# Donut vs Ethiack: side-by-side comparison (2026)

[Donut](https://cybersectools.com/tools/donut) is a free [Red-Team & adversary emulation](https://cybersectools.com/categories/offensive-security) solution. [Ethiack](https://cybersectools.com/tools/ethiack) is a commercial [Red-Team & adversary emulation](https://cybersectools.com/categories/offensive-security) solution by [Ethiack](https://cybersectools.com/companies/ethiack). Features, integrations, deployment and the company behind each one, side by side.

## Side-by-side comparison

| | Donut | Ethiack |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free | Commercial |
| Category | Red-Team & Adversary Emulation | Red-Team & Adversary Emulation |
| Verified | No | No |
| Deployment type | On-Premises | Cloud |
| Company size fit | Mid-Market, Enterprise | SMB, Mid-Market, Enterprise |
| GitHub stars | 4,492 | – |
| Last commit | Oct 2024 | – |
| Company | – | Ethiack |
| Headquarters | – | – |

### Use cases and capabilities

| | Donut | Ethiack |
|---|---|---|
| PE File | Yes | – |
| Shellcode | Yes | – |
| Windows | Yes | – |
| Code Injection | Yes | – |
| Payload Generation | Yes | – |
| Process Injection | Yes | – |
| Memory Forensics | Yes | – |
| Continuous Testing | – | Yes |
| VAPT | – | Yes |
| Security Scanning | – | Yes |

### Core features

**Donut**

No features listed.

**Ethiack**

10 features listed. Sign in on the page to see them.

## Which one fits you

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

- [Donut](https://cybersectools.com/tools/donut) fits if you need to run it on your own servers, you need a free product and you want an open-source product.
- [Ethiack](https://cybersectools.com/tools/ethiack) fits if you want a cloud product and you are a small business.

## Donut vs Ethiack FAQ

Common questions when comparing Donut vs Ethiack for Red-Team & adversary emulation.

### What is the difference between Donut and Ethiack?

**Donut**: A shellcode generator that creates position-independent code for loading and executing .NET Assemblies, PE files, and Windows payloads from memory.

**Ethiack**: AI-powered continuous pentesting platform combining autonomous agents with human hackers, built by Ethiack.

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

### Who makes Donut and Ethiack?

**Donut** is open-source with 4,492 GitHub stars. **Ethiack** is made by Ethiack founded in 2022-01-01T00:00:00.000Z. The vendor behind a product decides its roadmap, support, and longevity, so check each company's profile before you commit.

### Is Donut a good alternative to Ethiack?

Often, yes. Donut and Ethiack are both Red-Team & Adversary Emulation products. Key differences: Donut is Free while Ethiack is Commercial, Donut is open-source. Use the table above to see where features, deployment and company size fit differ.

## Related comparisons

- [Donut vs Core Security Outflank Security Tooling](https://cybersectools.com/compare/core-security-outflank-security-tooling-vs-donut)
- [Donut vs Asgard Cyber Security](https://cybersectools.com/compare/asgard-cyber-security-vs-donut)
- [Donut vs A Security](https://cybersectools.com/compare/a-security-vs-donut)
- [Ethiack vs Core Security Outflank Security Tooling](https://cybersectools.com/compare/core-security-outflank-security-tooling-vs-ethiack)
- [Ethiack vs Asgard Cyber Security](https://cybersectools.com/compare/asgard-cyber-security-vs-ethiack)
- [Ethiack vs A Security](https://cybersectools.com/compare/a-security-vs-ethiack)

## Alternatives to each

- [See all Donut alternatives](https://cybersectools.com/alternatives/donut)
- [See all Ethiack alternatives](https://cybersectools.com/alternatives/ethiack)

---

Source: https://cybersectools.com/compare/donut-vs-ethiack

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

More on Donut and Ethiack: 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