AD Tripwires vs HoneypotPi: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)
Features, pricing, ratings, and pros & cons — compared head-to-head.
AD Tripwires is a commercial honeypots & deception tool by Horizon3.ai. HoneypotPi is a free honeypots & deception tool. Compare features, ratings, integrations, and community reviews side by side to find the best honeypots & deception fit for your security stack.
CST VerdictBased on our analysis of NIST CSF 2.0 coverage, core features, company size fit, deployment model, here is our conclusion:
Mid-market and enterprise security teams that treat Active Directory as a detection problem, not just a hardening problem, should evaluate AD Tripwires. It deploys honeypot objects directly into AD to catch reconnaissance and lateral movement before it reaches production assets, and the integration with Horizon3.ai's NodeZero platform means you validate that your tripwires actually work against your real attack surface. Skip this if your team lacks the AD expertise to maintain decoy objects or if you're looking for a tool that also handles response automation; AD Tripwires is detection and alerting only.
Security teams experimenting with deception tactics on a shoestring budget should use HoneypotPi to stand up a functional honeypot in under an hour on hardware they already own. The free, open-source Raspberry Pi approach eliminates procurement friction and works well for small deployments or lab environments testing detection logic before larger investments. Skip this if you need centralized management across multiple honeypots, advanced threat intelligence feeds, or the polish of a commercial platform; HoneypotPi is a capable DIY tool, not a scalable deception infrastructure.
