Aikido Attack vs ESC: 2026 Comparison
Aikido Attack is a commercial penetration testing tool by Aikido Security. ESC is a free penetration testing tool. Compare features, ratings, integrations, and community reviews side by side to find the best penetration testing 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:
Startups and SMBs that need pen testing but lack in-house expertise will move fastest with Aikido Attack; same-day reports and automated remediation pull requests compress what normally takes weeks into hours. The platform covers OWASP Top 10 and business logic flaws across whitebox, greybox, and blackbox modes with 90-day free re-testing, removing the friction of scheduling and paying for repeat assessments. Skip this if your team needs deep manual testing for complex threat modeling or custom attack scenarios; the AI agents excel at finding known vulnerability classes, not novel ones.
Red teamers and penetration testers running SQL Server infrastructure assessments will get immediate value from ESC for its interactive console and native data exfiltration workflows that shorten reconnaissance cycles versus generic SQL clients. The 299 GitHub stars and free pricing mean minimal friction for adoption in tight budgets or proof-of-concept engagements. This is purpose-built for offensive work; defenders managing detection and response around SQL Server activity should look elsewhere, as ESC makes no concession to logging or defensive visibility.
