checkra1n vs Payloads All The Things: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)
Features, pricing, ratings, and pros & cons — compared head-to-head.
checkra1n is a free penetration testing tool. Payloads All The Things 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 available product data, here is our conclusion:
Penetration testers and iOS security researchers targeting iPhone 5s through iPhone X need checkra1n for its semi-tethered access to A9-A11 chipsets via the unfixable checkm8 bootrom exploit, which remains unpatched across all iOS versions. The exploit persists because Apple cannot patch bootrom vulnerabilities in hardware already in the field, making checkra1n the only reliable jailbreak for these legacy devices in controlled testing environments. Skip this tool if your scope includes iPhone XS and newer; checkra1n's bootrom approach doesn't reach A12 and later chips, and you'll waste time on incompatible devices.
Penetration testers and red teamers building custom test cases should use Payloads All The Things as a living reference library; its 76,000 GitHub stars reflect years of community-driven validation across SQLi, XSS, CSRF, and dozens of other vectors. The real value is that it's freely maintained by practitioners who actually exploit these gaps, so payloads stay current with real-world bypasses rather than textbook examples. Skip this if you need a polished UI, guided workflows, or integration with your vulnerability scanner; Payloads All The Things is raw material for people who know what they're hunting for.
