7 best bug reporting software (according to real users)

April 8, 2024
Published
12 minutes
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Bugs and Testing
Category

Choosing the right bug reporting software is a crucial step in your bug management process.  

But with so many options on the market, finding the perfect fit can be overwhelming.  

That’s why we’ve done some of the legwork for you. 

We’ve analyzed countless user reviews across popular review sites like Capterra, G2, Software Advice, and GetApp to bring you the top-rated bug reporting tools. 

Through these user insights, we unveil the real-world strengths and weaknesses of these tools and highlight the features that truly matter to development teams. 

Get ready to discover the best of the best systems, backed by the voices of those who use them daily.

Shake

Let’s start with Shake, our very own bug and crash reporting tool designed to streamline the bug-fixing process. 

Our tool generates detailed bug reports with just a shake of a device, collecting environment data, screenshots, recordings, console logs, and much more. 

With powerful integrations with other tools in your stack and in-built bug tracking options, Shake is one of the best choices for users.

shakebugs screenshot
Source: Shake

Key features: 

  • Automatically generated bug reports
  • Data-rich bug reports with 71 data points 
  • Unlimited seats and sessions
  • Features for bug tracking
  • Live chat feature
  • Customizable forms for gathering user feedback
  • Sensitive data protection

Get unreal data to fix real issues in your app & web.

Shake’s user ratings on review websites such as Software AdviceCapterra, and GetApp are overwhelmingly positive, earning our solution a 5-star rating across the board.

shake user ratings screenshot
Data: Software AdviceCapterraGetApp / Illustration: Shake

Upon going through user reviews on the aforementioned websites, the following pros and cons stand out the most: 

ProsCons
Easy integration and setupSome users desire more customization and graphs
Rich data for fast debuggingLimited to mobile apps
User-friendly bug reporting
Excellent value for the price

Overall, reviewers praise Shake’s simplicity and comprehensive reporting, with one Software Advice reviewer saying the following:

Shake is easy to use and helps us better understand each incoming bug report, even the most complex ones. It became a vital part of our quality assurance process.

Now let’s take a look at Shake’s pricing options for annual subscriptions.

shake plans and pricing screenshot
Source: Shake

Each of our plans—including the Free one—provides access to all the features we offer, allowing you to thoroughly test our bug reporting software before committing to one of our paid plans.

Also, if you’re a startup in need of our Premium plan, you can get a discount: $15 per month for your first year, and $60 per month for your second.

Overall, Shake’s powerful features make it an excellent choice for mobile development teams of any size.

Bugfender

Bugfender is a bug reporting and log storage system designed to help developers gain deeper insights into app behavior and resolve bugs more effectively. 

Its features emphasize collecting user-centric logs and detailed information surrounding bugs.

bugfender tool screenshot
Source: Bugfender

Key Features:

  • Independently collects logs without contacting users
  • Device and user-specific log collection
  • Collects tailored user feedback in-app
  • Automatic detection of alarming log levels
  • Remote log collection

If we take a look at the image below, you can see that Bugfender has generally positive ratings across popular user review websites.

bugfender user ratings screenshot
Data: Software AdviceCapterraG2 / Illustration: Shake

Let’s now explore what users highlight as the pros and cons of this bug reporting software.

ProsCons
Easy integration and setupLimited crash reporting detail
User-centric logging allows better customer supportLogs can be hard to read on the web, some prefer downloading
Excellent logging capabilityOccasional delays in logs appearing on the web
Customizable feedback formsLimited filters for searching and crashes
Performance and UI are praisedCost can be high at higher daily log lines

Reviewers appreciate Bugfender’s easy setup and praise the logging capabilities, with one Capterra reviewer having this to say: 

I’d still recommend its use in every project that has the need for remote logging.

Let’s now take a look at Bugfender’s plans and pricing options.

bugfender plans and pricing
Source: Bugfender

Bugfender offers a free tier with lower daily log lines and a reduced feature set.  

The paid tiers unlock more advanced features and have increased log data retention periods. 

However, it’s important to note that pricing is based on the volume of daily log lines, so costs can scale significantly for projects with high log generation.

As it stands, Bugfender is a valuable tool for developers who prioritize in-depth logging.

Bird Eats Bug

Bird Eats Bug is a versatile bug reporting and screen capture tool designed to streamline communication and simplify debugging for websites and web apps.

