Fortra Cobalt Strike vs XlsGen: side-by-side comparison (2026)

Fortra Cobalt Strike: Threat emulation product for adversary simulations and red team operations. Built by Fortra. Core capabilities include Post-exploitation payload (Beacon) with PowerShell execution, keylogging, screenshots, and file downloads, Malleable Command and Control (C2) language for network indicator customization, Browser pivoting for hijacking authenticated web sessions.

XlsGen: A proof-of-concept tool that generates Excel BIFF8 files with embedded 4.0 macros programmatically without requiring Microsoft Excel installation.

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

Fortra Cobalt Strike is made by Fortra. XlsGen is open-source with 44 GitHub stars. The vendor behind a product decides its roadmap, support, and longevity, so check each company's profile before you commit.

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