Side by side
Boomerang vs ILSpy
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.
Free plan LinuxMacWindows
Choose Boomerang if you need a free decompiler for its supported native architectures and formats, with C output and command-line or GUI use. Look elsewhere if you need bytecode decompilation, original source reconstruction, or reliable results on large binaries.
Visit Boomerang Free plan ExtensionLinuxMac+1
ILSpy offers assembly browsing and C# decompilation across desktop platforms, with several developer integrations and extensions. It is free, but it does not handle native-code decompilation.
Visit ILSpyThe facts
| Boomerang | ILSpy | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Linux, Mac, Windows | Extension, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | github.com | github.com |
| On reverse engineering tools | #12 of 73 | #16 of 73 |
Boomerang: what it does well
- Free, open-source software under a BSD license.
- Supports x86 (IA-32 only), PPC, and ST20.
- Accepts ELF, PE, DOS MZ, DOS/4GW LE, and Mach-O.
- Offers both command-line and GUI interfaces.
- Provides unit tests and regression tests.
What to know first
- 32-bit systems are unsupported for builds.
- Decompilation does not recreate the original source file.
- Windows does not support building the regression test suite.
- The maker warns large-binary decompilation may disappoint.
ILSpy: what it does well
- Decompiles assemblies into C#, including whole projects.
- Opens assemblies from disk, NuGet, and processes.
- Includes BAML-to-XAML conversion.
- Desktop app supports plugins and a scripting API.
- Free under the MIT License.
What to know first
- Does not decompile native code.
- GAC support is limited to Windows.
- Security policy supports only the latest release and preview or release-candidate version.
Alternatives to Boomerang Alternatives to ILSpy The whole list