Apktool vs Rizin

Apktool is a command-line tool for reverse engineering Android APK files. It can disassemble an app’s resources into a form close to their original structure, then rebuild an app after changes such as translation or permission edits. Its analysis mode attempts to extract resources and the manifest for inspection without rebuilding. Apktool runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS; its official installation guide describes wrapper-script steps for those systems and requires Java 8 or later. Decode options include choosing resource-resolution behavior, skipping resources or source disassembly, and setting a framework directory. Build options include selecting an aapt2 binary, adding a generic Network Security Configuration file, and disabling APK repacking. The Apache license permits redistribution, modification, and integration into another project. Apktool is free, with no pricing tiers stated. Its FAQ says Android devices are not officially supported, and some OEM-modified “Magic APKs” may not decode or build. Builds are unsigned; copying a signature retains only the original APK signature v1 scheme.

Rizin is a free, open-source framework for reverse engineering and binary analysis. Its tools include a disassembler, hexadecimal editor, debugger, binary inspection, emulation, and binary diffing. Command-line utilities support analyzing, disassembling, patching, comparing, searching, replacing, and visualizing data. Users can write scripts in languages including Python, Haskell, OCaml, and JavaScript. Cutter is Rizin’s official graphical interface and uses Rizin as its backend. The framework supports plugins, which rz-pm can compile and install; the package manager is described as early in development. Rizin can match unnamed functions against FLIRT signatures from sigdb to help identify common code in stripped binaries. The project also lists decompilation, firmware analysis, hybrid analysis, and a plugin API. Installation routes are provided for Linux, Windows, macOS, OpenBSD, and Android. The project says its work is currently in beta, and community discussion and support are available through Mattermost, Telegram, and IRC.