ScareCrow vs Havoc: 2026 Comparison
ScareCrow is a free offensive security tool. Havoc 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 EDR evasion will find ScareCrow's payload obfuscation most valuable; it generates working shells that bypass common behavioral detection heuristics through legitimate Windows API chains rather than raw shellcode injection. The 2,879 GitHub stars and active community contributions signal the framework actually works against current EDR signatures in live testing. Skip this if your goal is understanding why an EDR failed you after the fact; ScareCrow is offense-first and won't help you build detection logic or tune your own stack.
Red teams and penetration testers building custom C2 infrastructure will find Havoc's malleable profiles and team collaboration features faster to operationalize than Cobalt Strike, especially at zero cost. The 8,200-plus GitHub stars reflect active community contribution to payload obfuscation and evasion techniques that actually work against modern defenses. Skip this if your priority is managed C2 services or Windows-only operations; Havoc's strength is flexibility for operators who want to own their implant behavior, not outsource it.
