Proxyman

Proxyman is a native macOS HTTP/HTTPS debugging proxy that lets developers intercept, inspect, and rewrite network traffic from any app on their Mac, iPhone simulator, or physical iOS device.

What is Proxyman?

Proxyman is a dedicated network debugging tool built specifically for macOS, giving you a live view of every HTTP and HTTPS request your apps and browsers make. Unlike older Java-based alternatives that feel transplanted onto macOS, Proxyman was designed from the ground up to feel at home on the platform — SwiftUI interface, full Apple Silicon support, and tight integration with macOS accessibility conventions. It sits between your app and the internet, decrypting TLS traffic so you can read, record, and modify it in real time.

What does Proxyman do best?

Proxyman's strongest suit is its combination of effortless certificate setup and a genuinely legible request viewer. Getting HTTPS interception running on a fresh Mac takes under two minutes — a significant improvement over the multi-step trust gymnastics Charles Proxy requires. Once you're up and running, requests appear in a clean two-pane layout: the list on the left updates live, and the detail panel on the right renders JSON, XML, images, and form data with proper syntax highlighting rather than a wall of raw bytes.

The Scripting feature is where power users will spend most of their time. You write JavaScript snippets that hook into the request/response cycle — mock an endpoint, rewrite a header, inject a delay, redirect a URL — all without touching your application code. It's a faster feedback loop than editing a local proxy PAC file or spinning up a stub server. Combine that with Map Local (serve a local file in place of a remote response) and Map Remote (redirect one URL to another), and you have a complete API mocking toolkit baked right into the proxy.

Physical iOS device support is first-class. Proxyman walks you through installing its CA certificate on your iPhone over the local network, then routes the device's traffic through your Mac automatically. I've used this to debug production API calls on a real handset in minutes — something that used to require a full Charles + mitmproxy dance.

Is Proxyman free?

Proxyman offers a generous free tier that lets you inspect requests without a time limit, which is enough for casual debugging sessions. Advanced features — Scripting, Breakpoints, unlimited filter rules, and iOS device support beyond the basics — require a paid license. Pricing is a one-time purchase per seat with optional upgrade protection, rather than a subscription. Students and educators can apply for a discounted license through the developer's education program.

Who should use Proxyman?

Proxyman is primarily aimed at iOS and macOS developers who need to debug network calls during app development, but it earns its place on the Mac of any backend engineer, QA tester, or technically inclined product manager who regularly needs to understand what an app is actually sending over the wire. If you've ever opened Safari's network inspector and wished for something with more surgical controls — the ability to pause a request mid-flight and edit the body before it continues — Proxyman is that tool.

It is not a penetration-testing framework or a general-purpose packet sniffer. For raw TCP/UDP inspection you'll still reach for Wireshark. And if your workflow is predominantly browser-only, Charles Proxy or even the built-in browser DevTools network panel may be sufficient without the overhead of running a system-wide proxy.

How does Proxyman compare to Charles Proxy?

Charles Proxy is the long-standing incumbent — battle-tested, feature-complete, and familiar to a generation of mobile developers. Proxyman beats it decisively on aesthetics and ease of setup; Charles still wins on cross-platform reach (it also runs on Windows and Linux) and a longer history of edge-case fixes. If you work exclusively on a Mac and find Charles's Swing-era UI a constant source of friction, switching to Proxyman is low-risk. If you collaborate with Windows teammates who need identical tooling, Charles remains the safer common denominator.

A third option worth naming: mitmproxy is free, open source, and extraordinarily powerful if you're comfortable in the terminal. It lacks a native GUI, which is the whole reason Proxyman and Charles exist.

What are the best Proxyman alternatives?

• Charles Proxy — cross-platform, mature, Java-based. The safe legacy choice.
• mitmproxy — free, open source, CLI/web UI. Best for scripted automation pipelines.
• Wireshark — full packet capture at the network layer; different use case but occasionally the right tool.
• HTTP Toolkit — browser-focused, free tier strong, also handles Node.js interception well.