de4dot vs Fernflower: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)
Features, pricing, ratings, and pros & cons — compared head-to-head.
de4dot is a free malware analysis tool. Fernflower is a free malware analysis tool. Compare features, ratings, integrations, and community reviews side by side to find the best malware analysis fit for your security stack.
CST VerdictBased on our analysis of available product data, here is our conclusion:
Threat analysts and incident responders investigating .NET malware will find de4dot indispensable for unpacking obfuscated assemblies that commercial tools struggle with, especially samples using less common obfuscators like ConfuserEx or .NET Reactor. The tool's 7,364 GitHub stars reflect active community maintenance and real-world deployment across malware analysis workflows. Skip this if your team primarily handles unobfuscated .NET samples or relies on automated sandboxing; de4dot demands manual analysis skill and won't replace behavioral detection.
Java security teams doing threat intelligence or incident response will get immediate value from Fernflower because it decompiles obfuscated bytecode faster than commercial alternatives and costs nothing. The 4,200 GitHub stars reflect adoption by real practitioners who need to reverse-engineer malware or audit third-party libraries without licensing overhead. Skip this if you need a GUI or automated vulnerability scanning; Fernflower is CLI-first and analytical, not a replacement for SAST tools.
