GDB

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Freedom report

Three barsScore 6.5

Free tierA free tier is on its own pricing page
Open codeNo open-source code on record
Runs widely3 of 6 device platforms
DocumentedPlans, terms and facts published

GDB is ranked #4 of 27 in debuggers on Freedom251. It runs on Linux, macOS, Windows. There is a free plan.

GDB plans and pricing

All plans

GDB Free GNU General Public License · source code available sourceware.org · 30 Sept 2026

Compared on debuggers

Free plan: Yes
Supported languages: Ada, Assembly, C, C++, D, Fortran, Go, Objective-C, OpenCL, Modula-2, Pascal, Rust
Target platforms: UNIX, Microsoft Windows, macOS; native, remote, and simulator targets
Remote debugging: Yes
Conditional breakpoints: Yes
Exception breakpoints: Yes
Time-travel debugging: Yes
Core dump debugging: Yes

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The record

Purpose: GDB lets users inspect what another program is doing while it executes or after it crashes.
Core debugging: GDB can start programs, stop them under specified conditions, examine stopped execution, and change program state for experimentation.
Targets: Programs can run on the same machine, another machine remotely, or a simulator.
Operating systems: GDB runs on popular UNIX and Microsoft Windows variants and on macOS.
Languages: GDB supports Ada, Assembly, C, C++, D, Fortran, Go, Objective-C, OpenCL, Modula-2, Pascal, and Rust.
Latest release: GDB version 18.1 was released on September 25, 2026.
Distribution: Official releases are downloadable from GNU's HTTPS server and Sourceware's releases site, with signature verification through the GNU keyring.
Python extension: GDB can be extended with Python when configured with --with-python.
Debugger protocols: GDB supports the console interpreter, GDB/MI, and the Debugger Adapter Protocol when built with Python support.
Record and replay: On supported platforms, GDB records process execution and replays it with forward and reverse execution commands.
Security behavior: On targets that support it, virtual address space randomization protects programs against certain security attacks.
License: GDB is free software protected by the GNU General Public License, which permits copying, adapting, and redistributing copies with source access.
Support: The project provides mailing lists for announcements, discussion, patches, bug reports, and testing.
Project identity: GDB is a Free Software project that is part of the GNU Project.
Price from: Free

Where it ranks on Freedom251

Best Debuggers in 2026#4 of 27

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Sources

sourceware.org/gdb/· checked 30 Sept 2026
sourceware.org/gdb/download/· checked 30 Sept 2026
sourceware.org/gdb/current/onlinedocs/gdb.html/Python.· checked 30 Sept 2026
sourceware.org/gdb/current/onlinedocs/gdb.html/Interpr· checked 30 Sept 2026
sourceware.org/gdb/download/onlinedocs/gdb.html/Proces· checked 30 Sept 2026
sourceware.org/gdb/current/onlinedocs/gdb· checked 30 Sept 2026
sourceware.org/gdb/current/onlinedocs/gdb.html/Free-So· checked 30 Sept 2026
sourceware.org/gdb/mailing-lists/· checked 30 Sept 2026
sourceware.org/gdb/code-of-conduct/Code-Of-Conduct.htm· checked 30 Sept 2026