Xdebug vs SEGGER Ozone

Xdebug8.6Visit SEGGER Ozone7.9Visit

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

vs

SEGGER Ozone #11 in Debuggers 7.9/10 Paid ✓ 3 of 5 features Visit SEGGER Ozone

• Xdebug fits best

  PHP web application debugging

• SEGGER Ozone fits best

  Embedded ARM and RISC-V teams

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Side by side

Feature	Xdebug 8.6/10 Visit ↗	SEGGER Ozone 7.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.6	7.9
Ranking	#5 in Debuggers	#11 in Debuggers
Best for	PHP web application debugging	Embedded ARM and RISC-V teams
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Paid
Starting price	£200/user/yr	—
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted	Desktop
Platforms	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows, macOS, Linux
Support	Email, Community, Docs	Email, Community, Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Xdebug 3/5 · SEGGER Ozone 3/5
Remote debugging	✓	✓
Conditional breakpoints	✓	✓
Exception breakpoints	✓	✓
Time-travel debugging	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Core dump debugging	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Supported languages	PHP	C, C++, Rust, Assembler
Target platforms	Linux, macOS, Windows, web/CLI PHP environments	ARM, RISC-V
Our review
Pros	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	Source-level debugging for C, C++, Rust, and assembler RTOS awareness, instruction tracing, profiling, and coverage Remote debugging, scripting, and power profiling support
Cons	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	Paid product with no free plan Focused on embedded microcontroller development workflows Advanced capabilities depend on compatible debug connections
Our verdict	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 →	SEGGER Ozone is a standalone source-level debugger and performance analyzer for embedded applications running on ARM and RISC-V microcontrollers. It is aimed at teams working with C, C++, Rust, or assembler who need more than basic… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• 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

• SEGGER Ozone — where it wins

  • Source-level debugging for C, C++, Rust, and assembler
  • RTOS awareness, instruction tracing, profiling, and coverage
  • Remote debugging, scripting, and power profiling support

  Where it doesn't

  • Paid product with no free plan
  • Focused on embedded microcontroller development workflows
  • Advanced capabilities depend on compatible debug connections

• Xdebug8.6/10 · Free plan

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

  Visit XdebugFull verdict →
• SEGGER Ozone7.9/10 · Paid

  A deep standalone debugger for ARM and RISC-V teams working across code, trace, and performance.

  Visit SEGGER OzoneFull verdict →