Side by side

Apktool vs Cutter

Both stand on reverse engineering tools. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.

Apktool

Free plan LinuxMacWindows

Choose Apktool if you need a free command-line tool to inspect, disassemble, or rebuild Android APKs on a desktop operating system. Look elsewhere if you need official Android-device support or rely on modified OEM APKs that Apktool may not handle.

Visit Apktool

Cutter

Free plan LinuxMacWindows

Choose Cutter if you need a free, GPLv3 reverse-engineering platform with graph navigation, decompiler plugins, scripting, and emulation. Look elsewhere if your work depends on a debugger that is not marked beta.

Visit Cutter

The facts

	Apktool	Cutter
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Open source	Not published	Not published
Runs on	Linux, Mac, Windows	Linux, Mac, Windows
Lowest paid plan	Free or on request	Free or on request
Plans published	1	1
Maker	Not published	Not published
Website	apktool.org	cutter.re
On reverse engineering tools	#9 of 73	#13 of 73

Apktool: what it does well

Disassembles resources close to their original form.
Can rebuild apps after translation or permission changes.
Analysis mode extracts resources and the manifest for inspection.
Decode and build settings allow workflow choices.
Apache license permits redistribution, modification, and integration.

What to know first

Requires Java 8 or later.
Android devices are not officially supported.
Some OEM-modified “Magic APKs” may not decode or build.
Builds are unsigned; signature copying supports only original v1 signatures.

Cutter: what it does well

Free and open source under GPLv3.
Available for Linux, macOS, and Windows.
Includes Ghidra decompiler without Java.
Hex view can modify files.
Python scripting and C++ or Python plugins.

What to know first

The dynamic-analysis debugger is marked beta.
Use requires a supported desktop operating system.

Alternatives to Apktool Alternatives to Cutter The whole list