- Bug reporting tools compared
- Eleven bug reporting tools to try
- Where to start for your team
- What makes a bug report useful
- Visual feedback widgets versus screen recordings
- Questions to ask before you choose a bug reporting tool
- Signs your bug reports need help
- My plain advice on choosing a bug reporting tool
- Frequently asked questions
The best bug reporting tools let clients, testers and users report a problem in a couple of clicks, with a screenshot or recording and the technical details your developer needs attached. Some are website feedback widgets for agencies, while others are built for mobile apps. Eleven options follow in no particular order.
"The button doesn't work" is the start of a long email chain. Which button? Which page? Which browser? A good bug report answers those questions before anyone has to ask, and the right tool captures most of them automatically.
The eleven tools below are listed alphabetically and in no particular order, and every description comes from the tool's own website, read this week. If you also want feedback on what customers like, not only what's broken, my roundup of customer feedback tools covers that side.
Bug reporting tools compared
I checked the free plan column on each tool's own website, as of Oct 2026. Yes means the site names a free plan, a free version, a free tier or an open source version. Trial only means a time-limited trial. Not stated means the pages I read named neither, even where there's a button inviting you to start for free, so check the vendor's page before you sign up.
| Tool | Type | Good for | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bird Eats Bug | Screen recording bug reporting tool | Recordings with technical logs | Yes |
| BugHerd | Website feedback and bug tracking tool | Client feedback on live websites | Trial only |
| Feedbucket | Website feedback and annotation tool | Agency feedback sent to project tools | Trial only |
| Jam | Screen recorder for bugs and feedback | One-click bug videos | Not stated |
| Luciq | Mobile observability platform, formerly Instabug | Mobile app bugs and crashes | Not stated |
| Marker.io | Website feedback tool for teams | Screenshots sent to issue trackers | Trial only |
| Markup.io | Feedback on websites and digital content | Quick comments on any content | Not stated |
| Shake | Bug and crash reporting for apps and websites | Reports from inside mobile apps | Yes |
| Userback | User feedback software | Feedback widgets and session replay | Not stated |
| Usersnap | Product evidence platform for enterprise teams | Larger teams collecting product evidence | Not stated |
| Ybug | Visual bug reporting and website feedback | Lightweight reports with context | Trial only |
Eleven bug reporting tools to try
Bird Eats Bug
Best for: Product teams who want screen recordings that capture technical logs automatically, with a free plan for small teams.
BugHerd
Best for: Web agencies who want clients to pin feedback straight onto a live website instead of sending long emails.
Feedbucket
Best for: Agencies who want website feedback and annotations to land in the project management tool they already use.
Jam
Best for: Software teams who want to record a bug in one click, with the technical context engineers need attached.
Luciq
Best for: Mobile app teams who want bug reports, crash data and performance signals from their iOS and Android apps.
Marker.io
Best for: Teams who want annotated screenshots with technical data sent straight to their issue tracker from any website.
Markup.io
Best for: Freelancers and marketers who want to drop comments on websites, images and PDFs and share them for review.
Shake
Best for: App teams who want bug and crash reports from inside their mobile apps, plus a free Chrome extension for websites.
Userback
Best for: SaaS teams who want a feedback widget, session replay and feature requests gathered in one place.
Usersnap
Best for: Larger product teams who want screenshots, feedback and user evidence collected in one platform to guide decisions.
Ybug
Best for: Freelancers and small teams who want a light visual bug reporting widget that captures full technical context.
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Where to start for your team
- Client feedback on live websites: BugHerd or Feedbucket.
- One-click bug videos for developers: Jam.
- Mobile app bugs and crashes: Luciq or Shake.
- Screenshots sent to your issue tracker: Marker.io.
- A small team on a free plan: Bird Eats Bug.
What makes a bug report useful
Mozilla's Bug Writing Guidelines tell reporters to open a new bug report for each issue and to work out the steps to reproduce the bug. If a problem can't be reproduced, it's much harder for anyone to fix.
A tool can capture the screen, the browser and the console for you, but it can't decide what the problem is. One issue per report, clear steps and what you expected to happen are still what get bugs fixed quickly.
Visual feedback widgets versus screen recordings
Visual widgets let people click on part of a web page and leave a comment, which suits clients reviewing a new website. Each comment arrives with a screenshot and the page details attached.
Screen recordings show exactly what happened, step by step, which is better for bugs that only appear after a sequence of clicks. Developers often prefer them because they can watch the problem rather than imagine it.
Questions to ask before you choose a bug reporting tool
- Can clients report bugs without creating an account?
- Does it capture browser, device and console details?
- Does it send reports to the issue tracker we already use?
- Can it record the screen as well as take screenshots?
- Does it work on mobile apps as well as websites?
- Can we hide the widget from the public?
Signs your bug reports need help
- Developers keep asking which page. Capture the URL automatically.
- Clients send screenshots by email. Give them a widget.
- Bugs can't be reproduced. Record the steps.
- Reports get lost in inboxes. Send them to your tracker.
Do you make a bug reporting or website feedback tool? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
My plain advice on choosing a bug reporting tool
Choose the tool your clients or users will use without being nagged. The most detailed report in the world is no help if people still send a vague email instead, so try the reporting flow yourself as if you'd never seen it before.
Agree what happens next, too: who triages reports, how quickly they're answered and how people hear about a fix. If you're launching a new site, my ecommerce website checklist helps you catch problems before customers do.
Frequently asked questions
What is a bug reporting tool?
A bug reporting tool lets people report problems with a website or app, usually with a screenshot or recording and technical details attached automatically.
Are there free bug reporting tools?
Some offer free plans, free extensions or trials. The free plan column above shows what each tool's own site says.
What should a good bug report include?
Clear steps to reproduce the problem, what you expected to happen, what happened instead, and details such as the browser and device.
Can clients use these tools without an account?
Many website feedback tools let clients leave comments through a widget or link without signing up.
What's the difference between bug reporting and bug tracking?
Bug reporting captures the problem. Bug tracking manages it afterwards, from triage to fix, usually in an issue tracker.
Do these tools work on mobile apps?
Some are built for mobile apps and can capture crashes and device details, while others focus on websites.
