
£16.67/molowest paid tier
4 Oct 2026last checked
Input list Debuggers 25 channels on this page · 117 of 200 spec lines stated by the makers
Ch Tool Free planPaid fromSupported languagesTarget platformsRemote debuggingConditional breakpointsException breakpointsTime-travel debugging Spec sheet Score
01 LLDB Free planYesPaid fromnot statedSupported languagesC, C++, Objective-C, Objective-C++Target platformsmacOS, iOS, tvOS, watchOS, Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD, Windows, AndroidRemote debuggingYesConditional breakpointsYesException breakpointsYesTime-travel debuggingNo 7/8spec lines stated 7.7
02 GDB Free planYesPaid fromnot statedSupported languagesAda, Assembly, C, C++, D, Fortran, Go, Objective-C, OpenCL, Modula-2, Pascal, RustTarget platformsUNIX, Microsoft Windows, macOS; native, remote, and simulator targetsRemote debuggingYesConditional breakpointsYesException breakpointsYesTime-travel debuggingYes 7/8spec lines stated 7.3
03 FlowStorm Free planYesPaid fromnot statedSupported languagesClojure, ClojureScriptTarget platformsBrowsers, Node.js, React NativeRemote debuggingYesConditional breakpointsYesException breakpointsnot statedTime-travel debuggingYes 6/8spec lines stated 7.2
04 IDA Pro Free planNoPaid fromnot statedSupported languagesnot statedTarget platformsnot statedRemote debuggingnot statedConditional breakpointsnot statedException breakpointsnot statedTime-travel debuggingnot stated 1/8spec lines stated 7.2
05 RenderDoc Free planYesPaid fromnot statedSupported languagesHLSL, GLSL, SPIR-VTarget platformsWindows, Linux, Android, Nintendo SwitchRemote debuggingYesConditional breakpointsnot statedException breakpointsnot statedTime-travel debuggingYes 5/8spec lines stated 7.0
06 Xdebug Free planYesPaid fromnot statedSupported languagesPHPTarget platformsLinux, macOS, Windows, web/CLI PHP environmentsRemote debuggingYesConditional breakpointsYesException breakpointsYesTime-travel debuggingnot stated 6/8spec lines stated 7.0
07 Delve Free planYesPaid fromnot statedSupported languagesGoTarget platformsLinux, macOS, Windows, FreeBSDRemote debuggingYesConditional breakpointsYesException breakpointsYesTime-travel debuggingYes 7/8spec lines stated 6.8
08 SEGGER Ozone Free planNoPaid fromnot statedSupported languagesC, C++, Rust, AssemblerTarget platformsARM, RISC-VRemote debuggingYesConditional breakpointsYesException breakpointsYesTime-travel debuggingnot stated 6/8spec lines stated 6.7
09 UDB Free planNoPaid fromnot statedSupported languagesC, C++Target platformsLinuxRemote debuggingYesConditional breakpointsYesException breakpointsYesTime-travel debuggingYes 7/8spec lines stated 6.7
10 TRACE32 Free plannot statedPaid fromnot statedSupported languagesC, C++, Ada, ASMTarget platformsEmbedded systems; 150+ microprocessor architecturesRemote debuggingYesConditional breakpointsYesException breakpointsnot statedTime-travel debuggingnot stated 4/8spec lines stated 6.3
11 Erlang Debugger Free plannot statedPaid fromnot statedSupported languagesErlangTarget platformsWindows, macOS, LinuxRemote debuggingYesConditional breakpointsYesException breakpointsnot statedTime-travel debuggingnot stated 4/8spec lines stated 6.0
12 OpenOCD Free planYesPaid fromnot statedSupported languagesnot statedTarget platformsARM, MIPS, RISC-V, Xtensa, ARC, AVR32, DSP563xx, DSP5680xx, eSi-RISC, STM8Remote debuggingYesConditional breakpointsnot statedException breakpointsYesTime-travel debuggingnot stated 4/8spec lines stated 6.0
