Delve vs Xdebug

DDelve8.8Visit Xdebug8.6Visit

Higher score D Delve #4 in Debuggers 8.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit Delve

vs

Xdebug #5 in Debuggers 8.6/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 5 features Visit Xdebug

• Delve fits best

  Go developers

• Xdebug fits best

  PHP web application debugging

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Side by side

Feature	DDelve 8.8/10 Visit ↗	Xdebug 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.8	8.6
Ranking	#4 in Debuggers	#5 in Debuggers
Best for	Go developers	PHP web application debugging
Pricing model	Free	Free plan + paid
Starting price	Free plan	£200/user/yr
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Desktop, Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Platforms	Linux, Windows, macOS	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux
Support	Community, Docs	Email, Community, Docs
Integrations	3 integrations	6 integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Delve 5/5 · Xdebug 3/5
Remote debugging	✓	✓
Conditional breakpoints	✓	✓
Exception breakpoints	✓	✓
Time-travel debugging	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Core dump debugging	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Specs
Supported languages	Go	PHP
Target platforms	Linux, macOS, Windows, FreeBSD	Linux, macOS, Windows, web/CLI PHP environments
Our review
Pros	Free and open-source with source-level Go debugging Remote, headless, JSON-RPC, and DAP support Core dumps, goroutines, and reverse execution inspection	Interactive and remote debugging with conditional and exception breakpoints Profiling, tracing, stack traces, and code coverage in one PHP extension Works with Visual Studio Code, PhpStorm, Eclipse, and other listed tools
Cons	Supports only the Go programming language Primarily a command-line debugging experience No AI-assisted debugging features	Focused on PHP rather than multi-language debugging Advanced support requires a paid annual subscription The Community plan provides low issue priority and Stack Overflow support
Our verdict	Delve is an open-source, source-level debugger for Go programs. It is designed for Go developers who need more than basic breakpoints, including control over running processes, runtime inspection, remote debugging, and editor integration.… Read the review →	Xdebug is an open-source PHP extension for developers who need more than basic error messages. It supports interactive step debugging through an IDE or editor, remote debugging connections, conditional and exception breakpoints, enhanced… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Delve — where it wins

  • Free and open-source with source-level Go debugging
  • Remote, headless, JSON-RPC, and DAP support
  • Core dumps, goroutines, and reverse execution inspection

  Where it doesn't

  • Supports only the Go programming language
  • Primarily a command-line debugging experience
  • No AI-assisted debugging features

• Xdebug — where it wins

  • Interactive and remote debugging with conditional and exception breakpoints
  • Profiling, tracing, stack traces, and code coverage in one PHP extension
  • Works with Visual Studio Code, PhpStorm, Eclipse, and other listed tools

  Where it doesn't

  • Focused on PHP rather than multi-language debugging
  • Advanced support requires a paid annual subscription
  • The Community plan provides low issue priority and Stack Overflow support

• DDelve8.8/10 · Free plan

  A deep, free Go debugger for developers who need process and runtime control.

  Visit DelveFull verdict →
• Xdebug8.6/10 · Free plan

  A focused PHP debugger with remote sessions, profiling, tracing, and coverage analysis.

  Visit XdebugFull verdict →