BenchRank
#22 in API DevelopmentUpdated 2026-08

Charles

by Charles · HTTP proxy and monitor for viewing HTTP and HTTPS traffic

29.6 — BenchRank score out of 100

Screenshots of Charles

  • Homepage

Homepage · Charles

Homepage of Charles

Overview

Charles is an HTTP proxy, HTTP monitor and reverse proxy that lets a developer view all HTTP and SSL/HTTPS traffic between their machine and the internet, including requests, responses, headers and cookies. It records traffic, simulates slower connections and shows download statistics. It is distributed as a download, with a free trial of version 5.2.

Best for
Developers who need to inspect HTTP and HTTPS traffic between their machine and the internet
Pricing
No prices appear in the captured text; the site links to a Buy page and offers a free trial download.
Runs on
iOS

Strengths and trade-offs

Strengths

  • Records all HTTP and HTTPS traffic, with headers and cookies
  • Reveals request, response, cookie and caching contents
  • Simulates slower internet connections
  • Free trial download of the current version

Trade-offs

  • No prices published on the captured pages, though there is a Buy page
  • Download is a free trial, so continued use implies a purchase
  • Runs as a downloaded desktop application on your own machine
  • Linked third-party reviews cover Flash and early iPhone work, so are dated

How this score is made up

Each dimension is scored out of 100 and combined into the headline score using fixed weights.

MCP support
0 out of 100
Documentation
45 out of 100
Agent friendliness
65 out of 100
Changelog
0 out of 100
Marketing site structure
65 out of 100
Operational trust
0 out of 100

Measured, but not part of the score

Useful to know, but not a mark for or against the product — so these do not affect the ranking.

Openness
0 out of 100

This doesn’t look right — report a problem with Charles’s score

Alternatives in API Development

  • Ranked 1

    86 — BenchRank score out of 100

    Postman

    Postman · API platform for designing, testing, monitoring and distributing APIs

    Best for: Development teams building, testing and managing APIs who want one tool from spec to monitoring.

  • Ranked 2

    84.8 — BenchRank score out of 100

    Scalar

    Scalar · API docs, SDKs, MCP servers and an API client from one OpenAPI file

    Best for: API teams that want docs, SDKs and MCP servers generated from one OpenAPI document

  • Ranked 3

    72.5 — BenchRank score out of 100

    Fern

    Fern · Docs, SDKs and a CLI generated from your API spec

    Best for: Teams with an OpenAPI-style spec who want hosted docs, generated SDKs and a CLI from one source

See all 25 alternatives to Charles

Report a problem with this page

Report an issue with Charles