# Donut vs NSO Group: 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. [NSO Group](https://cybersectools.com/tools/nso-group) is a commercial [red-team & adversary emulation](https://cybersectools.com/categories/offensive-security) solution by [NSO Group](https://cybersectools.com/companies/nso-group). Features, integrations, deployment and the company behind each one, side by side.

## Side-by-side comparison

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

### Use cases and capabilities

| | Donut | NSO Group |
|---|---|---|
| PE File | Yes | – |
| Shellcode | Yes | – |
| Windows | Yes | – |
| Code Injection | Yes | – |
| Payload Generation | Yes | – |
| Process Injection | Yes | – |
| Memory Forensics | Yes | – |
| OSINT | – | Yes |

### Core features

**Donut**

No features listed.

**NSO Group**

5 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 are a mid-market company, you need a free product and you want an open-source product.

## Donut vs NSO Group FAQ

Common questions when comparing Donut vs NSO Group for red-team & adversary emulation.

### What is the difference between Donut and NSO Group?

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

**NSO Group**: Govt-focused cyber intelligence & surveillance software provider. Built by NSO Group.

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

### Who makes Donut and NSO Group?

**Donut** is open-source with 4,492 GitHub stars. **NSO Group** is made by NSO Group. 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 NSO Group?

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

## Related comparisons

- [Donut vs GoSecure Titan® Adversarial Simulation](https://cybersectools.com/compare/donut-vs-gosecure-titanr-adversarial-simulation)
- [Donut vs Core Security Outflank Security Tooling](https://cybersectools.com/compare/core-security-outflank-security-tooling-vs-donut)
- [Donut vs Two Six Technologies IKE](https://cybersectools.com/compare/donut-vs-two-six-technologies-ike)
- [NSO Group vs GoSecure Titan® Adversarial Simulation](https://cybersectools.com/compare/gosecure-titanr-adversarial-simulation-vs-nso-group)
- [NSO Group vs Core Security Outflank Security Tooling](https://cybersectools.com/compare/core-security-outflank-security-tooling-vs-nso-group)
- [NSO Group vs Two Six Technologies IKE](https://cybersectools.com/compare/nso-group-vs-two-six-technologies-ike)

## Alternatives to each

- [See all Donut alternatives](https://cybersectools.com/alternatives/donut)
- [See all NSO Group alternatives](https://cybersectools.com/alternatives/nso-group)

---

Source: https://cybersectools.com/compare/donut-vs-nso-group

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 NSO Group: 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