The DebugBear Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about DebugBear in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
DebugBear
The Insider’s Guide
Page speed and Core Web Vitals monitoring with lab tests and RUM
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among technical SEO tools, read from DebugBear’s own pages.
Made by DebugBear Ltd · checked Oct 23, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from DebugBear’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on DebugBear’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 23, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.2
GPA, above 20 of the 83 other technical SEO tools we grade
DebugBear monitors website speed and Google's Core Web Vitals in three ways: scheduled Lighthouse lab tests, real user monitoring on the site's own visitors, and Google's Chrome UX Report data. It adds request waterfalls, fix recommendations, page speed experiments, regression alerts and uptime checks. Plans are priced by synthetic tests and page views a month.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about DebugBear, taken from its own pages and our grades.
You set up projects, pages and test schedules, then read waterfalls across three kinds of data.
- 1
Best for speed and Core Web Vitals monitoring
DebugBear tracks page speed three ways: scheduled Lighthouse tests, real user monitoring and Google's CrUX data, with waterfalls, fix suggestions and regression alerts.
- 2
Paid plans start at $99 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $99 per month, billed yearly ($1,188 a year).
- 3
You can try it first
14-day free trial, no credit card required
- 4
It runs on Web
Web.
- 5
Synthetic monitoring
Scheduled and on-demand Lighthouse lab tests from test locations around the world, including pages behind a login and multi-step user flows.
- 6
Real user monitoring
Measures Core Web Vitals for real visitors and shows which page elements and scripts cause slow interactions that hurt INP.
- 7
Google CrUX data
Tracks Chrome User Experience Report data over time and compares your site's real-visitor speed with competitors.
- 8
A 2.2 GPA, above 20 of 83
That is against the other technical SEO tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
Nothing DebugBear does is plain enough to make in a weekend. The 3 things listed below take a company.
DebugBear at a glance
- Pricing
- Free trial, from $99 per month, billed yearly ($1,188 a year)
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- 14-day free trial, no credit card required
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- DebugBear Ltd, since 2018
- Category
- Technical SEO & Site Audits
- Our grade
- 2.2 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for speed and Core Web Vitals monitoring
DebugBear tracks page speed three ways: scheduled Lighthouse tests, real user monitoring and Google's CrUX data, with waterfalls, fix suggestions and regression alerts. There's no free plan, it starts at $99 a month on yearly billing for 1 project, extra page views and tests cost more each month, and SSO and invoice payment are Enterprise only.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | Startup is $99 a month billed yearly ($1,188 a year) for 4,000 lab tests, 100,000 real-user page views and 1 project, in this category's dearer quarter. Team is $249 and Corporate / Agency $699. |
| Free plan and trial | C | No free plan, but the 14-day trial needs no card. After it, plans start at $99 a month on yearly billing. |
| Features | C | Lighthouse lab tests including logged-in pages and user flows, real user Core Web Vitals with INP attribution, CrUX tracking against competitors, waterfalls, speed experiments, alerts and uptime checks. It does speed monitoring fully, but that's a smaller job. |
| Ease of use | C | No rating on record. You set up projects, pages and test schedules, then read waterfalls across three kinds of data. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web, with an API, Slack, Microsoft Teams, GitHub, Looker Studio, Netlify, Vercel and CircleCI. No desktop or phone app. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who DebugBear is for
- Fits if you need lab, real-user and CrUX speed data for a site in one account
- Works for developers who want slow-page fixes as prompts for Claude Code or Cursor
Who it is not for
- Pricey if you have one small site, at $99 a month on yearly billing with no free plan
- Tight if you run several sites, as Startup covers 1 project and Team at $249 has 5
- Watch out: extra real-user page views, tests and projects are added for an extra monthly fee
- Not for you if you need SSO or invoice payment, which are Enterprise only at a custom price
Good to know
Good for
- SEO and development teams working to pass Core Web Vitals
- Agencies watching page speed across many client sites
- Catching speed regressions after a deploy
Worth knowing
- There is no free plan; after the 14-day trial, plans start at $99 a month on yearly billing.
- Startup covers 1 project and 10 users; more projects need Team (5) or Corporate / Agency (100).
- Extra RUM page views, synthetic tests and projects can be added to a plan for an extra monthly fee.
- Single sign-on, invoice payment and custom data retention come only with the custom-priced Enterprise plan.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$99
A month to start
DebugBear is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $99 per month, billed yearly ($1,188 a year).
Startup
$99
per month, billed yearly ($1,188 a year)
4,000 synthetic tests (about 125 pages tested daily), 100,000 RUM page views, 10 uptime monitors, 1 project and 10 users.
Team
$249
per month, billed yearly ($2,988 a year)
10,000 synthetic tests (about 320 pages daily), 500,000 RUM page views, 50 uptime monitors, 5 projects and 50 users.
Corporate / Agency
$699
per month, billed yearly ($8,388 a year)
50,000 synthetic tests (about 1,600 pages daily), 2 million RUM page views, 100 monitors, 100 projects and unlimited users.
Enterprise
Custom
Custom quotes with invoice payment, single sign-on, security forms, custom contracts and data retention, training and Slack support.
Trying it first
14-day free trial, no credit card required
Read from debugbear.com on Oct 23, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
Save 20% with yearly billing
DebugBear's pricing page marks yearly billing as a 20% saving over paying month to month.
Stated on debugbear.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Page speed and Core Web Vitals monitoring with lab tests and RUM. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, dashboards, page speed.
It does speed monitoring fully, but that's a smaller job.
