# Burp Suite Professional vs Shadow Workers: side-by-side comparison (2026)

[Burp Suite Professional](https://cybersectools.com/tools/burp-suite-professional) is a commercial [penetration testing](https://cybersectools.com/categories/pentesting-tools) solution by [PortSwigger Ltd](https://cybersectools.com/companies/portswigger-ltd). [Shadow Workers](https://cybersectools.com/tools/shadow-workers) is a free [red-team & adversary emulation](https://cybersectools.com/categories/offensive-security) solution. Features, integrations, deployment and the company behind each one, side by side.

## Side-by-side comparison

| | Burp Suite Professional | Shadow Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Commercial | Free |
| Category | Penetration Testing | Red-Team & Adversary Emulation |
| Verified | No | No |
| Deployment type | On-Premises | On-Premises |
| Company size fit | SMB, Mid-Market, Enterprise | Mid-Market, Enterprise |
| GitHub stars | – | 236 |
| Last commit | – | Oct 2023 |
| Company | PortSwigger Ltd. | – |
| Headquarters | – | – |

### Use cases and capabilities

| | Burp Suite Professional | Shadow Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Proxy | Yes | Yes |
| Scanner | Yes | – |
| C2 | – | Yes |
| Open Source | – | Yes |
| XSS | – | Yes |

## Which one fits you

Based on what each listing shows: deployment, company size, price and open source.

- [Burp Suite Professional](https://cybersectools.com/tools/burp-suite-professional) fits if you are a small business.
- [Shadow Workers](https://cybersectools.com/tools/shadow-workers) fits if you need a free product and you want an open-source product.

## Burp Suite Professional vs Shadow Workers FAQ

Common questions when comparing Burp Suite Professional vs Shadow Workers for penetration testing.

### What is the difference between Burp Suite Professional and Shadow Workers?

**Burp Suite Professional**: A web application security testing platform that combines manual and automated testing tools for conducting comprehensive security assessments and penetration testing. Built by PortSwigger Ltd.

**Shadow Workers**: Shadow Workers is an open source C2 framework and proxy tool for penetration testers to exploit XSS vulnerabilities and malicious Service Workers.

The table above shows where their features, integrations, deployment and company size fit differ.

### Who makes Burp Suite Professional and Shadow Workers?

**Burp Suite Professional** is made by PortSwigger Ltd. **Shadow Workers** is open-source with 236 GitHub stars. The vendor behind a product decides its roadmap, support, and longevity, so check each company's profile before you commit.

### Is Burp Suite Professional a good alternative to Shadow Workers?

In part. Burp Suite Professional and Shadow Workers are not in the same category on CybersecTools. Both cover Proxy. Key differences: Burp Suite Professional is Commercial while Shadow Workers is Free, Shadow Workers is open-source. Use the table above to see where features, deployment and company size fit differ.

## Related comparisons

- [Burp Suite Professional vs Ridge Security RidgeBot OWASP Compliance](https://cybersectools.com/compare/burp-suite-professional-vs-ridge-security-ridgebot-owasp-compliance)
- [Burp Suite Professional vs Red Specter POLTERGEIST](https://cybersectools.com/compare/burp-suite-professional-vs-red-specter-poltergeist)
- [Burp Suite Professional vs BU Creative Web App Penetration Testing](https://cybersectools.com/compare/bu-creative-web-app-penetration-testing-vs-burp-suite-professional)
- [Shadow Workers vs Ridge Security RidgeBot OWASP Compliance](https://cybersectools.com/compare/ridge-security-ridgebot-owasp-compliance-vs-shadow-workers)
- [Shadow Workers vs Red Specter POLTERGEIST](https://cybersectools.com/compare/red-specter-poltergeist-vs-shadow-workers)
- [Shadow Workers vs BU Creative Web App Penetration Testing](https://cybersectools.com/compare/bu-creative-web-app-penetration-testing-vs-shadow-workers)

## Alternatives to each

- [See all Burp Suite Professional alternatives](https://cybersectools.com/alternatives/burp-suite-professional)
- [See all Shadow Workers alternatives](https://cybersectools.com/alternatives/shadow-workers)

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Source: https://cybersectools.com/compare/burp-suite-professional-vs-shadow-workers

For AI agents: each product above has its own Markdown page (add .md to its URL, for example https://cybersectools.com/tools/burp-suite-professional.md). Every CybersecTools shortlist is listed at https://cybersectools.com/shortlists.md.

More on Burp Suite Professional and Shadow Workers: funding, momentum, hiring and news, plus the full product and company record, are available through the Mandos MCP Server (paid plans), which connects to AI assistants: https://mandos.io/mcp?utm_source=cybersectools.com&utm_medium=compare-md