Ghidra vs Smali/Baksmali
Ghidra
github.comSmali/Baksmali
github.comSide by side
| Figure | Ghidra | Smali/Baksmali |
|---|---|---|
| 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) | 7.3 (#39) |
| License | The repository includes the Apache License, Version 2.0, which grants no-charge, royalty-free copyright and patent licenses subject to its terms. | The build configuration identifies the project license as BSD 3-Clause. |
| Purpose | Ghidra is a software reverse engineering framework maintained by the NSA Research Directorate. | smali/baksmali assembles and disassembles the dex format used by Dalvik, Android's Java VM implementation. |
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.
Smali/Baksmali
Smali/Baksmali has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.