STM32CubeMX vs STM32CubeMX2: What’s Really Different?

STM32 Overview: STM32CubeMX vs STM32CubeMX2 (Ecosystem Comparison)

Abstract

If you have been developing with STM32 microcontrollers for a while, you probably know STM32CubeMX very well.

For years, STM32CubeMX has been one of the central tools in the STM32 development workflow. It allows developers to configure clocks, pins, peripherals and middleware and then generate the initialization code required to start a project.

But with the introduction of the STM32C5 family, STMicroelectronics has introduced something new: STM32CubeMX2.

Despite the name, STM32CubeMX2 is not simply a newer version of the traditional STM32CubeMX. It is a new flavor of the STM32 configuration and code-generation tool, designed to work with the new STM32Cube ecosystem based on HAL2.

So what exactly changed? And, perhaps more importantly: Do STM32 developers need to learn everything again?

The short answer is no. But there are some important differences that developers should understand.

1. STM32CubeMX and STM32CubeMX2 Are Two Ecosystems

The first important point is that STM32CubeMX and STM32CubeMX2 coexist.

The traditional STM32CubeMX continues to support STM32 devices based on the original HAL software layer. STM32CubeMX2 is intended for STM32 microcontrollers using the new HAL2 software layer. The STM32C5 is the first STM32 family introduced with this new ecosystem.

ST currently describes the relationship as two STM32CubeMX offerings supporting different STM32 families. A simplified view looks like this:

This distinction is extremely important. You should not assume that installing STM32CubeMX2 means that all your existing STM32 projects can simply be opened and migrated.

2. What is STM32CubeMX?

STM32CubeMX is STMicroelectronics' graphical configuration and code-generation tool for STM32 microcontrollers.

It provides a graphical interface for configuring:

• GPIO
• clocks
• timers
• UART
• SPI
• I²C
• ADC
• DMA
• interrupts
• middleware
• RTOS components
• project settings

After the configuration is complete, CubeMX generates the initialization code required by the application. The traditional workflow is familiar to most STM32 developers:

STM32 MCU
    ↓
STM32CubeMX
    ↓
Configure pins
Configure clocks
Configure peripherals
Configure middleware
    ↓
Generate project
    ↓
IDE / compiler
    ↓
Build
    ↓
Debug

This workflow remains relevant for existing STM32 families.

3. What Is STM32CubeMX2?

STM32CubeMX2 is the next generation of the STM32 configuration experience. It was introduced together with the new STM32Cube software architecture used by STM32C5.

The new tool keeps many of the concepts developers already know from CubeMX, but introduces a redesigned workflow and additional capabilities. Among the most interesting changes are:

• a refreshed user interface;
• a new configuration workflow;
• live code preview;
• improved command-line capabilities;
• integration with the HAL2-based STM32Cube software ecosystem.

ST specifically highlights the new code preview capability, which allows developers to see the effect of configuration changes before generating the complete project.

4. The Most Interesting New Feature: Code Preview

One of the most useful changes in STM32CubeMX2 is the live code preview.

In the traditional workflow, developers typically modify a configuration and then regenerate the project. For example:

Configure GPIO
       ↓
Generate Code
       ↓
Open generated files
       ↓
Inspect result

CubeMX2 introduces a more interactive approach. The configuration can provide visibility into the generated code before the complete project is regenerated.

This is particularly useful when you are trying to understand what a particular configuration option actually does. For experienced developers, this can also reduce the need to repeatedly regenerate an entire project just to inspect a small configuration change.

ST describes this as one of the key improvements of STM32CubeMX2.

5. STM32CubeMX2 and HAL2

The biggest conceptual difference between the two tools is not actually the graphical interface. It is the software architecture underneath it.

STM32CubeMX2 is designed around HAL2. The original STM32Cube HAL has been used across STM32 families for many years. HAL2 introduces changes intended to improve:

• code size;
• resource management;
• performance;
• portability;
• interaction with low-level APIs.

The STM32CubeC5 package officially identifies HAL2 as version 2.0.0 and states that it is compatible with STM32CubeMX2.

