Core Security Cobalt Strike vs Merlin: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)

Core Security Cobalt Strike: Post-exploitation threat emulation platform for red team operations. built by Core Security. Core capabilities include Beacon post-exploitation payload supporting reconnaissance, command execution, and payload deployment, Malleable C2 profiles to customize network indicators and simulate APT behavior, Covert communication over HTTP, HTTPS, DNS, TCP, and SMB named pipes..

Merlin: A cross-platform HTTP/2 Command & Control framework written in Golang for post-exploitation activities and remote system management..

Both serve the Offensive Security market but differ in approach, feature depth, and target audience.

Core Security Cobalt Strike is developed by Core Security. Merlin is open-source with 5,516 GitHub stars. Vendor maturity, funding stage, and team size can be important factors when evaluating long-term viability and support quality.

Core Security Cobalt Strike and Merlin serve similar Offensive Security use cases: both are Offensive Security tools, both cover Post Exploitation, C2, Red Team. Key differences: Core Security Cobalt Strike is Commercial while Merlin is Free, Merlin is open-source. Review the feature comparison above to determine which fits your requirements.