Damn Vulnerable Web Application (DVWA) vs Mellivora: 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. Mellivora 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.
Security teams running internal CTF competitions or capture-the-flag training programs should use Mellivora for its lightweight, self-hosted architecture; you get full control over challenge creation and scoring without vendor lock-in or monthly bills. With 453 GitHub stars and PHP-based deployment, it's proven enough for university programs and mid-sized security training operations that want to host their own infrastructure. Skip this if you need a managed platform with slick UX or integration into a broader security awareness suite; Mellivora requires hands-on administration and assumes your team is comfortable with open-source tooling.
