GDB vs LLDB
GDB
sourceware.orgLLDB
lldb.llvm.orgSide by side
| Figure | GDB | LLDB |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Debuggers | 8.0 (#9) | 8.6 (#2) |
| Spec score · Debugging Software | 8.0 (#16) | 8.5 (#9) |
| Languages | GDB supports Ada, Assembly, C, C++, D, Fortran, Go, Objective-C, OpenCL, Modula-2, Pascal, and Rust. | LLDB supports debugging C, Objective-C, and C++ on desktop and iOS devices and simulators. |
| License | GDB is free software protected by the GNU General Public License, which permits copying, adapting, and redistributing copies with source access. | The LLDB project code is available under the Apache 2.0 License with LLVM exceptions. |
| Purpose | GDB lets users inspect what another program is doing while it executes or after it crashes. | LLDB is a high-performance debugger built from reusable components that use LLVM libraries such as the Clang expression parser and LLVM disassembler. |
| Remote debugging | The gdbserver control program connects programs to a remote GDB through target remote or target extended-remote. | LLDB documents remote debugging for platforms including Linux, Windows, Android, and iOS. |
Plans
In their own words
GDB
GDB is a free debugger for inspecting a program as it runs or after it crashes. It can launch programs, stop execution under specified conditions, examine the stopped state, and change program state for experimentation. A target can run on the same machine, remotely, or in a simulator. GDB runs on popular UNIX variants, Microsoft Windows, and macOS, and supports languages including C, C++, Rust, Go, Ada, Fortran, Assembly, and others. Debugging options include conditional and exception breakpoints, core dump debugging, and record-and-replay with forward and reverse execution on supported platforms. For remote debugging, gdbserver connects a program to GDB. The console interpreter and GDB/MI are available, while Python extensions and the Debugger Adapter Protocol require Python support at build time. GDB is part of the GNU Project and is free software under the GNU General Public License, which allows copying, adaptation, and redistribution with source access. Official releases are available from GNU and Sourceware, with signature verification through the GNU keyring. Version 18.1 was released on September 25, 2026.
LLDB
LLDB is a free debugger built from reusable components that use LLVM libraries, including Clang's expression parser and the LLVM disassembler. It is the default debugger in Xcode on macOS and supports debugging C, C++, and Objective-C on desktop and iOS devices and simulators. Its tools include breakpoints, watchpoints, process launching, and attaching to programs; remote debugging is also documented for Linux, Windows, Android, and iOS. Expression evaluation uses Clang infrastructure for current C-family language features, multiline expressions, and just-in-time evaluation where supported. Developers can use its shared-library C++ API and Python bindings for scripting, symbolication, disassembly, and inspecting object and symbol files. The lldb-dap adapter connects LLDB functionality to compatible editors and IDEs, including Visual Studio Code, Emacs, vim, and neovim. LLDB is available under the Apache 2.0 License with LLVM exceptions. Windows support remains under active development, with ARM and AArch64 described as more experimental. The lldb-dap interface documents no support for step-back, setting a variable, goto-target, or terminate requests.