AzureC2Relay vs Core Security Cobalt Strike: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)
Features, pricing, ratings, and pros & cons — compared head-to-head.
AzureC2Relay is a free offensive security tool. Core Security Cobalt Strike is a commercial offensive security tool by Core Security. Compare features, ratings, integrations, and community reviews side by side to find the best offensive security fit for your security stack.
CST VerdictBased on our analysis of NIST CSF 2.0 coverage, core features, integrations, company size fit, here is our conclusion:
Red teamers and penetration testers running Cobalt Strike campaigns through Azure need AzureC2Relay to hide C2 traffic behind legitimate cloud infrastructure without burning blue team detections on obviously malicious beacon patterns. The tool validates traffic against your Malleable C2 profile before relaying through an Azure Function, meaning only properly authenticated beacons get through; attackers often skip this layer and get caught on the first anomalous request. Skip this if you're not already deeply comfortable with Azure Functions, Malleable C2 profiles, and infrastructure-as-code deployments; the 236 GitHub stars reflect a small, skilled audience rather than a tool that abstracts away operator complexity.
Mid-market and enterprise red teams running structured adversary emulation programs should pick Core Security Cobalt Strike for its Malleable C2 profiles, which let you authentically simulate APT tradecraft without building custom infrastructure from scratch. The Arsenal Kit's Sleep Mask and reflective loader customizations give you the payload flexibility needed to stay ahead of defensive signatures in mature environments. Skip this if your team lacks the operator experience to tune these features; Cobalt Strike demands thoughtful configuration, not point-and-click execution.
