# PT Dephaze vs Shadow Workers: side-by-side comparison (2026)

[PT Dephaze](https://cybersectools.com/tools/pt-dephaze) is a commercial [penetration testing](https://cybersectools.com/categories/pentesting-tools) solution by [Positive Technologies](https://cybersectools.com/companies/positive-technologies). [Shadow Workers](https://cybersectools.com/tools/shadow-workers) is a free [red-team & adversary emulation](https://cybersectools.com/categories/offensive-security) solution. Features, integrations, deployment and the company behind each one, side by side.

## Side-by-side comparison

| | PT Dephaze | Shadow Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Commercial | Free |
| Category | Penetration Testing | Red-Team & Adversary Emulation |
| Verified | No | No |
| Deployment type | On-Premises | On-Premises |
| Company size fit | Mid-Market, Enterprise | Mid-Market, Enterprise |
| GitHub stars | – | 236 |
| Last commit | – | Oct 2023 |
| Company | Positive Technologies | – |
| Headquarters | – | – |

### Use cases and capabilities

| | PT Dephaze | Shadow Workers |
|---|---|---|
| MITRE ATT&CK | Yes | – |
| Lateral Movement | Yes | – |
| Continuous Testing | Yes | – |
| Reconnaissance | Yes | – |
| Network Scanning | Yes | – |
| Privilege Escalation | Yes | – |
| Vulnerability | Yes | – |
| Red Team | Yes | – |
| Security Validation | Yes | – |
| C2 | – | Yes |
| Proxy | – | Yes |
| Open Source | – | Yes |
| XSS | – | Yes |

### Core features

**PT Dephaze**

10 features listed. Sign in on the page to see them.

**Shadow Workers**

No features listed.

## Which one fits you

Based on what each listing shows: deployment, company size, price and open source.

- [Shadow Workers](https://cybersectools.com/tools/shadow-workers) fits if you need a free product and you want an open-source product.

## PT Dephaze vs Shadow Workers FAQ

Common questions when comparing PT Dephaze vs Shadow Workers for penetration testing.

### What is the difference between PT Dephaze and Shadow Workers?

**PT Dephaze**: Agentless automated pentest platform for continuous infrastructure security testing. Built by Positive Technologies.

**Shadow Workers**: Shadow Workers is an open source C2 framework and proxy tool for penetration testers to exploit XSS vulnerabilities and malicious Service Workers.

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

### Who makes PT Dephaze and Shadow Workers?

**PT Dephaze** is made by Positive Technologies. **Shadow Workers** is open-source with 236 GitHub stars. The vendor behind a product decides its roadmap, support, and longevity, so check each company's profile before you commit.

### Is PT Dephaze a good alternative to Shadow Workers?

In part. PT Dephaze and Shadow Workers are not in the same category on CybersecTools. Key differences: PT Dephaze is Commercial while Shadow Workers is Free, Shadow Workers is open-source. Use the table above to see where features, deployment and company size fit differ.

## Related comparisons

- [PT Dephaze vs FalconTech AI Pen Testing Agent](https://cybersectools.com/compare/falcontech-ai-pen-testing-agent-vs-pt-dephaze)
- [PT Dephaze vs NetSPI Platform](https://cybersectools.com/compare/netspi-platform-vs-pt-dephaze)
- [PT Dephaze vs RunSybil](https://cybersectools.com/compare/pt-dephaze-vs-runsybil)
- [Shadow Workers vs FalconTech AI Pen Testing Agent](https://cybersectools.com/compare/falcontech-ai-pen-testing-agent-vs-shadow-workers)
- [Shadow Workers vs NetSPI Platform](https://cybersectools.com/compare/netspi-platform-vs-shadow-workers)
- [Shadow Workers vs RunSybil](https://cybersectools.com/compare/runsybil-vs-shadow-workers)

## Alternatives to each

- [See all PT Dephaze alternatives](https://cybersectools.com/alternatives/pt-dephaze)
- [See all Shadow Workers alternatives](https://cybersectools.com/alternatives/shadow-workers)

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Source: https://cybersectools.com/compare/pt-dephaze-vs-shadow-workers

For AI agents: each product above has its own Markdown page (add .md to its URL, for example https://cybersectools.com/tools/pt-dephaze.md). Every CybersecTools shortlist is listed at https://cybersectools.com/shortlists.md.

More on PT Dephaze and Shadow Workers: funding, momentum, hiring and news, plus the full product and company record, are available through the Mandos MCP Server (paid plans), which connects to AI assistants: https://mandos.io/mcp?utm_source=cybersectools.com&utm_medium=compare-md