Boomerang vs Smali/Baksmali
Boomerang
github.comSmali/Baksmali
github.comSide by side
| Figure | Boomerang | Smali/Baksmali |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Reverse Engineering Tools | 8.5 (#6) | 7.3 (#39) |
| Integrations | The README lists CMake, Qt5, Capstone, GNU bison, GNU flex, and optional CCache, Doxygen, and Python 3 as build tools or dependencies. | The project is built in Java and provides smali, baksmali, dexlib2, and util as Maven publication projects. |
| License | The repository describes Boomerang as BSD licensed. | The build configuration identifies the project license as BSD 3-Clause. |
| Purpose | Boomerang is an open-source machine-code decompiler that attempts to turn executable files into high-level source code. | smali/baksmali assembles and disassembles the dex format used by Dalvik, Android's Java VM implementation. |
| Support | The README directs users to file bugs through the GitHub issue tracker. | The README directs bug reports, issues, and feature requests to the GitHub issue tracker and mentions the #smali Freenode channel for questions, with no expectation of an instant response. |
Plans
In their own words
Boomerang
Boomerang is an open-source decompiler that translates supported machine-code binaries into C source code. It supports x86 (IA-32 only), PPC, and ST20 architectures, and accepts ELF, PE, DOS MZ, DOS/4GW LE, and Mach-O files. Users can run it as a command-line tool or a GUI application. The project describes its license as BSD, and the software is free. Build instructions cover Linux, macOS, and Windows, but compiling requires a 64-bit operating system and a C++17 compiler; 32-bit systems are not supported. Documented prerequisites include CMake, Qt5, Capstone, GNU bison, and GNU flex. Precompiled packages are available for release versions, although the project recommends building the development branch from source. Unit and regression tests are provided, but the README says the regression test suite cannot be built on Windows. The maker describes the release as intended for developers and experimenters and warns that large-binary decompilation may disappoint. Decompiled output does not recreate the original source file and may differ from it. The project directs users to its GitHub issue tracker for bug reports.
Smali/Baksmali
Smali/Baksmali has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.