Frida vs Ghidra
Frida
frida.reGhidra
github.comSide by side
| Figure | Frida | Ghidra |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Reverse Engineering Tools | 8.7 (#4) | 8.7 (#5) |
| Collaboration | Luma syncs sessions, REPL transcripts, instruments, captures, notebook entries, and presence in real time, and uses GitHub authentication. | The official announcement lists a multi-user collaboration repository and undo/redo support. |
| Documentation depth | The documentation includes tutorials, troubleshooting, building, footprint guidance, platform guides, tool references and JavaScript, C, Gum, Core, Swift and Go API sections. | The installation includes documentation, release notes, API files, tutorials and online help, while the user guide explicitly excludes architecture and programming-API details. |
| Independent comparison | Cyberly characterizes Frida as strongest for live runtime interaction and behavioral manipulation, complementing static tools such as Ghidra and IDA Pro. | GhidraLite.net describes Ghidra as free, open source, multi-platform and equipped with decompilation, scripting and plugin support. |
| Licence | The main repository uses the wxWindows Library Licence 3.1, based on LGPL terms with an exception allowing binary works to be distributed under the distributor's terms. | The main Ghidra software is released under Apache License 2.0, with separate GPL-3 support programs and other third-party licenses. |
| Scripting | Frida lets users inject scripts into running processes to hook functions, inspect APIs, or trace application code without source code. | Users can create scripts and extension components in Java or Python. |
| What it does | Frida injects JavaScript or native libraries into running applications for dynamic instrumentation, debugging and reverse engineering. | Ghidra is an NSA Research Directorate software reverse-engineering framework for analyzing compiled code. |
Plans
In their own words
Frida
Frida is a dynamic instrumentation toolkit for developers, reverse-engineers, and security researchers. It lets users place scripts in running processes to hook functions, inspect APIs, and trace application code without source code. Documented uses include API tracing, diagnostics, encrypted-protocol analysis, and black-box testing.
Frida supports injected, embedded, and preloaded instrumentation. When injection is unavailable, Frida Gadget can be embedded in a program, including on jailed iOS and Android systems. Supported targets include Windows, macOS, GNU/Linux, iOS, watchOS, tvOS, Android, FreeBSD, and QNX. Language bindings include Node.js, Python, Swift, .NET, Qt/Qml, and Go, alongside a C API. The CLI tools require Python and run on Windows, macOS, or GNU/Linux; the documented installation command is `pip install frida-tools`.
Ghidra
Ghidra is a software reverse engineering framework maintained by the NSA Research Directorate. It analyzes compiled code with tools for disassembly, assembly, decompilation, graphing and scripting, and supports many processor instruction sets and executable formats. The framework can operate interactively or in automated workflows, including work intended to address team and scale needs in complex reverse engineering. Users can write extensions and scripts in Java or Python. Development options include a GhidraDev plugin for Eclipse and support for script editing and module projects in Visual Studio Code. The project describes compiled-code analysis on Windows, macOS and Linux. Installation requires a 64-bit JDK 25 and an official multi-platform release archive. Ghidra is free under the Apache License, Version 2.0, whose terms grant no-charge, royalty-free copyright and patent licenses. The repository warns that some versions have known security vulnerabilities and directs users to security advisories. Its policy directs vulnerability reports to GitHub private vulnerability reporting rather than public issues.