Comparison

Proxyman vs Busymate DevTools: two phone-native debuggers

Both capture HTTPS on the iPhone itself with no desktop in the loop. The difference is what happens after the capture: one local app, or one feed a team and an AI agent share.

Proxyman is the closest tool to us in spirit: a native iOS app that uses a local VPN to capture on the device, backed by a polished macOS debugger with breakpoints, map local and scripting, plus an MCP integration on the desktop. Where the two part ways is the model — Proxyman is a per-seat desktop product with optional cloud log sharing, while Busymate DevTools is a hosted feed every capture source and every teammate writes into.

Where the difference is

Built for the phone, the team, and the agent

Compare the complete workflow: where capture runs, how you share access, and how you automate debugging.

Capture from iPhone, Android, Chrome, the proxy, and your phone farm in one place. Teammates see requests from devices they own or have been granted access to.

454 MCP tools let your agent inspect captured traffic and act within your role. Destructive actions require confirmation.

A rack of real Android and iOS devices you mirror, tap and script from the browser — or from a sentence typed to the agent.

Permissions are enforced in the database, actions are recorded in an audit trail, and the dashboard and API cannot reveal stored vault secrets.

Side by side

The same questions, answered for both

Our column lists only what has shipped. Their column rests on what we read on their own public pages — anything we could not confirm is marked, not guessed.

Busymate DevTools
Proxyman
iPhone capture on the device itself
Included
Native app, local VPN tunnel, no Mac
Included
Native app, local VPN, iOS 16+Source: proxyman.com
Android capture on the device itself
Included
Native app on Google Play, VPN-based
Not verified
An Android app is listed; on-device capture not verified by usSource: proxyman.com
Desktop HTTPS proxy
Included
Local HTTPS proxy for browsers and backends
Included
macOS, Windows, LinuxSource: proxyman.com
Chrome capture
Included
Chrome DevTools Protocol capture from the terminal
Included
Through the desktop proxySource: proxyman.com
Real-device phone farm
Included
Real Android and iOS phones, mirrored and driven from the browser
Not verified
Not verified
One live feed a team shares
Included
A live capture feed with access scoped to owned devices and explicit grants
Partly
Share saved logs online on the Team planSource: proxyman.com
Team roles and permissions
Included
Roles enforced in the database with row-level security
Partly
Team Workspaces on the subscription planSource: proxyman.com
AI agent over the traffic
Included
454 MCP tools with role-scoped access and confirmation for destructive actions
Included
MCP integration on the desktop appSource: proxyman.com
Breakpoints and resend
Included
Pause, edit and resend from the dashboard
Included
Mock and rewrite responses
Included
Mock responses and block rules
Included
Scripting
Included
Scripts scoped per device, user or service
Included
Audit trail and secrets vault
Included
Append-only audit trail; write-only encrypted vault
Not verified
Not verified
Platforms
Included
iPhone, Android, Chrome, any proxy client, web dashboard
Included
macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, AndroidSource: proxyman.com
Open source
Not included
Private repository; source on request
Not verified
Not stated on the pages we read
Free tier
Included
Free to install today; paid tiers are still in draft
Partly
Limited free trial; from $89 perpetual; Team $12 per seat per monthSource: proxyman.com
  • Included
  • Partly
  • Not included
  • Not verified

Facts about Proxyman were read on its public product, pricing and documentation pages on 2026-09-01. If something has changed, tell us and we will correct the page. Report a correction

A fair call

When Proxyman is the right pick

Plenty of teams should keep using Proxyman. These are the cases where we would tell you to.

You want a native Mac app

Proxyman's macOS app is fast and polished — diff tool, command palette, request composer. If your debugging lives on one Mac, it is hard to beat.

You prefer a one-time licence

A perpetual seat with a year of updates suits a solo developer who does not want a subscription or a hosted service in the loop.

Your traffic must never leave the machine

Proxyman keeps logs local by default. If policy forbids a hosted feed, a local-first desktop debugger is the right shape.

Already decided to move off Proxyman?Read the Proxyman alternative page

FAQ

Questions people ask before switching

Do both capture on the iPhone without a Mac?

Yes. Proxyman for iOS states "No desktop required" and uses a local VPN on iOS 16 or later; Busymate DevTools for iOS also runs a local VPN tunnel on the phone. On this row the two are equivalent.

Which one has AI or MCP support?

Both. Proxyman advertises AI-powered debugging with MCP on the desktop app. Busymate DevTools exposes its whole dashboard over MCP — reads and confirm-gated writes on a feed that already contains every device, not just the laptop's capture.

How do the pricing models differ?

Proxyman sells perpetual per-seat licences (from $89 with a year of updates) and a team subscription at $12 per seat per month with cloud log sharing. Busymate DevTools is free to install today; its paid tiers are published as a draft and are not final.

Can a whole team look at the same traffic?

With Proxyman, a teammate opens a log you shared online from the Team plan. With Busymate DevTools, everyone is already watching the same live feed with roles enforced in the database — there is no export step.

See your own traffic in one feed

Follow the setup guide for your capture source, then open a request in the dashboard. HTTPS decryption requires certificate trust and a supported client.

Ask your mate