Charles vs Proxyman
Charles
charlesproxy.comProxyman
proxyman.comSide by side
| Figure | Charles | Proxyman |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | $1/mo |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 6 | 9 |
| Spec score · Web Debugging Proxies | 8.6 (#8) | 8.7 (#7) |
| Headquarters | Auckland, New Zealand | Wilmington, Delaware, United States; Singapore |
| Purpose | Charles is a web proxy and HTTP monitor that runs on your computer and records and displays data sent and received by browsers or other internet applications configured to use it. | Proxyman is an HTTP debugging proxy for capturing, decrypting, and mocking HTTP(S) requests and responses. |
| Support | The maker directs users to the documentation and invites them to contact support if documentation does not resolve their issue. | Support is offered by email, Discord, founder contact, documentation, FAQ and GitHub issue tracking; the site says replies typically arrive within 24 hours. |
| Traffic inspection | Charles lets developers view HTTP and SSL/HTTPS requests, responses, headers, cookies, and caching information. | The app can inspect HTTP/HTTPS requests and responses in plain text using built-in SSL setup. |
Plans
Charles
- 1-4 User Licenses$50, paid once
- 10+ User Licenses$30, paid once
- 5+ User Licenses$40, paid once
- 1–4 User Licenses$50, paid once
- Site License$400, paid once
- Multi-Site License$700, paid once
Proxyman
- TrialPriced on request
- Team$99 a year
- Team Subscription$12 a month
- TrialFree
- TrialFree
- Team Subscription$12 a year
- Standard$89, paid once
- Personal$99, paid once
- Team$99, paid once
In their own words
Charles
Charles is a web proxy and HTTP monitor for developers who need to inspect traffic from browsers and other internet applications configured to use it. While recording is enabled, it captures and displays HTTP and SSL/HTTPS requests and responses, including headers, cookies, and caching information. SSL Proxying lets users examine HTTPS session contents. They can repeat or edit requests, intercept requests or responses with breakpoints, replay traffic, mock responses, inspect WebSockets, and chain proxies. Bandwidth throttling and added latency simulate slower connections. Charles presents JSON, JSON-RPC, and SOAP in a simplified tree format and supports Flash Remoting AMF0 and AMF3. Its iOS app captures HTTP and HTTPS traffic and can share requests or sessions with desktop Charles. Captured data is stored on the user's computer; Charles says its developers cannot access it. The software runs on iOS, Linux, macOS, and Windows. There is no free plan; a 30-day trial is available. Individual licenses start at $30, paid once for 10+ users, while 1–4 licenses cost $50 as a one-time purchase.
Proxyman
Proxyman is an HTTP debugging proxy for capturing, decrypting, and mocking HTTP(S) requests and responses. Its SSL setup allows inspection of traffic in plain text. Tools include breakpoints, Map Local, Map Remote, scripting, filtering, and request/response diffs; it also supports traffic replay, response mocking, proxy chaining, WebSocket inspection, and GraphQL debugging. Desktop versions run on macOS, Windows, and Linux, with standalone iOS and Android apps for capturing and inspecting HTTPS traffic on phones and tablets. Its MCP server connects debugging sessions to Claude Code, ChatGPT, Gemini, Codex CLI, and Cursor. The free evaluation trial has limited features and excludes WebSocket preview, mobile apps, and Network Extension. Standard costs $89, paid once, a one-time purchase for one seat, one active desktop device, and one year of updates. Team and company licenses require at least five seats. Team subscriptions include shared logs, workspaces, role-based access, management features, and 10GB of cloud storage per team.