Black Magic Debug vs TRACE32
Black Magic Debug
black-magic.org
TRACE32
lauterbach.comSide by side
| Figure | Black Magic Debug | TRACE32 |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Debuggers | 8.7 (#1) | 7.1 (#23) |
| Purpose | Black Magic Debug is a mostly plug-and-play JTAG/SWD debugger for embedded microcontrollers. | TRACE32 connects to embedded processor debug ports to control cores, inspect data, set breakpoints, and diagnose software failures and memory corruption. |
| Support | The project documentation points users to a Discord channel and mailing list, and the home page invites users to contact the project with questions or suggestions. | Lauterbach provides a technical help desk, knowledge base, worldwide sales and support engineers, and an engineering support team. |
Plans
In their own words
Black Magic Debug
Black Magic Debug is a free JTAG/SWD debugger for embedded microcontrollers, aimed at professional developers who want control over build systems and testing environments. Its firmware includes a GDB server that detects targets automatically, without target-specific configuration scripts. Debugging tools include watchpoints, flash memory breakpoints, memory and register examination, and flash programming. The project describes support for ARM Cortex-M and Cortex-A microcontrollers; its listed target platforms also include RISC-V, and remote debugging is supported. The probe connects as a standard USB CDC ACM virtual serial device, with no special driver needed for this interface on Linux or macOS. The debugger works with Linux, macOS, and Windows. The GDB server also supports semihosting and host I/O, Serial Wire Output, and USB DFU firmware upgrades. Documentation includes guides for PlatformIO and STM32CubeIDE. It can also be compiled as a desktop application and used with BMP, ST-Link, FTDI-MPSSE, SEGGER J-Link, or CMSIS-DAP adapters. Desktop-app programming is a little slower, though BMP development may be faster because firmware upload is unnecessary. Getting started requires a Black Magic Probe and a suitable target toolchain.