This means that STM32CubeMX2 should not be thought of simply as:

It is part of a broader evolution of the STM32 software ecosystem.

6. Does STM32CubeMX2 support my STM32F4?

This is one of the first questions existing STM32 developers are likely to ask.

For now, the important distinction is the STM32 software generation rather than simply the MCU family name, existing STM32 families that use the traditional HAL/MX ecosystem remain supported by STM32CubeMX only. New families starting with STM32C5 use STM32CubeMX2 and HAL2.

ST has explicitly stated that existing STM32 series remain supported by the current STM32Cube components.

Therefore, if you have an existing STM32F4 project, you should not assume that you need to (nor that you even can) migrate it to CubeMX2.

Your existing development environment remains valid, so we can continue to use STM32CubeIDE, even with STM32C5.

7. STM32CubeMX vs STM32CubeMX2

Here is the practical comparison.

The important message is:

At least for now and given the usual 10 years commitment, they’ll coexist for quite a while.

8. What about STM32CubeIDE?

The development environment is evolving alongside CubeMX2 and HAL2.

ST has also updated its STM32CubeIDE ecosystem, including STM32CubeIDE for VS Code, to take advantage of the new workflow.

This is part of a larger movement toward more flexible development workflows. For developers who prefer VS Code, this is particularly interesting. A modern STM32 workflow can increasingly look like:

STM32CubeMX2
       ↓
Project configuration
       ↓
CMake
       ↓
VS Code
       ↓
Build + Debug

rather than relying exclusively on the traditional Eclipse-based IDE workflow.

But of course, nothing prohibits us to use STM32CubeIDE and CMAKE with STM32C5 and the same should be true for future releases.

9. Should you learn STM32CubeMX2?

If you work exclusively with older STM32 families, there is no immediate reason to abandon your existing CubeMX workflow.

However, if you are starting a new project based on STM32C5 or another STM32 family that uses HAL2, you should learn STM32CubeMX2.

There is another reason to learn it early: the new ecosystem is designed as the foundation for future STM32 generations.

ST describes STM32C5 as the first family using this updated STM32Cube foundation, with new STM32 series starting from STM32C5 moving to the new ecosystem.

10. What STM32 developers should learn

If you are moving into the new ecosystem, I recommend learning the following concepts:

10.1 STM32CubeMX2

Learn the new configuration workflow. We’ll have an article for this soon.

10.2 HAL2

Understand how the new HAL differs from the traditional HAL. This should be straight forward.

10.3 CMake

Understand how the project is structured and built.

10.4 VS Code

Learn how to configure, build and debug STM32 projects outside the traditional IDE workflow. This is the least mandatory, as we can simply use the good old STM32CubeIDE and import the created MX2 project using CMAKE. If you don’t know how to do it, there is an ST articles for that: How to import a STM32CubeMX2 CMake project into STM32CubeIDE , and app note: AN5952 – How to use CMake in STM32CubeIDE .

10.5 STM32C5

Use a real STM32C5 board to understand the new ecosystem.

11. The Bigger Picture

STM32CubeMX2 is more important than the name suggests.

It represents one component of a broader change in the STM32 development ecosystem:

                STM32C5
                    │
          ┌─────────┼─────────┐
          │         │         │
        HAL2     CubeMX2    CMake
          │         │         │
          └─────────┼─────────┘
                    │
                 VS Code
                    │
             Modern Workflow

For developers who have spent years using STM32CubeMX, the transition should not be intimidating.

The concepts remain familiar. But the tools are evolving.

12. Conclusion

STM32CubeMX2 is not simply "STM32CubeMX version 2."

It is part of a new STM32 software ecosystem built around HAL2 and initially introduced with the STM32C5 family.

The traditional STM32CubeMX ecosystem remains relevant for existing STM32 families, while STM32CubeMX2 provides the new workflow for HAL2-based devices.

For STM32 developers, the most important thing to understand is therefore not:

but rather:

Once you understand that distinction, the transition to STM32CubeMX2 becomes much easier.

In the next article, we will go beyond the comparison and build an actual STM32C5 project using STM32CubeMX2 and VS Code.