Black Magic Debug vs x64dbg
Black Magic Debug
black-magic.orgx64dbg
x64dbg.comSide by side
| Figure | Black Magic Debug | x64dbg |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Debuggers | 8.7 (#1) | 7.1 (#24) |
| Integrations | The documentation includes usage guides for PlatformIO and STM32CubeIDE. | The maker lists TitanEngine, Zydis, Yara, Scylla, Jansson, lz4, XEDParse, asmjit, and snowman among its open-source libraries. |
| Purpose | Black Magic Debug is a mostly plug-and-play JTAG/SWD debugger for embedded microcontrollers. | x64dbg is an open-source debugger for Windows, optimized for reverse engineering and malware analysis. |
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.