13 Perl Debugger Free planYesPaid fromnot statedSupported languagesPerlTarget platformsLinux, macOS, WindowsRemote debuggingnot statedConditional breakpointsYesException breakpointsnot statedTime-travel debuggingnot stated 4/8spec lines stated 6.0
14 PonyDebugger Free planYesPaid fromnot statedSupported languagesObjective-C, PythonTarget platformsiOS, macOS, web browserRemote debuggingYesConditional breakpointsnot statedException breakpointsnot statedTime-travel debuggingnot stated 4/8spec lines stated 6.0
15 WinDbg Free planYesPaid fromnot statedSupported languagesC++, C#, JavaScript, assemblyTarget platformsWindows; Linux crash dumpsRemote debuggingYesConditional breakpointsYesException breakpointsYesTime-travel debuggingYes 7/8spec lines stated 6.0
16 Black Magic Debug Free planYesPaid fromnot statedSupported languagesnot statedTarget platformsARM Cortex-M, ARM Cortex-A, RISC-VRemote debuggingYesConditional breakpointsnot statedException breakpointsnot statedTime-travel debuggingnot stated 3/8spec lines stated 5.9
17 CUDA-GDB Free plannot statedPaid fromnot statedSupported languagesC/C++, FortranTarget platformsLinux, QNXRemote debuggingYesConditional breakpointsYesException breakpointsnot statedTime-travel debuggingnot stated 4/8spec lines stated 5.9
18 dnSpyEx Free planYesPaid fromnot statedSupported languagesC#, Visual Basic, ILTarget platformsWindows; Linux via WineRemote debuggingnot statedConditional breakpointsYesException breakpointsYesTime-travel debuggingnot stated 5/8spec lines stated 5.9
19 pyOCD Free planYesPaid fromnot statedSupported languagesnot statedTarget platformsArm Cortex-M microcontrollersRemote debuggingYesConditional breakpointsnot statedException breakpointsnot statedTime-travel debuggingnot stated 3/8spec lines stated 5.9
20 FLEX Free planYesPaid fromnot statedSupported languagesObjective-C, SwiftTarget platformsiOS Simulator, physical iOS devicesRemote debuggingNoConditional breakpointsnot statedException breakpointsnot statedTime-travel debuggingnot stated 4/8spec lines stated 5.8
21 UDE Universal Debug Engine Free plannot statedPaid fromnot statedSupported languagesC, C++, Assembly, RustTarget platforms32-bit and 64-bit microcontrollers, multicore SoCs, embedded processorsRemote debuggingnot statedConditional breakpointsYesException breakpointsnot statedTime-travel debuggingnot stated 3/8spec lines stated 5.8
22 OllyDbg Free planYesPaid fromnot statedSupported languagesassemblyTarget platformsMicrosoft WindowsRemote debuggingnot statedConditional breakpointsYesException breakpointsnot statedTime-travel debuggingnot stated 4/8spec lines stated 5.7
23 x64dbg Free planYesPaid fromnot statedSupported languagesnot statedTarget platformsWindowsRemote debuggingnot statedConditional breakpointsYesException breakpointsYesTime-travel debuggingnot stated 4/8spec lines stated 5.7
24 rr Free plannot statedPaid fromnot statedSupported languagesC, C++, GoTarget platformsLinuxRemote debuggingnot statedConditional breakpointsnot statedException breakpointsnot statedTime-travel debuggingYes 3/8spec lines stated 5.6
25 Ruby debug Free plannot statedPaid fromnot statedSupported languagesRuby (MRI) 2.7 and laterTarget platformsnot statedRemote debuggingYesConditional breakpointsYesException breakpointsYesTime-travel debuggingYes 5/8spec lines stated 5.6
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | Tool | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Supported languages | Target platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LLDB | 7.7 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | C, C++, Objective-C, Objective-C++ | macOS, iOS, tvOS, watchOS, Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD, Windows, Android |
