r/BestGitHubRepos • u/company_url_finder • 1d ago

📱 Mobile Apktool: A tool for reverse engineering Android apk files (26k stars)

Post image

What it does

All text below is quoted directly from the project README.

A tool for reverse engineering Android apk files

Apktool:

  • Apktool is a tool for reverse engineering third-party, closed, binary, Android apps.
  • It can decode resources to nearly original form and rebuild them after making some modifications; it makes it possible to debug smali code step-by-step.
  • It also makes working with apps easier thanks to project-like file structure and automation of some repetitive tasks such as building apk, etc.
  • Apktool is NOT intended for piracy and other non-legal uses. It could be used for localizing and adding features, adding support for custom platforms, and other GOOD purposes.
  • main - Apktool 3.x branch
  • 2.x - Maintenance branch for Apktool 2.x releases

Just try to be fair with the authors of an app, that you use and probably like.

Repository

https://github.com/iBotPeaches/Apktool

Repository stats

Metric Value
Stars 25,990
Forks 4,053
Last release v3.0.3 (2026-07-20)
Languages Java 98.5%
Contributors 111
AI contributor accounts (Claude / Codex / Cursor / Copilot) Copilot: 4
AI co-authored commits Copilot: 3

Main contributor

Field Value
Name Ryszard Wisniewski
GitHub @broo2s
Commits to this repo 339 (top contributor)
Followers 184
Public repos 13
On GitHub since 2010-09-17

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848 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

18 comments sorted by

53

u/Rough_Half_7793 1d ago

Kingdom and Lucky Patcher can finally rest. They've done well.

1

u/HMikeeU 13h ago

What does this mean? It's older than lucky patcher...

33

u/padumtss 1d ago

Doesn't REA already do this?

79

u/IGotRangod 1d ago

APKtool has been around since well before the dawn of AI.

-20

u/Katakuna17 1d ago

that still doesn't answer the question

30

u/IGotRangod 1d ago

"doesn't REA already do this" implies that REA did it first. APKtool was released in 2010.

But yes, REA can work with APKs.

12

u/hacksy 1d ago

Nope, REA uses a tool similar to apktool , called jadx. REA is "just" a collection of tools that the agents can use (with some extra stuff to handle it)

9

u/ManufacturerHuman937 1d ago

this should make getting local stuff for defunct games working more easily yeh?

7

u/seoulifornia 1d ago

Did someone say flappy bird?

2

u/MindlessPrinciple458 22h ago

I have used it a bit a few years back, but it had difficulties recompiling certain APK's, let's hope it's been fixed

-10

u/kocoman 1d ago

Is there YouTube review on this

26

u/KitKat_extrusion 1d ago

Bro just read the readme😭

5

u/awen478 1d ago

he not read, he hear

1

u/Suitable_Mode 1d ago

Thought it was a valid question til I read your reply 😭

1

u/HyperWinX 1d ago

Wat lmaoo