Adversary Emulation Library vs APT Simulator: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)
Features, pricing, ratings, and pros & cons — compared head-to-head.
Adversary Emulation Library is a free threat simulation tool. APT Simulator is a free threat simulation tool. Compare features, ratings, integrations, and community reviews side by side to find the best threat simulation fit for your security stack.
CST VerdictBased on our analysis of available product data, here is our conclusion:
Security teams building a testing program from scratch should start with Adversary Emulation Library because it's free, well-maintained, and maps directly to real adversary TTPs instead of generic control checklists. The library has 2,076 GitHub stars and covers MITRE ATT&CK techniques across multiple threat groups, giving you actual playbooks to run rather than vague scenarios. Skip this if your team lacks the time or expertise to operationalize emulation plans internally; you'll need engineers who can translate documentation into executable tests, not a turnkey platform that runs attacks for you.
Security teams building Windows incident response playbooks need APT Simulator to safely replicate adversary behavior on non-production systems without risk of lateral movement or data exfiltration. The tool's 2,700-plus GitHub stars reflect active use among blue teams validating detection logic against realistic post-compromise scenarios. Skip this if your primary need is testing EDR or XDR detection tuning across multiple operating systems; APT Simulator's Windows-only scope and simulation-focused design make it a lab tool, not a platform for enterprise-wide threat validation.
