Manuka by Andew Michael Smith vs ssh-honeypotd: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)
Features, pricing, ratings, and pros & cons — compared head-to-head.
Manuka by Andew Michael Smith is a free honeypots & deception tool. ssh-honeypotd is a free honeypots & deception tool. Compare features, ratings, integrations, and community reviews side by side to find the best honeypots & deception fit for your security stack.
CST VerdictBased on our analysis of available product data, here is our conclusion:
Security teams building internal honeypot infrastructure on limited budgets will appreciate Manuka by Andew Michael Smith for how quickly it spins up dionaea and kippo instances without wrestling Docker configuration. The script approach cuts setup time from hours to minutes, which matters when you're running honeypots as a learning tool or low-cost early warning system. Skip this if you need managed honeypot infrastructure, commercial-grade alert tuning, or support beyond what the 26-star GitHub community provides; Manuka assumes you're comfortable maintaining your own Docker environment and interpreting raw honeypot data.
Security teams running Linux perimeter infrastructure who need low-friction SSH deception will find ssh-honeypotd useful for capturing attack patterns without resource overhead. Written in C with minimal dependencies, it deploys faster and consumes less CPU than higher-interaction honeypots, making it practical for sustained operation on bandwidth-constrained networks. Skip this if you need alert correlation, threat intelligence feeds, or forensic analysis built in; ssh-honeypotd logs attempts but stops there, leaving investigation and response to your existing SIEM.
