LeakIX vs Fortra Cobalt Strike: 2026 Comparison
LeakIX is a free offensive security tool. Fortra Cobalt Strike is a commercial offensive security tool by Fortra. Compare features, ratings, integrations, and community reviews side by side to find the best offensive security fit for your security stack.
CST VerdictBased on our analysis of NIST CSF 2.0 coverage, core features, company size fit, deployment model, here is our conclusion:
Red teamers and penetration testers evaluating external attack surface will find LeakIX valuable because it surfaces misconfigurations and exposed services that standard vulnerability scanners miss, particularly data repositories and cloud storage left publicly readable. The free pricing means you can run continuous reconnaissance without licensing friction, and the search-engine approach catches drift faster than periodic manual audits. Skip this if your team needs authenticated scanning of internal infrastructure or remediation workflow integration; LeakIX is strictly for finding what's already exposed on the open internet.
Mid-market and enterprise red teams will pick Fortra Cobalt Strike for the Malleable C2 language, which lets you reshape network indicators to match your target environment instead of fighting against detection signatures built for the tool's defaults. The shared team server and asynchronous low-and-slow communication model reflect NIST ID.RA and DE.AE coverage, meaning you can run realistic adversary simulations that actually test how your SOC detects slow exfiltration and lateral movement, not just fast attacks. Skip this if your organization needs purple team automation or wants the tool to generate its own reports without manual TTP documentation; Cobalt Strike is built for operators who know what they're hunting for.
