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Mediator

Free#25 of 27 in Web Debugging ProxiesgRPC Tools

Mediator: A focused open-source GUI proxy for inspecting and redirecting gRPC traffic. Ranked #25 of 27 in Web Debugging Proxies by our editors (6.7/10); pricing: Open source; best for developers debugging gRPC and Protobuf traffic.

6.7/10Editor score
Visit Mediator
Mediator6.7 Visit Mediator

At a glance

  • Editor score
    6.7 / 10
  • Pricing
    Open source
  • Best for
    Developers debugging gRPC and Protobuf traffic
  • Paid from
    Free
  • Platforms
    Desktop
  • Facts checked
    20 Sep 2026
Mediator screenshot

  • Where it wins

    • Decodes Protobuf request and response messages for gRPC traffic
    • Supports Windows, macOS, and Linux desktop platforms
    • Offers host rewrites, schema handling, HTTPS, and a desktop GUI

  • Where it doesn't

    • Its focus is gRPC traffic rather than broad web debugging workflows
    • Schema resolution requires reflection, proto sources, or descriptor files
    • Core proxy capabilities beyond the listed gRPC features are limited

Our verdict on Mediator

Mediator is an open-source desktop proxy for developers debugging gRPC traffic across Windows, macOS, and Linux. Its GUI brings together request inspection, Protobuf decoding, HTTPS support for gRPC requests, and host rewrite rules for redirecting traffic to beta or test servers. The product is particularly suited to teams working with Protobuf-based services that need to inspect message payloads while developing or troubleshooting distributed applications.

Its standout capability is schema-aware gRPC inspection. Mediator can resolve message definitions through server reflection, compile proto source roots through protoc, or load FileDescriptorSet schemas. That gives developers several ways to decode request and response messages, depending on how their service schemas are managed. Host rewrite rules add a practical development workflow by allowing requests to be redirected without changing the original service configuration. The published feature set is centered on gRPC and Protobuf rather than a broad collection of general web-debugging functions.

Mediator is distributed as Windows MSI, macOS DMG, Apple Silicon DMG, and Linux DEB packages, giving desktop teams platform-specific installation options. The project is licensed under Apache-2.0 and follows an open-source model. Choose it when your work depends on gRPC, HTTPS traffic inspection, Protobuf decoding, and flexible schema loading in a desktop interface. Teams seeking a general-purpose proxy with a wider range of verified web-debugging capabilities should consider a broader alternative.

Your product? Our editors can test Mediator in depth and publish a review, labelled as paid · from $149/mo →

Mediator pricing

Plans Open sourceFree Free to use — no paid tier required for the core job.
See plans on github.com

Mediator fact sheet

Free planNot verified
Paid fromFree
PlatformsDesktop
Request/response editingNot verified
Breakpoint rulesNot verified
Traffic replayNot verified
Response mockingNot verified
WebSocket inspectionNot verified
Proxy chainingNot verified
DeploymentDesktop
PlatformsWindows, macOS, Linux
Built forSolo, Small business (editorial estimate)
PricingOpen source
Websitegithub.com
Facts checked20 Sep 2026

Alternatives to Mediator

See all Mediator alternatives →

Also Ranked In

Mediator is ranked in 2 of our directories.

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Featured on iTechGuides

Featured on iTechGuides — Mediator 6.7/10

Mediator is listed in our Web Debugging Proxies directory. Add the badge to your site — it links back to this page.

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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

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