Side by side
Frida vs Ghidra
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 Open source AndroidAPIiPhone+3
Frida provides dynamic instrumentation across a broad set of operating systems, with both command-line tools and the Luma GUI. It is free software, though its CLI tools require Python.
Visit Frida Free plan Open source APIExtensionLinux+3
Ghidra offers a broad set of compiled-code analysis tools across Windows, macOS, and Linux. Check the security advisories for version-specific vulnerabilities, and account for the JDK requirement before installation.
Visit GhidraThe facts
| Frida | Ghidra | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Runs on | Android, API, iPhone, Linux, Mac, Windows | API, Extension, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | frida.re | github.com |
| On reverse engineering tools | #1 of 73 | #2 of 73 |
Frida: what it does well
- Free software with no paid plans listed
- Can trace application code without source code
- Supports injected, embedded, and preloaded modes
- Targets include mobile and desktop systems
- Offers bindings for several programming languages
What to know first
- CLI tools require Python
- CLI tools run on Windows, macOS, or GNU/Linux
- Luma lists minimums of macOS 15+ and iOS 26+
Ghidra: what it does well
- Includes disassembly, decompilation, graphing, and scripting
- Supports many processor instruction sets and executable formats
- Runs interactively or in automated modes
- Extensions and scripts can use Java or Python
What to know first
- Installation requires a 64-bit JDK 25
- Certain versions have known security vulnerabilities
- Vulnerability reports should use private reporting, not public issues