mimikatz vs Donut: 2026 Comparison
mimikatz is a free offensive security tool. Donut is a free offensive security tool. 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 available product data, here is our conclusion:
Red teamers and penetration testers validating Windows credential exposure will find mimikatz indispensable for extracting plaintext passwords and hashes from memory; 21,000+ GitHub stars reflect how thoroughly it's embedded in professional assessment workflows. The tool's ability to bypass Windows Credential Guard on unpatched systems and dump LSASS directly makes it the fastest way to prove lateral movement risk in lab conditions. Skip this if your goal is continuous production monitoring; mimikatz is a point-in-time attack simulator, not a detection or remediation platform.
Red teamers and penetration testers who need to deliver .NET and PE payloads that evade memory-scanning EDR will find Donut essential; it generates position-independent shellcode that executes directly from memory without touching disk, eliminating the most common detection vector. With 4,492 GitHub stars and active community contributions, the tool has been battle-tested across real engagements and stays current with Windows API changes. Skip this if you're looking for post-exploitation frameworks with built-in C2 capability or if your scope is limited to external reconnaissance; Donut is narrowly focused on the injection problem and assumes you already have payload delivery sorted.