This Chrome browser extension excels at capturing user interactions, technical logs, and environment details directly from the browser. 

You can also use it as a web SDK and find bugs in your internal and production apps.

bird eats bug tool screenshot
Source: Bird Eats Bug

Key Features:

  • Easy bug reporting directly from the browser
  • Screen recording with webcam and mic support
  • Collection of logs, network requests, and other technical data
  • Intuitive and easy-to-use interface
  • E2E templates for creating automated tests

Let’s turn to Bird Eats Bug’s ratings and explore the pros and cons highlighted in user reviews.

bird eats bug user ratings screenshot
Data: Software AdviceGetAppG2 / Illustration: Shake
ProsCons
Easy to use, minimal overheadOccasionally slow uploads for large files
Saves time in reporting and debuggingSome users crave more advanced features
Comprehensive data capturePotential friction in the sharing process for end-users
Excellent value, especially for smaller teamsMinor recording glitches
User-friendly for anyone using Chrome

Reviewers consistently praise Bird Eats Bug’s time-saving benefits, with one G2 user saying the following:

This tool can help to optimize your time and increase your productivity by allowing you to manage your tasks more easily.

Now, let’s turn to plans and pricing.

bird eats bug pricing screenshot
Source: Bird Eats Bug

Bird Eats Bug offers a free 14-day trial, but all tiers—Starter, Premium, and Enterprise—require a subscription, starting at $50. 

The Starter and Premium subscriptions both allow only five team members to use the software but have unlimited recordings.

Overall, Bird Eats Bug is a powerful tool that simplifies bug reporting through recordings and adds a communication boost to teams of all sizes.

Bugsee

Bugsee is a bug reporting tool that emphasizes visual feedback and automatic data capture. 

It aims to help developers understand and replicate bugs quickly, using features like video playback and detailed technical logs.

bugsee tool screenshot
Source: Bugsee

Key Features:

  • Easy integration with only one line of code
  • Automatic screenshot & bug report generation
  • Video playback of user actions leading to an issue
  • Developer dashboard for centralized bug management

Unfortunately, Bugsee has little review data on popular review sites, with only G2 having the tool listed, albeit with a 5-star rating.

Here are the pros and cons users mention.

ProsCons
Visual feedback features (video, screenshots) Limited device count on lower tiers
Easy setup and integration with one line of codeUnlimited data retention only in custom plans
Time-saving for developersSome users would like a mobile app
Improves customer support experienceCan get expensive

Let’s take a look at Bugsee’s pricing.

bugsee plans and pricing screenshot
Source: Bugsee

Bugsee has a Lite plan that is free with most of the features available, although with data retention and device limitations. 

Even the Pro plan has one month of data retention and a 50-device limit, which is low compared to other tools.

All in all, Bugsee is a valuable tool for developers who want to streamline bug reporting and gain visual insights into how users experience issues.

Instabug

Instabug is a popular, comprehensive bug reporting and feedback platform designed to help identify and resolve issues in mobile apps. 

It offers features for in-app bug reporting, crash reporting, user feedback, and more.

instabug tool screenshot
Source: Instabug

Key Features:

  • In-app bug reporting
  • Detailed data collection
  • In-app chats
  • App performance monitoring
  • In-app surveys for user feedback
  • Session replay before a bug occurred

Let’s analyze Instabug’s ratings and explore the pros and cons highlighted in user reviews.

instabug user ratings screenshot
Data: Software AdviceGetAppG2Capterra / Illustration: Shake

We have summarized the most prominent pros and cons of this bug reporting software in the table below.

ProsCons
Rich data collectionPricing can be steep, especially for growing teams
Easy to monitor issuesAccount management can be complex
User-friendly interfaceLimited API capabilities
Visual flow for tracking bugsSetup requires some effort
Simplifies communication with usersCan lack in-depth issue management features

Reviewers have generally positive things to say but some find it expensive, with one G2 user saying that “Instabug provides the most reliable tools to work with” but that “the prices are not the most friendly.”

With that being said, let’s take a look at the Instabug plans and pricing options.

instabug plans and pricing screenshot
Source: Instabug

As you can see, Instabug’s costs are the highest on our list, especially when considering the alternatives

The Basic plan starts at $249 a month, but useful features like session replay and alerts for critical issues are only available at higher tiers. 

Instabug offers a 14-day trial, though, so you can explore whether this system is right for you.

In summary, Instabug is a powerful tool for mobile app teams that need a robust set of features, but that can handle the subscription costs.

