PEDA vs Pwntools: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)
Features, pricing, ratings, and pros & cons — compared head-to-head.
PEDA is a free penetration testing tool. Pwntools is a free penetration testing tool. Compare features, ratings, integrations, and community reviews side by side to find the best penetration testing fit for your security stack.
CST VerdictBased on our analysis of available product data, here is our conclusion:
Penetration testers and security researchers doing manual exploit development on Linux will find PEDA indispensable for speeding up low-level binary analysis; the 6,111 GitHub stars reflect years of active use in red teams who've standardized on GDB workflows. The tool's colorized output and exploit-specific commands cut analysis time significantly compared to raw GDB, particularly for stack overflow and format string research. Skip PEDA if your team relies primarily on Windows binaries or needs a graphical debugger; it's a command-line power tool for practitioners who already speak GDB fluently.
Penetration testers and red teamers who need to write exploits fast will get the most from Pwntools; its Python library handles the tedious low-level socket work, ROP gadget chaining, and shellcode generation so you spend time on vulnerability logic instead of boilerplate. The 13k GitHub stars reflect real adoption in both professional engagements and CTF competitions, where iteration speed matters. Skip this if your team codes exploits in C or expects a GUI; Pwntools is pure command-line and Python, with a learning curve if you're not comfortable scripting.
