radare2 vs Rizin vs Cutter
radare2 6.2.4 (October 2026) and Rizin 0.9.1 (June 2026) are related command-line reverse-engineering frameworks, and Cutter 2.5.0 is the GUI built on Rizin.
radare2 and Rizin are related UNIX-like reverse-engineering frameworks. Rizin's README states it was born as a fork of radare2, with a focus on usability, features and cleanliness. Cutter is a GPL-3.0 GUI powered by Rizin (not a third unrelated engine).
Versions checked 2026-10-17 (UTC): radare2 6.2.4, Rizin v0.9.1, Cutter v2.5.0.
Comparison table
| radare2 | Rizin | Cutter | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Repo | radareorg/radare2 | rizinorg/rizin | rizinorg/cutter |
| License (summary) | Mostly LGPLv3; some GPL plugins (--without-gpl for static builds) | LGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| UI | Primarily CLI (r2) | CLI (rizin) | Qt GUI |
| Engine | radare2 | Rizin | Uses Rizin |
| Site | https://www.radare.org/ | https://rizin.re/ | https://cutter.re/ |
| Latest tag checked | 6.2.4 (2026-10-05 UTC) | v0.9.1 (2026-06-29 UTC) | v2.5.0 (2026-06-30 UTC) |
Who each fits
| Need | Prefer |
|---|---|
| Long-standing r2 scripts / muscle memory | radare2 |
| Fork with stated usability/cleanliness focus + book | Rizin |
| GUI on the Rizin stack | Cutter |
| Headless CI scripting | radare2 or Rizin CLI |
Related on BinBench
FAQ
Is Cutter a fork of radare2?
Cutter is a GUI frontend powered by Rizin. Rizin is the radare2 fork.
Which license should redistribute carefully?
Read each project's COPYING/LICENSE. radare2 documents GPL-related concerns for some static builds and offers --without-gpl.
Do they analyze unauthorized software?
You must supply authorization. Tools are dual-use; BinBench covers legal/educational use only.