Edb-Debugger vs APKTool vs Dex2Jar: Which Firmware Reverse Engineering tool is Best in 2025?

Edb-Debugger, pre-installed on Kali Linux at /usr/bin/edb, is an open-source, cross-platform graphical debugger for x86 and x86-64 binaries, inspired by OllyDbg but designed for Linux, with ongoing ports to FreeBSD, OpenBSD, macOS, and Windows. Developed by Evan Teran, EDB (Evan’s Debugger) leverages the ptrace API and Capstone disassembly library to provide a modular, extensible platform for reverse engineering and malware analysis. With its intuitive GUI, plugin-based debugging core, and support for conditional breakpoints, it’s a vital tool for cybersecurity researchers, ethical hackers, and forensic analysts.

APKTool is an open-source command-line utility, pre-installed on Kali Linux at /usr/bin/apktool, designed for reverse engineering Android application package (APK) files. Maintained by Connor Tumbleson (iBotPeaches) and originally developed by JesusFreke, APKTool decompiles APKs into nearly original resources and smali code, enabling modifications, debugging, and recompilation. Ideal for cybersecurity professionals, ethical hackers, and Android developers, it supports vulnerability analysis, malware inspection, and app localization. With a project-like structure and automation for repetitive tasks, APKTool streamlines APK manipulation.

Dex2Jar is an open-source command-line toolset, pre-installed on Kali Linux at /usr/bin/d2j-dex2jar, designed for reverse engineering Android applications by converting Dalvik Executable (.dex) files into Java .class files, typically packaged as .jar archives. Developed by Panxiaobo (pxb1988) under the Apache 2.0 License, Dex2Jar facilitates the analysis of Android APKs by transforming compiled .dex code into a format readable by Java decompilers like JD-GUI. Ideal for cybersecurity researchers, ethical hackers, and Android developers, it supports malware analysis, vulnerability assessment, and app debugging.