Best Merlin Alternatives & Competitors in 2026

Fortra Cobalt Strike

Threat emulation tool for adversary simulations and red team operations

Core Security Cobalt Strike

Post-exploitation threat emulation platform for red team operations.

Core Security Outflank Security Tooling

Red team toolkit for EDR evasion, initial access, and post-exploitation.

Havoc Framework

Open-source C2 framework for red team ops and adversary simulation.

CrossC2

CrossC2 is a cross-platform payload generator that extends CobaltStrike's capabilities to Linux and macOS environments for red team operations.

NimPlant

A lightweight Command and Control (C2) implant written in Nim that provides remote access capabilities for penetration testing and red team operations.

PoshC2

A proxy aware C2 framework for penetration testing, red teaming, post-exploitation, and lateral movement with modular format and highly configurable payloads.

Pupy

Pupy is an open-source, cross-platform C2 framework that provides remote access and control capabilities for compromised systems across Windows, Linux, OSX, and Android platforms.

SharpC2

SharpC2 is a C#-based Command and Control framework that provides remote access capabilities for penetration testing and red team operations.

SILENTTRINITY

SILENTTRINITY is a Python-based, asynchronous C2 framework that uses .NET scripting languages for post-exploitation activities without relying on PowerShell.

Kubesploit

A cross-platform post-exploitation HTTP/2 Command & Control framework designed specifically for testing and exploiting containerized environments including Docker and Kubernetes.

Core Security Bundles and Suites

Bundled offensive security suites combining pen testing, red teaming, and VM.

Dreadnode Offensive Security Agents

AI agent platform for automating offensive security operations and evals.

MITRE Caldera™

MITRE Caldera™ is an automated adversary emulation platform built on the MITRE ATT&CK framework that supports red team operations and incident response activities through a modular C2 server and plugin architecture.

WebDAV Covert Channel

A covert channel technique that uses WebDAV protocol features to deliver malicious payloads and establish C2 communication while bypassing security controls.

pybof

PyBOF is a Python library that enables in-memory loading and execution of Beacon Object Files (BOFs) with support for argument passing and function targeting.

AzureC2Relay

An Azure Function that validates and relays Cobalt Strike beacon traffic based on Malleable C2 profile authentication.

Brute Ratel C4

Advanced command and control tool for red teaming and adversary simulation with extensive features and evasion capabilities.

C2concealer

A command line tool that generates randomized malleable C2 profiles for Cobalt Strike to vary command and control communication patterns.

C3

C3 is a framework by WithSecureLabs for rapid prototyping of custom command and control channels that integrates with existing offensive security toolkits.

CobaltBus

CobaltBus integrates Cobalt Strike with Azure Service Bus to create covert C2 communication channels for red team operations.

Covenant

Covenant is a collaborative .NET command and control framework designed for red team operations and offensive security engagements.

Domain Hunter

A reconnaissance tool that analyzes expired domains for categorization, reputation, and Archive.org history to identify candidates suitable for phishing and C2 operations.

InvisibilityCloak

InvisibilityCloak is a proof-of-concept C# code obfuscation toolkit designed for red teaming and penetration testing to conceal post-exploitation tools from detection.

Koadic

A COM Command & Control framework that uses JScript to provide fileless remote access capabilities on Windows systems through a modular plugin architecture.

RedGuard

RedGuard is a C2 front flow control tool that helps evade detection by security systems through traffic filtering and redirection capabilities.

RedWarden

RedWarden is a Cobalt Strike C2 reverse proxy that uses packet inspection and malleable profile correlation to evade detection by security controls during red team operations.

shad0w

A post-exploitation framework designed to operate covertly on heavily monitored environments.

SourcePoint

SourcePoint generates customizable C2 profiles for Cobalt Strike servers to enhance evasion capabilities against security defenses.

Forensia

Anti-forensics tool for Red Teamers to erase footprints and test incident response capabilities.

PowerSploit

PowerSploit is a PowerShell-based penetration testing framework containing modules for code execution, injection techniques, persistence, and various offensive security operations.

external_c2 framework

A Python framework for building custom Command and Control interfaces that implements Cobalt Strike's External C2 specification for data transfer between frameworks.

KeeFarce

KeeFarce extracts cleartext password database information from KeePass 2.x processes in memory using DLL injection and .NET runtime manipulation.

PHPsploit

A PHP-based command and control framework that maintains persistent web server access through polymorphic backdoors and HTTP header communication tunneling.

barq

A post-exploitation framework for attacking AWS infrastructure, enabling attacks on EC2 instances without SSH keypairs and extraction of AWS secrets and parameters.

Empire Communication Profiles

Customize Empire's GET request URIs, user agent, and headers for evading detection and masquerading as other applications.

Randomized Malleable C2 Profiles Made Easy

Tool for randomizing Cobalt Strike Malleable C2 profiles to evade static, signature-based detection controls.

GoSecure Titan® Adversarial Simulation

Human-led adversary emulation service testing detection & response capabilities

Red Specter Cheatsheet

CLI cheatsheet for Red Specter's 30-tool offensive security platform.

A Security

Autonomous offensive security platform that finds, validates, and remediates attack paths.

KinoSec Hades

Autonomous AI offensive cyber platform for sovereign-grade threat neutralization.

HexStrike AI MCP Agents

MCP server enabling AI agents to autonomously run 150+ security tools

Cobalt Strike's ExternalC2 framework

A specification/framework for extending default C2 communication channels in Cobalt Strike

GraphSpy

GraphSpy is a browser-based post-exploitation tool for Azure Active Directory and Office 365 environments that enables token management, reconnaissance, and interaction with Microsoft 365 services.

xargs

A command that builds and executes command lines from standard input, allowing for the execution of commands with multiple arguments.

AggressiveProxy

Tool for enumerating proxy configurations and generating CobaltStrike-compatible shellcode.

RedELK

RedELK is a SIEM tool designed for red teams to monitor and receive alerts about blue team detection activities during penetration testing engagements.

EvilClippy

EvilClippy is a cross-platform tool that creates malicious MS Office documents with hidden VBA macros and evasion techniques for penetration testing and red team operations.