Head-to-head · Local Development Proxy Tools
Charles vs mitmproxy
Charles leads on 0 checks, mitmproxy on 1, and 1 is even. Who comes out ahead on the 2 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.
Our verdict
- Highest scoreCharles · 9.2/10
- Free planonly mitmproxy
- Free trialonly Charles
Charles scores higher on our rubric for local development proxy tools: 9.2 against 8.9 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #2.
mitmproxy offers free plan; Charles doesn't.
Charles is the better fit for teams needing a mature, cross-platform debugging proxy. mitmproxy is the better fit for developers wanting a free, scriptable proxy toolkit.
- Charles fits best
Teams needing a mature, cross-platform debugging proxy
- mitmproxy fits best
Developers wanting a free, scriptable proxy toolkit
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Side by side
| Feature | Charles 9.2/10 Visit ↗ | mitmproxy 8.9/10 Visit ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Editor score | 9.2 | 8.9 |
| Ranking | #1 in Local Development Proxy Tools | #2 in Local Development Proxy Tools |
| Best for | Teams needing a mature, cross-platform debugging proxy | Developers wanting a free, scriptable proxy toolkit |
| Pricing model | Paid | Free |
| Starting price | $50/user one-time | Free plan |
| Free plan | — | ✓ (best) |
| Free trial | 30 days | — |
| Deployment | Desktop | Desktop, Browser extension, Self-hosted |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Web, Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Support | Email, Docs | Community, Docs |
| Built for | Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise | Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Features Charles 1/4 · mitmproxy 1/4 | ||
| HTTPS interception | Not checked yet | Not checked yet |
| Edit requests and responses | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mobile app debugging | Not checked yet | Not checked yet |
| API debugging tools | Not checked yet | Not checked yet |
| Specs | ||
| Supported platforms | Not checked yet | Not checked yet |
| Our review | ||
| Pros |
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| Cons |
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| Our verdict | Charles is a desktop web debugging proxy for developers working with web and networked applications. It records HTTP, HTTPS, and related traffic for inspection of requests, responses, headers, cookies, and bodies. Support for Windows,… Read the review → |
mitmproxy is a free, open-source intercepting proxy for developers, testers, security researchers, and privacy analysts who need to examine or change network traffic. It covers HTTP, HTTPS, HTTP/1, HTTP/2, HTTP/3, and WebSockets, with… Read the review → |
Strengths and trade-offs
Charles — where it wins
- Inspects HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS traffic across Windows, macOS, and Linux
- Breakpoints, editing, replay, rewriting, and local or remote mapping
- Supports WebSockets, throttling, SSL proxying, and headless operation
Where it doesn't
- No separate perpetual free plan
- Individual licenses are limited to one computer at a time
- Volume and site pricing may not suit teams seeking subscription billing
mitmproxy — where it wins
- Inspects HTTP through HTTP/3 traffic and WebSocket messages
- Edits traffic interactively and supports replay and response mocking
- Offers browser, command-line, and Python addon interfaces
Where it doesn't
- Requires running a local tool; mitmweb is not a hosted service
- Python addons require scripting for automated traffic transformations
- Support is through community resources and documentation
- Charles9.2/10 · 30-day trial
A cross-platform debugging proxy with deep traffic controls, sold through one-time licenses.
Visit CharlesFull verdict → - mitmproxy8.9/10 · Free plan
A scriptable proxy toolkit for inspecting, editing, replaying, and mocking web traffic.
Visit mitmproxyFull verdict →
More comparisons
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- Charles vs Fiddler Classic
- Charles vs Reqable
- Charles vs Fluxzy
- Charles vs Proxyman
- mitmproxy vs Fiddler Classic
- mitmproxy vs Reqable
All local development proxy tools comparisons → · Full ranking →
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update