Charles vs Burp Suite

Struggling to choose between Charles and Burp Suite? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Charles is a Development solution with tags like proxy, http, https, monitor, reverse-proxy.

It boasts features such as HTTP proxy, HTTP monitor, Reverse proxy, View HTTP/HTTPS traffic, View requests, View responses, View HTTP headers, View cookies, View caching information and pros including Debug HTTP/HTTPS connections, Inspect traffic between machine and internet, Identify performance issues, Troubleshoot network requests.

On the other hand, Burp Suite is a Security & Privacy product tagged with web-security, penetration-testing, vulnerability-scanner, proxy, intrusion-detection.

Its standout features include Interception Proxy, Web Vulnerability Scanner, Intruder, Repeater, Sequencer, Decoder, Comparer, Extender, and it shines with pros like Powerful tool for testing web app security, Numerous advanced features, Active community support, Extensible via plugins, Good at finding common vulnerabilities.

Feature	Charles	Burp Suite
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Development	Security & Privacy

Product Overview

Charles

Description: Charles is an HTTP proxy / HTTP monitor / Reverse Proxy that enables a developer to view all of the HTTP and SSL / HTTPS traffic between their machine and the Internet. This includes requests, responses and the HTTP headers (which contain the cookies and caching information).

Burp Suite

Description: Burp Suite is a platform for performing security testing of web applications. It includes tools like an interception proxy, scanner, intruder, repeater, sequencer, and decoder to help test for vulnerabilities.

Key Features Comparison

Charles Features

• HTTP proxy
• HTTP monitor
• Reverse proxy
• View HTTP/HTTPS traffic
• View requests
• View responses
• View HTTP headers
• View cookies
• View caching information

Burp Suite Features

• Interception Proxy
• Web Vulnerability Scanner
• Intruder
• Repeater
• Sequencer
• Decoder
• Comparer
• Extender

Pros & Cons Analysis

Charles

Pros

• Debug HTTP/HTTPS connections
• Inspect traffic between machine and internet
• Identify performance issues
• Troubleshoot network requests

Cons

• Steep learning curve
• Manual configuration required
• Extra overhead for all HTTP traffic
• Potential privacy concerns

Burp Suite

Pros

• Powerful tool for testing web app security
• Numerous advanced features
• Active community support
• Extensible via plugins
• Good at finding common vulnerabilities

Cons

• Steep learning curve
• Can be resource intensive
• Limited automated scanning capabilities
• Difficult to configure properly

Pricing Comparison

Charles

• Free
• Open Source

Burp Suite

• Free
• Subscription-Based