Evolve Security Darwin Attack vs PowerUpSQL: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)
Features, pricing, ratings, and pros & cons — compared head-to-head.
Evolve Security Darwin Attack is a commercial penetration testing tool by Evolve Security. PowerUpSQL 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 NIST CSF 2.0 coverage, core features, company size fit, deployment model, here is our conclusion:
Security teams running lean pentesting operations will get the most from Evolve Security Darwin Attack because it embeds actual pentesters into your workflow instead of handing you a report and disappearing. The continuous model with real-time communication and custom remediation videos cuts the noise of traditional annual engagements, covering both risk assessment and asset management across your attack surface. Skip this if your org needs passive vulnerability scanning or a tool that plays nicely with an existing SIEM; Darwin Attack is built for teams that want active human guidance, not another data feed.
Red teamers and penetration testers who need to move laterally through Active Directory via SQL Server will find PowerUpSQL invaluable; it automates the discovery and exploitation of SQL Server misconfigurations that most manual testing misses. The tool is free and purpose-built for this specific attack chain, which means no licensing friction when you need it across multiple engagements. Skip this if you're looking for a general-purpose post-exploitation framework or something that handles non-SQL attack paths; PowerUpSQL is narrow and intentional about what it does.
