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A Charles Proxy alternative for Mac
HTTPGlass is a native Mac HTTP and HTTPS debugging proxy with a free tier and no time limit, plus its own iPhone, iPad and Android apps. Charles runs on Mac, Windows and Linux, uses Java, and sells a $50 licence after a 30-day trial.
| HTTPGlass | Charles Proxy | |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop platforms | macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon and Intel | Mac, Windows and Linux |
| Runtime | Native Mac app | Uses Java |
| Price | Free with no time limit; Pro $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year for up to 3 Macs | $50 per user licence, after a 30-day trial |
| Licence model | Subscription | One-time, valid for the current major version (5.x) |
| iPhone and iPad app | Free, Pro subscription in the App Store; iOS 18 or later | $8.99 in the App Store; iOS 17 or later |
| Android app | Yes, Android 10 or later | None listed on the Charles site |
| Breakpoints, Map Local, Map Remote, Rewrite, throttling | Yes | Yes |
| JavaScript scripting | Yes (Pro) | Not listed among the Charles tools |
Facts about other products checked against their official pages on . Prices and features change; follow the sources below for the current details.
The short answer
Charles is a long-running HTTP debugging proxy, and it is still updated: version 5.2.2 came out on 11 October 2026. If you work on a Mac and want a native app with a free tier that never expires, HTTPGlass covers the same daily jobs: capture and decrypt HTTPS, pause a request at a breakpoint, answer it from a local file, send it to another server, rewrite it, or slow the network down.
What changes when you switch
- Price. Charles is $50 per user licence after a 30-day trial. HTTPGlass for Mac is free with no time limit; Pro is $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year for up to three Macs.
- Platforms. HTTPGlass is Mac-only on the desktop. Charles also runs on Windows and Linux.
- Phones. Charles sells an iPhone and iPad app for $8.99. HTTPGlass has free iPhone, iPad and Android apps that capture on the device itself, with Pro sold separately in each store.
- Scripting. HTTPGlass Pro runs your own
onRequestandonResponseJavaScript against matching traffic. See scripting. - Picking an app. HTTPGlass for Mac can decrypt just the app you’re debugging and labels every request with the app that made it. See per-app capture.
Moving over
Download HTTPGlass, trust its root certificate once, and press Start. It sets the macOS system proxy while it captures and puts your previous setting back when you stop, so you can switch between the two tools. Clients that keep their own trust store, such as Firefox, Java, Node.js and Python, need the same one-time setup they needed for Charles. See command-line tools and other trust stores.
Stay with Charles if
- You need Windows or Linux.
- You want a one-time licence instead of a subscription.
Questions
Is HTTPGlass free?
The Mac app has a free tier with no time limit. It captures and decrypts one app, or up to five hosts, at a time, with every inspector, search and HAR export. Pro, at $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year, adds Map Local, Map Remote, Rewrite, scripting, throttling and unlimited rules.
Can I keep using Charles alongside HTTPGlass?
Yes. HTTPGlass listens on port 9191 by default, clear of Charles's default port. Only one of them can be the system proxy at a time; HTTPGlass restores the previous setting when you stop capturing.
Does HTTPGlass run on Windows?
No. HTTPGlass runs on Mac, iPhone, iPad and Android. Charles is the better fit if you need Windows or Linux.
Sources
Also on iPhone & iPad and Android:App StoreGoogle Play