Binary Ninja VS IDA

Compare Binary Ninja VS IDA and see what are their differences

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IDA

The best-of-breed binary code analysis tool, an indispensable item in the toolbox of world-class software analysts, reverse engineers, malware analyst and cybersecurity professionals.

Landing page //
2023-09-28

Landing page //
2018-11-11

A powerful disassembler and a versatile debugger IDA Pro as a disassembler is capable of creating maps of their execution to show the binary instructions that are actually executed by the processor in a symbolic representation (assembly language). Advanced techniques have been implemented into IDA Pro so that it can generate assembly language source code from machine-executable code and make this complex code more human-readable.

The debugging feature augmented IDA with the dynamic analysis. It supports multiple debugging targets and can handle remote applications. Its cross-platform debugging capability enables instant debugging, easy connection to both local and remote processes and support for 64-bit systems and new connection possibilities.

Binary Ninja

Website: binary.ninja
$ Details
Platforms: -
Release Date: -

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IDA

Website: hex-rays.com
$ Details: -
Platforms: Windows Linux Mac OSX
Release Date: 1991 May

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Binary Ninja features and specs

User-Friendly Interface
Binary Ninja has a modern and intuitive interface that is suitable for both beginners and experienced users, making it easier to navigate through the software.
API and Scripting Support
It provides a powerful API and scripting support, allowing users to automate tasks and extend functionalities using Python and other languages.
Cross-Platform
Binary Ninja supports multiple operating systems including Windows, macOS, and Linux, enabling users to work on their preferred platform.
Extensive Documentation
The tool comes with comprehensive documentation which covers its various features and functionalities in detail, helping new users get up to speed quickly.
Low-Level Binary Analysis
Binary Ninja offers advanced low-level binary analysis and reverse engineering capabilities, useful for security researchers and software developers.
Static and Dynamic Analysis
The tool supports both static and dynamic analysis, providing a complete suite of features for binary exploration and inspection.

Possible disadvantages of Binary Ninja

Cost
Binary Ninja is a commercial tool and can be expensive for small teams or individual researchers, potentially limiting its accessibility.
Limited Free Version
The free (student) edition of Binary Ninja comes with restricted features and may not be suitable for professional use, requiring an upgrade to access full functionality.
Steeper Learning Curve for Advanced Features
While the interface is user-friendly, mastering the advanced features and making full use of the scripting capabilities can have a steeper learning curve.
Resource Intensive
The software can be resource-intensive, requiring a modern computer with sufficient processing power and memory for optimal performance.
Community and Ecosystem
Compared to some older or more established tools, Binary Ninja might not have as large a community or as many third-party plugins and scripts available.

IDA features and specs

Powerful Disassembler
IDA Pro is renowned for its powerful disassembly capabilities, which can reverse-engineer complex binaries for various architectures.
Interactive Graphical Interface
The tool provides an intuitive and interactive GUI, complete with various graph views, that helps users visualize control flow and analyze code more efficiently.
Plugin Ecosystem
IDA Pro supports an extensive range of plugins, allowing users to extend its functionality and tailor it to specific needs.
Scriptable
It supports multiple scripting languages, such as IDC, Python, and others, enabling automation of repetitive tasks and custom analysis routines.
Cross-Platform Support
IDA Pro is available on multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS, and Linux, making it versatile for different operating environments.
Extensive Documentation
IDA Pro comes with comprehensive documentation and active community support, helping users in learning and troubleshooting.

Possible disadvantages of IDA

High Cost
IDA Pro is known for its high price, which might be prohibitive for small businesses, hobbyists, or independent security researchers.
Steep Learning Curve
The tool is highly complex and may require significant time and effort to master, especially for beginners in reverse engineering.
Resource Intensive
IDA Pro can be resource-intensive, requiring robust system specifications to function smoothly, particularly when dealing with large binaries.
Licensing Restrictions
The licensing terms can be restrictive, limiting the ability to transfer licenses between different users or systems easily.
Limited Dynamic Analysis
While IDA Pro is excellent for static analysis, its capabilities for dynamic analysis are somewhat limited compared to specialized dynamic analysis tools.
Comparison with Free Tools
There are free alternatives available, such as Ghidra and Radare2, which offer comparable capabilities without the high cost.

