VGSources / Compare / Game asset extractors
Head to head
arcdEx vs UABEA
Both are on VGSources's list of game asset extractors.
arcdEx
github.com
For Linux users, arcdEx opens game archives produced by Defold at no cost.
VisitUABEA
github.com
UABEA works on Windows and Linux with Unity Asset Bundles, Serialized Files and Addressables bundles, allowing them to be read and written.
VisitSide by side
| arcdEx | UABEA | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | No | No |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Runs on | Linux | Linux, Windows |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Place | #6 of 24 | #1 of 24 |
| Checked | 5 Oct 2026 | 19 Oct 2026 |
In short
arcdEx: Choose arcdEx when your target is a Defold build and you need a Linux command-line extractor rather than an archive editor. It covers the core inspection work, adds texture and Lua handling, and costs nothing. Check the archive layout first: related index and manifest paths are guessed, split web archives need combining, and encrypted content depends on one key. It is a poor fit for repacking archives or for projects where you need a support channel for feature requests and bug reports.
UABEA: Windows and Linux builds, batch operations and an MIT license make it easy to fit into a personal workflow. The decision changes when the task depends on mesh pipelines, audio encoding, video assets or the newest Unity releases. Those areas have documented gaps and extra file handling. Treat UABEA as an editor for targeted changes, not a universal extractor or asset-conversion suite.