RetDec
- Android app
- Not listed
- Free plan
- Yes
- Runs on
- Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows
Summary
RetDec is a free, LLVM-based machine-code decompiler that reconstructs functions, types, and higher-level constructs as C or a Python-like language. It supports ELF, PE, Mach-O, COFF, AR archives, Intel HEX, and raw machine code, along with 32-bit Intel x86, ARM, MIPS, PIC32, and PowerPC, plus 64-bit x86-64 and ARM64. Analysis features include static executable analysis, compiler and packer detection, and loading and instruction decoding. RetDec can use DWARF and PDB debugging information, reconstruct C++ class hierarchies from RTTI and vtables, and demangle GCC, MSVC, and Borland symbols. An integrated disassembler and tools for generating call graphs, control-flow graphs, and statistics are also included. It is available as a pre-built package, can be built from source, or can run in Docker. Related repositories provide IDA and Radare2 plugins. The project lists Windows 7 or later, Linux, and macOS, with experimental FreeBSD support; installation needs about 5 to 6 GB of free disk space.
Who it is for
RetDec suits developers and analysts who need to inspect supported machine-code formats and architectures or work with decompiled output. Its deployment options include pre-built packages, source builds, and Docker.
What is good
- Free software under the MIT license.
- Supports several executable and raw-code formats.
- Uses DWARF and PDB debugging information.
- Can generate call graphs and control-flow graphs.
- Related repositories provide IDA and Radare2 plugins.
What to know first
- Installation needs about 5 to 6 GB of free space.
- FreeBSD support is experimental.
- The project is in limited maintenance mode.
- Nightly builds may be unreliable and contain regressions.
Verdict
RetDec offers broad format and architecture support, with disassembly, graphing, and debug-information features. Its limited maintenance and disk-space requirement are important considerations.
RetDec plans and pricing
All plansCompared on reverse engineering tools
- Free plan
- Yesgithub.com
- Native-code decompilation
- Yesgithub.com
- Scripting API
- Yesgithub.com
- Plugin support
- Yesgithub.com
- License type
- freegithub.com
Facts
- What it does
- RetDec is a retargetable machine-code decompiler based on LLVM.github.com · 3 Oct 2026
- Supported formats
- It supports ELF, PE, Mach-O, COFF, AR archives, Intel HEX, and raw machine code.github.com · 3 Oct 2026
- Supported architectures
- It supports 32-bit Intel x86, ARM, MIPS, PIC32, and PowerPC, plus 64-bit x86-64 and ARM64 (AArch64).github.com · 3 Oct 2026
- Analysis features
- Features include static executable analysis, compiler and packer detection, and loading and instruction decoding.github.com · 3 Oct 2026
- Debug data
- It extracts and uses DWARF and PDB debugging information.github.com · 3 Oct 2026
- C++ analysis
- It detects and reconstructs C++ class hierarchies using RTTI and vtables, and demangles GCC, MSVC, and Borland symbols.github.com · 3 Oct 2026
- Output
- It reconstructs functions, types, and high-level constructs and outputs C or a Python-like language.github.com · 3 Oct 2026
- Graphs and disassembly
- It includes an integrated disassembler and can generate call graphs, control-flow graphs, and statistics.github.com · 3 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- Related repositories provide plugins that embed RetDec into IDA and Radare2.github.com · 3 Oct 2026
- Deployment
- RetDec can be downloaded as a pre-built package, built from source, or run in a Docker container.github.com · 3 Oct 2026
- Platforms and storage
- The project lists Windows 7 or later, Linux, macOS, and experimental FreeBSD support, and says an installation needs about 5 to 6 GB of free disk space.github.com · 3 Oct 2026
- License
- The project states that it is licensed under the MIT license and also incorporates a modified PeLib library under the zlib/libpng license for its original sources.github.com · 3 Oct 2026
- Security
- The repository links to a security policy, but its policy page displayed a loading error when opened.github.com · 3 Oct 2026
- Support and maintenance
- The repository says the project is in limited maintenance mode: issues may receive responses with delays up to one quarter, and development is very limited.github.com · 3 Oct 2026
- Intended use of nightly builds
- The project says nightly builds are mainly for developers, contributors, and experimentation, and warns they may not work reliably and may contain regressions.github.com · 3 Oct 2026
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Sources
- github.com/avast/retdec· checked 3 Oct 2026
- github.com/avast/retdec/security/policy· checked 3 Oct 2026