Damn Vulnerable Web Application (DVWA) vs LFI-Labs: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)
Features, pricing, ratings, and pros & cons — compared head-to-head.
Damn Vulnerable Web Application (DVWA) is a free cyber range training tool. LFI-Labs is a free cyber range training tool. Compare features, ratings, integrations, and community reviews side by side to find the best cyber range training fit for your security stack.
CST VerdictBased on our analysis of available product data, here is our conclusion:
Damn Vulnerable Web Application (DVWA)
Security training teams and individual penetration testers who need a lightweight, immediately deployable target for hands-on web vulnerability practice should use Damn Vulnerable Web Application. It's free, requires minimal infrastructure setup, and has 12,763 GitHub stars from over a decade of active use in university courses and corporate security bootcamps. Skip it if your team needs a modern, authenticated web application that reflects current OWASP Top 10 attack surfaces; DVWA's PHP/MySQL stack and dated code patterns won't prepare you for the architectural complexity of production applications.
Developers and junior penetration testers who need cheap, hands-on practice with file inclusion and command injection vulnerabilities should use LFI-Labs; it's free PHP code you deploy locally and actually exploit, not a sanitized sandbox. The 338 GitHub stars and active use in informal security training programs indicate real adoption among people building fundamentals. Skip this if your team needs guided scenarios with scoring, progress tracking, or compliance reporting; LFI-Labs is raw lab work, not a structured cyber range platform.
