B4R vs CrossWorks for ARM

B4R is a free Windows development tool for creating native programs for Arduino-compatible boards, ESP8266, and ESP32. Its plan costs nothing and permits commercial use. The product page lists a modern IDE, connectivity options, and an Arduino–Android Bluetooth Low Energy example. Integrated flashing is available, but integrated debugging is not. Setup requires Arduino IDE v2, Arduino CLI, and Java; OpenJDK 14 is listed when Java is not already installed. Users configure paths to arduino-cli.exe and javac, then choose a board type and serial port in the Board Selector. C source code and generated compiled objects appear in the Objects folder. B4R libraries are open source under the MIT license. The product page links learning resources, example projects, tutorials, and a forum. Anywhere Software directs technical questions to its forum and says email inquiries receive answers within 24 hours. The maker identifies Erel Uziel as founder and CEO and says it has specialized in mobile development since 2005.

CrossWorks for ARM is a C/C++ and assembly development system for ARM and Cortex microcontrollers. Its CrossStudio IDE brings editing, building, downloading and SWD/JTAG debugging into one environment. The package includes GNU GCC and Clang/LLVM toolchains, and its multi-core debugger also works with applications built using external toolchains. Supported cores range from Cortex-M, Cortex-A and Cortex-R to ARM7, ARM9, ARM11, Feroceon and XScale. Supported connections include CrossConnect Neo, SEGGER J-Link, CMSIS-DAP, ST-LINK and FTDI-based JTAG devices. It also includes an embedded C runtime library that is neither GPL nor LGPL, and a royalty-free tasking library for pre-emptive task switching and synchronization. Downloads for Windows, macOS and Linux include x64 and ARM64 or Apple Silicon builds. The evaluation can remain active with a 16KB code-size limit or be unlocked for 30 days. A Named Developer License is $2,500 as a one-time purchase; a Shared Developer License is $3,750 as a one-time purchase. Both include commercial use, 12 months of support and 12 months of software assurance.