Pros of Unicorn

• Full system emulation capabilities, allowing for more comprehensive analysis and testing
• Supports a wider range of architectures, including ARM, MIPS, and RISC-V
• Integrates well with other security tools and frameworks

Cons of Unicorn

• Higher resource consumption due to full emulation
• Steeper learning curve for beginners
• May be overkill for simple disassembly tasks

Code Comparison

Unicorn (emulation):

from unicorn import *

# Initialize emulator
mu = Uc(UC_ARCH_X86, UC_MODE_32)

# Map memory and write code
mu.mem_map(0x1000, 0x1000)
mu.mem_write(0x1000, b"\x41\x4a")  # INC ecx; DEC edx

# Emulate code
mu.emu_start(0x1000, 0x1002)

Capstone (disassembly):

from capstone import *

# Initialize disassembler
md = Cs(CS_ARCH_X86, CS_MODE_32)

# Disassemble code
for i in md.disasm(b"\x41\x4a", 0x1000):
    print(f"0x{i.address:x}:\t{i.mnemonic}\t{i.op_str}")

Unicorn provides full emulation, while Capstone focuses on disassembly. Unicorn is more suitable for complex analysis and testing scenarios, whereas Capstone is efficient for quick disassembly tasks.

Pros of radare2

• More comprehensive toolkit with disassembly, debugging, and analysis features
• Extensible plugin architecture for customization
• Active community and frequent updates

Cons of radare2

• Steeper learning curve due to complex feature set
• Larger codebase and resource footprint
• Can be slower for simple disassembly tasks

Code Comparison

radare2:

RCore *core = r_core_new();
r_core_cmd_str(core, "pd 10");
r_core_free(core);

Capstone:

csh handle;
cs_open(CS_ARCH_X86, CS_MODE_64, &handle);
cs_disasm(handle, code, code_size, address, 0, &insn);
cs_close(&handle);

Summary

radare2 is a comprehensive reverse engineering framework with a wide range of features, while Capstone is a lightweight, focused disassembly engine. radare2 offers more functionality but comes with increased complexity, while Capstone provides a simpler API for basic disassembly tasks. The choice between them depends on the specific requirements of the project and the user's familiarity with the tools.

Pros of angr

• More comprehensive binary analysis framework with symbolic execution capabilities
• Supports multiple architectures and operating systems
• Provides higher-level abstractions for program analysis tasks

Cons of angr

• Steeper learning curve due to its complexity
• Slower execution compared to Capstone for basic disassembly tasks
• Requires more system resources and dependencies

Code Comparison

angr example (symbolic execution):

import angr

proj = angr.Project('binary')
state = proj.factory.entry_state()
simgr = proj.factory.simulation_manager(state)
simgr.explore(find=0x400000)

Capstone example (disassembly):

from capstone import *

md = Cs(CS_ARCH_X86, CS_MODE_64)
CODE = b"\x55\x48\x8b\x05\xb8\x13\x00\x00"
for i in md.disasm(CODE, 0x1000):
    print(f"0x{i.address:x}:\t{i.mnemonic}\t{i.op_str}")

angr provides a more powerful framework for advanced binary analysis, including symbolic execution, while Capstone focuses on efficient disassembly. angr is better suited for complex analysis tasks, while Capstone excels in performance-critical disassembly operations.

Pros of rizin

• More comprehensive reverse engineering framework with additional features beyond disassembly
• Active community-driven development with frequent updates
• Supports a wider range of architectures and file formats

Cons of rizin

• Steeper learning curve due to its extensive feature set
• Larger codebase and potentially higher resource usage
• May be overkill for simple disassembly tasks

Code Comparison

Capstone (disassembling x86 code):

cs_insn *insn;
size_t count = cs_disasm(handle, code, code_size, address, 0, &insn);
for (size_t j = 0; j < count; j++) {
    printf("0x%"PRIx64":\t%s\t\t%s\n", insn[j].address, insn[j].mnemonic, insn[j].op_str);
}

rizin (disassembling x86 code):

RzAnalysisOp op = {0};
while (offset < len) {
    rz_analysis_op(analysis, &op, offset, buf + offset, len - offset, RZ_ANALYSIS_OP_MASK_ALL);
    printf("0x%08"PFMT64x"  %s %s\n", offset, op.mnemonic, op.op_str);
    offset += op.size;
}

Both tools provide disassembly capabilities, but rizin offers a more extensive set of features for reverse engineering tasks. Capstone is focused primarily on disassembly, making it lighter and potentially easier to integrate into other projects. The choice between the two depends on the specific requirements of your project and the depth of analysis needed.