| 2 | GDB | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Ada, Assembly, C, C++, D, Fortran, Go, Objective-C, OpenCL, Modula-2, Pascal, Rust | UNIX, Microsoft Windows, macOS; native, remote, and simulator targets |
| 3 | FlowStorm | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Clojure, ClojureScript | Browsers, Node.js, React Native |
| 4 | IDA Pro | 7.2 | Free plan | $91.58/mo | No | — | — | — |
| 5 | RenderDoc | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | HLSL, GLSL, SPIR-V | Windows, Linux, Android, Nintendo Switch |
| 6 | Xdebug | 7.0 | No | £16.67/mo | Yes | — | PHP | Linux, macOS, Windows, web/CLI PHP environments |
| 7 | Delve | 6.8 | No | — | Yes | — | Go | Linux, macOS, Windows, FreeBSD |
| 8 | SEGGER Ozone | 6.7 | No | — | No | — | C, C++, Rust, Assembler | ARM, RISC-V |
| 9 | UDB | 6.7 | No | — | No | — | C, C++ | Linux |
| 10 | TRACE32 | 6.3 | No | — | — | — | C, C++, Ada, ASM | Embedded systems; 150+ microprocessor architectures |
| 11 | Erlang Debugger | 6.0 | No | — | — | — | Erlang | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 12 | OpenOCD | 6.0 | No | — | Yes | — | — | ARM, MIPS, RISC-V, Xtensa, ARC, AVR32, DSP563xx, DSP5680xx, eSi-RISC, STM8 |
| 13 | Perl Debugger | 6.0 | No | — | Yes | — | Perl | Linux, macOS, Windows |
| 14 | PonyDebugger | 6.0 | No | — | Yes | — | Objective-C, Python | iOS, macOS, web browser |
| 15 | WinDbg | 6.0 | No | — | Yes | — | C++, C#, JavaScript, assembly | Windows; Linux crash dumps |
| 16 | Black Magic Debug | 5.9 | No | — | Yes | — | — | ARM Cortex-M, ARM Cortex-A, RISC-V |
| 17 | CUDA-GDB | 5.9 | No | — | — | — | C/C++, Fortran | Linux, QNX |
| 18 | dnSpyEx | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | C#, Visual Basic, IL | Windows; Linux via Wine |
| 19 | pyOCD | 5.9 | No | — | Yes | — | — | Arm Cortex-M microcontrollers |
| 20 | FLEX | 5.8 | No | — | Yes | — | Objective-C, Swift | iOS Simulator, physical iOS devices |
| 21 | UDE Universal Debug Engine | 5.8 | No | — | — | — | C, C++, Assembly, Rust | 32-bit and 64-bit microcontrollers, multicore SoCs, embedded processors |
| 22 | OllyDbg | 5.7 | No | — | Yes | — | assembly | Microsoft Windows |
| 23 | x64dbg | 5.7 | No | — | Yes | — | — | Windows |
| 24 | rr | 5.6 | No | — | — | — | C, C++, Go | Linux |
| 25 | Ruby debug | 5.6 | No | — | — | — | Ruby (MRI) 2.7 and later | — |
Is your tool on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which debugger is ranked first on Specifiction?
LLDB is ranked #1 of 27 with a score of 7.7. GDB is second and FlowStorm third.
How many of these have a free plan?
6 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Xdebug has the lowest first paid tier we found: £16.67/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes, the fullest spec sheet first: how deeply the product is documented, the platforms it runs on, a free tier or trial to test it, and its standing. Paid placements never change a rank.
More in Developer Tools
All developer tools listsAccessibility Testing Software 168Log Management Software 107AI Coding Assistants 103Package Managers 93AI Agent Platforms 73Reverse Engineering Tools 73Software Composition Analysis Software 65Browser Automation Tools 63Integrated Development Environments 62Artifact repository software 60Code Playground Software 58Network Monitoring 56