Boomerang Decompiler vs checkra1n: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)
Features, pricing, ratings, and pros & cons — compared head-to-head.
Boomerang Decompiler is a free offensive security tool. checkra1n is a free offensive security tool. Compare features, ratings, integrations, and community reviews side by side to find the best offensive security fit for your security stack.
CST VerdictBased on our analysis of available product data, here is our conclusion:
Reverse engineers and threat analysts doing malware triage or legacy binary assessment will find Boomerang Decompiler's free, cross-architecture approach valuable when commercial decompilers are overkill; the 400 GitHub stars and active maintenance signal it's genuinely used in the field, not abandoned. The open source model means you can audit the decompiler itself and integrate it into automated analysis pipelines without licensing friction. Skip this if you need GUI-first interaction or support for the latest obfuscation techniques; Boomerang excels at straightforward architectural recovery, not defeating intentional anti-analysis.
Penetration testers and iOS security researchers targeting iPhone 5s through iPhone X need checkra1n for its semi-tethered access to A9-A11 chipsets via the unfixable checkm8 bootrom exploit, which remains unpatched across all iOS versions. The exploit persists because Apple cannot patch bootrom vulnerabilities in hardware already in the field, making checkra1n the only reliable jailbreak for these legacy devices in controlled testing environments. Skip this tool if your scope includes iPhone XS and newer; checkra1n's bootrom approach doesn't reach A12 and later chips, and you'll waste time on incompatible devices.
