Responsively App alternative: Breakpane and Responsively compared
Responsively App shows your site on several devices side by side, for free. Breakpane is paid and shows a framed device floating above your editor. Here is what each one does, with a source for every fact.
Checked on
The short version
- Pick Responsively App if you want a free, open source tool that shows several devices at once, mirrors clicks and scrolling across all of them, and runs on Linux.
- Pick Breakpane if you want the framed device, the Safari or Chrome toolbar and installed-app mode, always on top of your editor, and you’re willing to pay for it after a 14-day trial.
Side by side
Data from each product’s official site and repository, checked on October 21, 2026.
| Breakpane | Responsively App | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | macOS 13 or later, Windows 10 and 11 | Mac, Windows and Linux |
| Price | $9 a month or $79 a year, with a 14-day free trial, no card | Free |
| Source code | Closed | Open, AGPL-3.0 license |
| How it shows your site | One device per window, floating over the desktop and always on top | Several devices side by side in one window, with clicks, scrolling and navigation mirrored to all |
| Framed devices | Yes: 41 framed devices (iPhone, Android, foldables, tablets, laptops and monitors) plus a custom one | Not advertised; built-in device profiles and custom devices |
| Browser toolbar | Safari or Chrome toolbar drawn in, taking the height it takes on the device | Not advertised |
| Installed PWA mode | Yes: App mode (standalone) and a Home Screen with your app icon | Not advertised |
| Live localhost | Yes: opens your dev server directly, no tunnel, and finds the projects in your folder | Yes, hot reloading (per the README) |
| Coding agents (MCP) | Yes, in Beta: a local MCP server that Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and others use to open devices, tap, scroll and audit | Built-in MCP server in version 2.0, released as a beta (pre-release) on 2026-09-20; the stable version is 1.18.0 |
| Screenshots | Device screenshot with or without the frame | Full-page screenshots of all devices in one click |
| Real Safari | No: the engine is Chromium, with the iPhone’s look and measurements | No: it’s a browser built with Electron (Chromium) |
Where Responsively App is stronger
- It’s free and open source. No subscription, and the code is on GitHub under the AGPL-3.0 license. You can read it, change it and contribute.
- Many devices at once. Clicks, scrolling and navigation are mirrored to every device, and you can save your favorite combinations. Breakpane shows one device per window.
- Screenshots of every device at once. One click captures the full page on each device.
- Linux. Responsively runs on Linux. Breakpane runs on macOS and Windows only.
Where Breakpane is different
- The device on top of your code. A framed phone, tablet or laptop floating above your editor, always on top. Save a file and see the result without switching windows.
- The browser toolbar and the installed app. The Safari or Chrome toolbar takes the height on the device that it takes on a phone, which changes the page’s usable space. In App mode your site opens as an installed PWA (
display-mode: standalone), and the Home Screen shows the icon from your manifest. - Coding agents in the released version. Breakpane’s MCP server ships in the stable release, in Beta: the agent opens devices, taps, types, scrolls, takes screenshots and runs an audit, and you watch every gesture on the device.
- Support and updates. Breakpane is paid, with email support and updates included while the subscription is active.
How to decide
If your budget is zero or you work on Linux, Responsively App covers the essentials: your site at several sizes, with gestures mirrored across them. If you want to see the site the way it looks on the device, with the frame, the browser toolbar and the installed app, try Breakpane for 14 days on the same project and compare.
Neither runs iPhone Safari. For iOS behavior, check on a real iPhone or a real-device cloud; the guide How to test a website on iPhone without a Mac walks through the options.
Also weighing Polypane? See the Polypane alternative comparison.
Sources
- Responsively App site: responsively.app, checked on 2026-10-21.
- Repository, license, platforms and MCP server: github.com/responsively-org/responsively-app (README and releases page), checked on 2026-10-21.
- Breakpane pricing: breakpane.com/en/pricing. Devices: breakpane.com/en/devices.
Other comparisons
Responsively App is a trademark of its respective owner. Breakpane is not affiliated with Responsively App. Information checked on Oct 21, 2026; it may have changed.