Astrée vs CBMC
Astrée
absint.comCBMC
cprover.orgSide by side
| Figure | Astrée | CBMC |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 0 | 1 |
| Spec score · C and C++ Static Analysis Tools | 7.8 (#11) | 8.7 (#2) |
| License | Astrée is developed and distributed by AbsInt under license from CNRS/ENS. | The maker identifies the license as BSD 4-clause; its terms permit redistribution and use in source or binary form subject to conditions. |
| Purpose | Astrée is a sound static analyzer designed to prove the absence of runtime errors and data races in C/C++ programs. | CBMC is a bounded model checker for C and C++ programs. |
| Support | The maker's factsheet invites users to speak with a product specialist by phone and lists [email protected] as a contact email. | The CBMC page directs questions to Daniel Kroening, and the CPROVER manual links to Google Groups support and announcements. |
Plans
In their own words
CBMC
CBMC is a bounded model checker for C and C++ programs, available for Linux, macOS, and Windows. It checks memory safety, including array bounds and pointer use, along with several forms of undefined behavior and user-specified assertions. Its language range includes C89, C99, most of C11 and C17, and extensions from GCC, Clang, and Visual Studio. CBMC verifies by unwinding program loops and passing the resulting equation to a decision procedure. It can check C and C++ I/O equivalence with languages such as Verilog, and generate test cases for branch, decision, path, and MC/DC coverage. Listed language features include arrays, dynamic memory, nondeterminism, assumptions, assertions, and selected C++ features such as classes, templates, and STL containers. A MiniSat-based bit-vector solver is included; Boolector, CVC5, and Z3 are supported but must be installed separately. CBMC is free at free under a BSD 4-clause license. The Windows and macOS distributions are command-line tools without a GUI.