Very handy for handling user feedback. CTOs, devs, testers – rejoice.

Ruttl

Ruttl is a design feedback and collaboration tool designed primarily for website bug reporting and feedback, but with notable mobile app reporting capabilities. 

It allows users to leave comments, make edits to websites, and report bugs directly on live websites or web apps.

ruttl tool screenshot
Source: Ruttl

Key Features:

  • Live commenting on live websites and apps
  • Real-time edits on website content 
  • Useful bug tracking features
  • Live chat feature
  • Integrates with popular project management tools

Let’s take a look at Ruttl’s ratings and explore the pros and cons according to users.

As you can see in the image below, this bug reporting software generally receives high user ratings.

ruttl user ratings screenshot
Data: Software AdviceGetAppG2 / Illustration: Shake

According to the reviews from these websites, these are the biggest pros and cons of opting for Ruttl:

ProsCons
Streamlines client feedbackLimited mobile support for review
Intuitive interfaceWebsites can sometimes render incorrectly
Excellent customer supportPoor project limits on lower tiers
Live editing eliminates confusionSome browser support issues
Real-time collaboration and bug tracking

Reviewers praise Ruttl’s ease of use and collaboration features that really shine when working with websites, with a G2 user saying:

Ruttl has become an indispensable tool in my web design projects, fundamentally changing the way I interact with clients and simplifying the process of gathering feedback through real-time comments.

Let’s take a look at Ruttl’s pricing tiers.

ruttl plans and pricing
Source: Ruttl

As you can see, Ruttl has a Free tier restricted to one project and 5 users with few limitations in terms of features, only some storage limits. 

The higher tiers—Pro and Team—are priced monthly and per user, but with unlimited guests that can go in and leave live comments on projects.

Overall, Ruttl is an excellent tool for web designers and agencies seeking to streamline client feedback, visually track bugs, and collaborate effectively on website projects.

Sentry

Finally, we have Sentry, a popular open-source error tracking and monitoring platform designed to help developers stay on top of bugs and performance issues in real time. 

This system supports a wide range of programming languages and integrates seamlessly with other development tools.

sentry tool screenshot
Source: Sentry

Key Features:

  • Detailed error reports and stack traces
  • Pinpoints errors directly in your codebase
  • Connects issues to specific releases
  • Tracks app performance metrics
  • Collects user feedback on issues
  • Connects with popular project management tools 

Just like with the other bug reporting software solutions we presented in this article, Sentry’s ratings are overwhelmingly positive. 

sentry user ratings
Data: GetAppCapterraG2 / Illustration: Shake

Now, let’s take a look at the pros and cons that users highlighted in their reviews:

ProsCons
Easy integration and setupUI can be overwhelming at times
Detailed error reportsOccasional difficulty finding all needed information
Helpful context for debuggingSDK integration can be challenging
Source code integration for error pinpointingSome learning curve to master the UI
Full-stack error monitoringRate limits can be restrictive

Reviewers really appreciate Sentry’s detailed reports, with one G2 reviewer saying the following:

I love the details provided in every error. Sentry has made it easier to track down some of our hardest to find issues. It has also allowed us to find items we never would have known about.

Last, we have Sentry’s pricing.

sentry plans and pricing screenshot
Source: Sentry

Sentry provides a free plan with limited functionality and free trials for the more feature-rich Team and Business plans. 

It’s worth noting that this software’s pricing structure is based on the number of events captured, which may be costly for some teams.

With that being said, Sentry is a powerful and versatile error monitoring tool favored by developers who value open-source solutions, extensive integrations, and detailed error insights.

Conclusion

We hope this in-depth look at the top seven bug reporting tools has been helpful.

In this article, we’ve explored each platform’s key features, showcased their strengths and weaknesses according to review data, and even highlighted some of the honest ratings and opinions of real users.  

Whether you prioritize ease of use, comprehensive features, or data analytics, there’s a solution out there to transform your bug reporting process.  

Armed with this knowledge, you can go and make a more informed choice and select the bug reporting software that aligns perfectly with your team’s needs.

About Shake

From internal bug reporting to production and customer support, our all-in-one SDK gets you all the right clues to fix issues in your mobile app and website.

We love to think it makes CTOs life easier, QA tester’s reports better and dev’s coding faster. If you agree that user feedback is key – Shake is your door lock.

Read more about us here.

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