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radare VS Ghidra

Compare radare VS Ghidra and see what are their differences

radare logo radare

Radare, the highly featured reverse engineering framework.

Ghidra logo Ghidra

Software Reverse Engineering (SRE) Framework
  • radare Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-27
  • Ghidra Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-08-25

radare features and specs

  • Extensive Features
    Radare is equipped with a comprehensive suite of tools for reverse engineering, disassembly, debugging, and binary analysis, making it suitable for a wide range of tasks.
  • Open Source
    It is open-source software, allowing users to study its code, contribute to its development, and customize it to fit specific needs.
  • Cross-Platform
    Radare supports a variety of operating systems, including Linux, Windows, MacOS, and even mobile systems like Android and iOS.
  • Scripting Capabilities
    The tool provides a scripting interface, allowing users to automate repetitive tasks or extend its functionality.
  • Active Community
    Radare has an active community of developers and users who contribute to its development and provide support.

Possible disadvantages of radare

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Radare's powerful and extensive feature set can be overwhelming for new users, requiring significant time and effort to master.
  • User Interface
    The user interface is not as polished or user-friendly as some commercial alternatives, potentially making it challenging for those accustomed to a graphical user interface.
  • Documentation
    While there is documentation available, it may not be as comprehensive or beginner-friendly as some users would like.
  • Performance
    For some large-scale analyses, Radare's performance may not match that of more optimized, though often commercial, tools.
  • Compatibility Issues
    Occasionally, there may be compatibility issues with specific binaries or architectures that could limit Radare's effectiveness.

Ghidra features and specs

  • Free and Open Source
    Ghidra is free to use and its source code is publicly available, allowing users to modify and enhance the tool to suit their needs.
  • Multi-platform Support
    Ghidra is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, making it accessible to a wide range of users regardless of their operating system.
  • Powerful Disassembly
    It comes with a powerful disassembly engine that supports multiple architectures, enabling in-depth analysis of binary code.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The tool features a graphical user interface (GUI) that simplifies navigation and enhances user experience, especially for those who may not be comfortable with command-line tools.
  • Collaboration Features
    Ghidra allows multiple users to collaborate on the same project in real-time, facilitating team efforts in reverse engineering tasks.
  • Scripting Support
    It supports scripting in both Python and Java, allowing users to automate repetitive tasks and extend the functionality of the tool.
  • Extensive Documentation
    Ghidra has comprehensive documentation and an active community, providing users with resources and support to get started and troubleshoot issues.

Possible disadvantages of Ghidra

  • Learning Curve
    Due to its extensive features and capabilities, there can be a steep learning curve for new users, requiring time and practice to master.
  • Performance
    Some users have reported performance issues, such as slow loading times and lag, particularly when working with large binaries.
  • Limited Debugging Features
    Ghidra’s debugging features are not as comprehensive as those offered by some other reverse engineering tools, potentially limiting its utility for certain tasks.
  • Java Dependency
    Ghidra requires a Java Runtime Environment (JRE) to run, which may be a drawback for users who prefer or require environments that do not support Java.
  • Complex Installation
    The installation and setup process can be complex and may require additional configuration, which can be daunting for beginners.
  • Less Intuitive for Certain Tasks
    While the GUI is user-friendly for many tasks, some users find it less intuitive for specific, advanced reverse engineering functions compared to other specialized tools.

Analysis of Ghidra

Overall verdict

  • Ghidra is widely considered to be a good tool for reverse engineering due to its robust feature set, open-source nature, and active community support. It competes well with other industry-leading tools, offering many similar capabilities without the associated costs.

Why this product is good

  • Ghidra is a highly regarded open-source reverse engineering tool developed by the National Security Agency (NSA). It offers a comprehensive suite of features for analyzing binary code, supporting multiple processor instruction sets, and providing an intuitive user interface. Its collaborative capabilities, powerful decompiler, and extensibility through plugins make it an attractive option for both beginners and experienced reverse engineers.

Recommended for

  • Cybersecurity professionals looking to analyze and understand potential vulnerabilities in software.
  • Software developers interested in understanding how compiled code behaves and learning more about software internals.
  • Students and researchers studying computer science or related fields who require access to a powerful reverse engineering tool without financial barriers.

radare videos

3. Waze review - cum poți scăpa de radare sau de polițiști?

Ghidra videos

NSA Ghidra, A game changer ?

More videos:

  • Review - Ghidra Review
  • Tutorial - Ghidra quickstart & tutorial: Solving a simple crackme

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to radare and Ghidra)
IDE
21 21%
79% 79
Software Development
21 21%
79% 79
Decompiler
25 25%
75% 75
OS & Utilities
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare radare and Ghidra

radare Reviews

We have no reviews of radare yet.
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Ghidra Reviews

Reverse engineering tools review
It may not be entirely up to the functionality of HexRays at the moment (remember that Ghidra is a new project), but tools such as decompilers require a lot of work and it is rare to see a new product that someone offers for free.
Source: www.pelock.com
The 5 Best Reverse Engineering Software for 2022
Ghidra's graphical user interface (GUI) is built on Java's Swing framework with a decompiler written in C++ and plugins written in Python. Besides its reverse engineering capabilities, Ghidra features powerful debugging features for both Windows and Linux.6
Source: online.yu.edu

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Ghidra seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 67 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

radare mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of radare yet. Tracking of radare recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Ghidra mentions (67)

  • Better Reverse Engineering with Frida and Ghidra
    Install Ghidra: You can download the latest version from the official Ghidra website: https://ghidra-sre.org/. Follow the installation instructions provided on the site. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • DeepSeek proves the future of LLMs is open-source
    Ghidra (https://ghidra-sre.org/) can fine-tune executables way more easily than your models. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Ask HN: How are you using LLMs for traversing decompiler output?
    I've only played a with this, but it was impressive. https://ghidra-sre.org/. - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
  • I've figured out what 13 of the 16 enemy flags mean in Ultima V. Help me figure out the last three.
    I've got no experience with reverse-engineering executables, but I got a bunch of code-like stuff showing up when I fed ULTIMA.EXE to Ghidra and told it to analyze it with all the flags set. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Modding SH2
    The whole game is written in C++ (game logic intertwined with graphics). Ghidra can help you deconstruct the game binaries, but you need to put in a GREAT great effort to even get a starting point. Cheat Engine has been successful for some purposes, including an AI enabling utility for multiplayer (use with great care!). Source: about 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing radare and Ghidra, you can also consider the following products

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