Ghidra vs ILSpy
Ghidra
github.comILSpy
github.comSide by side
| Figure | Ghidra | ILSpy |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Reverse Engineering Tools | 8.7 (#5) | 7.6 (#27) |
| Spec score · Decompiler Software | 8.8 (#3) | 7.7 (#12) |
| Extensibility | Users can develop Ghidra extensions and scripts using Java or Python. | The desktop application can be extended with plugins. |
| Purpose | Ghidra is a software reverse engineering framework maintained by the NSA Research Directorate. | ILSpy is an open-source, cross-platform .NET assembly browser and decompiler. |
| Security reporting | Security vulnerabilities must be reported through GitHub private vulnerability reporting rather than public issues. | The project asks that suspected security issues be reported privately by email and says it cannot guarantee a response time, though it strives to respond within one business day. |
Plans
In their own words
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.
ILSpy
ILSpy is free, open-source software for browsing and decompiling .NET assemblies on Windows, Linux, and macOS. Its Avalonia desktop interface converts assemblies to C#, including whole-project decompilation. Assemblies can come from disk, NuGet, running processes, or the Global Assembly Cache, although GAC support is limited to Windows. Search covers types, methods, and properties, with hyperlinks, bookmarks, base and derived type navigation, and an assembly metadata explorer. The application also includes BAML-to-XAML decompilation and support for ReadyToRun binaries for .NET Core. Related tooling includes Visual Studio 2022/2026 support, Visual Studio Code extensions, the ilspycmd dotnet tool, PowerShell cmdlets, and NuGet packages. Desktop plugins and a scripting API extend its use. ILSpy supports bytecode decompilation but not native-code decompilation. The project says it does not collect personally identifiable information, send user files to third-party services, or use application performance monitoring for telemetry. Release 11.1 is listed as the latest version, under the MIT License.