Binary Ninja videos

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Reverse Engineering with Binary Ninja and gdb a key checking algorithm - TUMCTF 2016 Zwiebel part 1

IDA videos

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Mark Kermode reviews Ida

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Binary Ninja and IDA)

Binary Ninja

IDA

IDE

28 28%

IDE

72% 72

Software Development

30 30%

Software Development

70% 70

Decompiler

37 37%

Decompiler

63% 63

OS & Utilities

100 100%

OS & Utilities

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 Binary Ninja and IDA

Binary Ninja Reviews

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IDA Reviews

Reverse engineering tools review

IDA that is Interactive DisAssembler in an undpisupted king among tools used in reverse engineering. IDA is a disassembler and debugger with built-in code analysis for over 60 types of processors. It has its own script language, large base of signatures of the most popular programming libraries as well as support for plug-ins that additionally enhance functionality e.g. by...

Source: www.pelock.com

The 5 Best Reverse Engineering Software for 2022

The interactive nature of the IDA Pro disassembler means you can change elements of the displayed data in real-time, including functions, variables, names, and library functions. It's written in C++ and runs on Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux. The IDA Pro platform benefits from several plugins, the most notable of which is the Hex-Rays decompiler. With this tool, software...

Source: online.yu.edu

Social recommendations and mentions

IDA might be a bit more popular than Binary Ninja. We know about 12 links to it since March 2021 and only 11 links to Binary Ninja. 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.

Binary Ninja mentions (11)

Bypassing regulatory locks, Faraday cages and upgrading your hearing
Binary Ninja: https://binary.ninja/ :) Think someone has already linked it below! - Source: Hacker News / about 2 months ago
Bypassing regulatory locks, Faraday cages and upgrading your hearing
Found it out myself, https://binary.ninja/. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 months ago
[Media] I'm currently learning Rust. Out of curiosity, I opened the resulting binary as a text file, and among the garbled text characters, I saw this weird text. Is this normal or is there something wrong with the compiled binary? It's the "Hello, World!" sample program and it executes normally.
If you really want to poke around in the binary, you can use a decompiler like IDA, Ghidra, or Binary Ninja's free version. Source: about 1 year ago
Ida Free
Still $$$ for crippled functionality. As an alternative, https://binary.ninja is gaining traction at work. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
Teaching A Machine To Identify Vulnerabilities (Part 1)
As I said, a regular text editor won’t do for reading a binary file, so I needed to choose a disassembler to break the challenge binaries out into their basic blocks. I chose to use Binary Ninja because it has a very easy-to-use Python API, and it’s hobbyist-level cheap (for comparison, the industry-standard disassembler is IDA Pro, which they will sell to you for roughly an arm, and continue to pick off your... - Source: dev.to / about 4 years ago

IDA mentions (12)

Ida Pro 9 Beta Leak (Including Linux)
If you, like me( had no clue what the hex Ida Pro is: https://hex-rays.com/ida-pro/. - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
XZ backdoor story – Initial analysis
The tool used in those white screenshots is called IDA pro, a decompiler. https://hex-rays.com/ida-pro/. - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
how do i make mynown cracks for my steam games?
Learn assembly and then fuck around with https://hex-rays.com/ida-pro/. Gonna take you a week max. Source: about 1 year ago
Disabling a pointless hardware check in an old DOS EXE
To RE the executable IDA Pro can be very useful: Https://hex-rays.com/ida-pro/. Source: almost 2 years ago
Ask HN: Anyone tired of everything being a subscription now?
It’s a good disassembler that is fairly expensive. https://hex-rays.com/ida-pro/. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago