Hi everyone,

As a long-time user of Fiddler Classic, I’m writing to share an idea that could benefit both the community and the product's future. While Fiddler Everywhere is great and clearly the focus moving forward, there’s still a strong group of developers who prefer the speed, simplicity, and scripting power of Classic.

⚠️ The Reality: Fiddler Classic Is No Longer Actively Maintained

Let’s be honest — Fiddler Classic isn’t just “a bit outdated.”
In recent documentation and forums, the message is clear:

“We recommend switching to Fiddler Everywhere for the latest protocol support.”

This effectively signals the end of active support for Classic. While that’s understandable from a product strategy point of view, it leaves a large number of users in a tough spot:

• Classic is still powerful and widely used, especially in Windows environments.

• But it lacks support for modern protocols like HTTP/2, TLS 1.3, QUIC, gRPC, Brotli, ZSTD, etc.

• Some users don’t want or need to move to a completely different interface — they just want Classic to stay viable.

💡 The Proposal: Bring Premium Features to Classic via a Shared Subscription

Here’s what I propose:

Introduce an optional premium subscription tier for Fiddler Classic, shared with Fiddler Everywhere.

This would allow users to continue using Classic, while unlocking new features such as:

• ✅ HTTP/2, HTTP/3, and gRPC decoding

• ✅ TLS 1.3 and QUIC inspection

• ✅ ZSTD and Brotli decompression

• ✅ Modern cipher suite analysis

• ✅ Optional UI improvements like dark mode

And best of all:

If you're already a Fiddler Everywhere subscriber, you automatically get access to these premium features in Fiddler Classic — no double payment, no separate license.

🎁 Why This Makes Sense

For Users:

• No forced migration — choose the tool that fits your workflow.

• Lightweight, scriptable Classic experience stays alive.

• One subscription, full flexibility.

For Progress (Telerik):

• Generates sustainable revenue to support modern protocol implementation.

• Maintains goodwill with loyal Classic users.

• Provides a “bridge” to Fiddler Everywhere for hesitant adopters.

• Keeps Classic usable without splitting the product line.

🧠 Why This Is Technically Feasible

• Both Fiddler Classic and Fiddler Everywhere are built on the .NET stack.

• Protocol decoding, TLS inspection, and compression logic can be modularized or shared.

• A unified Telerik licensing system already exists — it can govern access to both products.

💬 What Do You Think?

Would you support a shared subscription model like this?

Let’s not let Fiddler Classic fade away simply because it’s "not the focus" anymore. With a shared subscription model, both tools can thrive — and users can decide what works best for them.

If this idea resonates with enough of us, maybe we can bring it to the attention of the Fiddler team and show that there’s a real demand for keeping Classic alive — the modern way.

Thanks for reading!