Arm Toolchain for Embedded vs IAR Embedded Workbench
Arm Toolchain for Embedded
developer.arm.comIAR Embedded Workbench
iar.comSide by side
| Figure | Arm Toolchain for Embedded | IAR Embedded Workbench |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 3 | 2 |
| Spec score · Embedded Systems Toolchains | 8.3 (#6) | 8.5 (#4) |
| Company headquarters | Arm lists its global headquarters at 110 Fulbourn Road, Cambridge, UK, CB1 9NJ. | IAR lists its headquarters in Uppsala, Sweden. |
| Purpose | Arm Toolchain for Embedded is an open-source embedded C/C++ compilation toolchain for developing high-performance products based on Arm designs. | IAR Embedded Workbench is an embedded development toolchain with an optimized compiler, debugger, and analysis tools. |
| Support | Arm provides support only for the Professional and FuSa editions; other editions rely on community support. | IAR provides customer portal access to technical support, technical articles, and customer support, plus self-service online training through IAR Academy. |
Plans
Arm Toolchain for Embedded
- Arm Toolchain for EmbeddedFree
- Arm Toolchain for Embedded FuSaPriced on request
- Arm Toolchain for Embedded ProfessionalPriced on request
IAR Embedded Workbench
- IAR Embedded Workbench evaluationFree
- IAR Platform subscriptionPriced on request
In their own words
Arm Toolchain for Embedded
Arm Toolchain for Embedded has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
IAR Embedded Workbench
IAR Embedded Workbench is an embedded development toolchain with an IDE, optimizing compiler, linker, assembler, and debugger. It supports over 20 architectures, including Arm, RISC-V, 8051, MSP430, AVR, and several Renesas families. The C-SPY debugger provides real-time trace, code coverage, function profiling, and RTOS awareness. IAR C-STAT offers static analysis; IAR C-RUN detects runtime errors and is available for Arm and RX. The toolchain works with VS Code and Eclipse, supports CMake builds, and can integrate with CI/CD pipelines. Supported debug probes include I-jet, I-jet Trace, J-Link, PE Micro, and ST-LINK. Built-in plugins provide RTOS awareness for systems including PX5 RTOS and Zephyr RTOS. The IDE runs natively on Linux and Windows. A 14-day evaluation is available for non-commercial use, but excludes runtime library source code, C-STAT, and MISRA C support and includes limited technical support. Paid subscription pricing is available by request; the subscription combines named-user licenses and build capacity for automated builds and CI/CD.