- Synthetic monitoring
- Scheduled and on-demand Lighthouse lab tests from test locations around the world, including pages behind a login and multi-step user flows.
- Real user monitoring
- Measures Core Web Vitals for real visitors and shows which page elements and scripts cause slow interactions that hurt INP.
- Google CrUX data
- Tracks Chrome User Experience Report data over time and compares your site's real-visitor speed with competitors.
- Waterfalls and recommendations
- Request waterfalls tied to CPU and rendering activity, automatic fix suggestions, and ready-made prompts for coding agents such as Claude Code or Cursor.
- Page speed experiments
- Try an optimization on a test run to see its effect before deploying the change to the live site.
- Alerts, comparisons and exports
- Automatic alerts on regressions, before-and-after comparisons, chart annotations, video exports and PDF or CSV reports. Data is kept for 24 months.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- Slack
- Microsoft Teams
- GitHub
- Looker Studio
- Netlify
- Vercel
- CircleCI
DebugBear is made by DebugBear Ltd, and has been around since 2018.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
20/83
Other technical SEO tools it is graded above
DebugBear's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 20 of the 83 other technical SEO tools we grade, and level with 20.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (B, above 27 of 83) and worst on ease of use (C, above 7).
Its paid plans start at $99 a month, against a middle price of $22.41 for the category: 45 of the 52 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 7 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 84 technical SEO tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. DebugBear’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 9 of 83
- CFree plan and trialAbove 18 of 83
- CFeaturesAbove 10 of 83
- CEase of useAbove 7 of 83
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 27 of 83
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 73 technical SEO tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. DebugBear is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
Nothing DebugBear does is plain enough to make in a weekend. The 3 things listed below take a company.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 43 of the 83 other technical SEO tools grade higher. It costs $1,188 a year.
What you could not
- Speed tests run from real browsers on a schedule.
- Connections that pull numbers from dozens of other services.
- It plugs into other products, Slack, Microsoft Teams and GitHub among them, and has an API.
What this rests on. DebugBear’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
SpeedCurve, Calibre, GTmetrix, WebPageTest and Treo
The 5 tools DebugBear is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.2GPA
SpeedCurve
Free trial · from $90/mo
Web performance monitoring with RUM, synthetic tests and budgets.
- 2.2GPA
Calibre
Free trial · from $75/mo
Web performance monitoring with RUM, CrUX data and synthetic tests.
- DebugBear also covers dashboards.
- 2.8GPA
GTmetrix
Free plan · from $4.99/mo
Page speed testing with Lighthouse reports, monitoring and an API.
- GTmetrix has a free plan. DebugBear does not, though it has a free trial.
- DebugBear also covers dashboards.
- 2.6GPA
WebPageTest
Free plan · from $180/yr
Page speed tests from real browsers in locations around the world.
- WebPageTest has a free plan. DebugBear does not, though it has a free trial.
- 2.2GPA
Treo
Free plan · from $75/mo
Core Web Vitals dashboard built on CrUX data and Lighthouse runs.
- Treo has a free plan. DebugBear does not, though it has a free trial.
- DebugBear also covers dashboards.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
14
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is DebugBear free?
No, DebugBear is a paid product, but you can try it first. 14-day free trial, no credit card required.
How much does DebugBear cost?
DebugBear lists 4 plans. Startup: $99 per month, billed yearly ($1,188 a year).
What platforms does DebugBear work on?
DebugBear is available on Web.
Does DebugBear offer any discounts?
DebugBear publicly lists the following: Save 20% with yearly billing.
Does DebugBear have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 23, 2026. DebugBear is listed for Web.
Does DebugBear have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 23, 2026. DebugBear is listed for Web.
Is DebugBear open source?
DebugBear is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 23, 2026.
Does DebugBear have an API?
Yes. DebugBear offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does DebugBear integrate with?
DebugBear's listing names Slack, Microsoft Teams, GitHub, Looker Studio, Netlify, Vercel and CircleCI.
Who makes DebugBear?
DebugBear is made by DebugBear Ltd. It dates from 2018.
What are the alternatives to DebugBear?
The closest alternatives to DebugBear in our directory are SpeedCurve, Calibre, GTmetrix, WebPageTest and Treo.
How does DebugBear compare with other technical SEO tools?
DebugBear's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 20 of the 83 other technical SEO tools we grade, and level with 20.
Is DebugBear good value for money?
ToolGPA grades DebugBear C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $99 a month, against a middle price of $22.41 for the category: 45 of the 52 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of DebugBear?
Nothing DebugBear does is plain enough to make in a weekend. The 3 things listed below take a company.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from DebugBear’s own pages on Oct 23, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 23, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from DebugBear's own pages on 23 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by DebugBear Ltd. Prices change, so check debugbear.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- DebugBear, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/debugbear
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "DebugBear: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 23, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/debugbear
Know someone choosing between technical SEO tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/debugbear/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded technical SEO tools after DebugBear, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Technical SEO & Site Audits Insider's GuideEvery one of the 84 technical SEO tools we grade, compared
- Lighthouse Insider's GuideGoogle's open-source audit of page speed, accessibility and SEO3.2 GPA
- PageSpeed Insights Insider's GuideFree Google speed test with real-user Core Web Vitals and Lighthouse3.2 GPA
- Yellow Lab Tools Insider's GuideFree open-source audit of a page's speed and front-end code3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what DebugBear’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. DebugBear is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by DebugBear Ltd. Prices and plans change: check debugbear.com before you buy.