Best Breach and Attack Simulation Software in 2026
Updated
In short: Atomic Red Team is ranked #1 of 19 as of 5 October 2026, ahead of Infection Monkey and MITRE Caldera. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Infection Monkey.
To examine how security defenses respond to simulated attacks, compare the types of exercises and attack surfaces each product covers. Attack simulation modes, custom scenarios, and scenario library size describe different ways to shape testing; MITRE ATT&CK mapping and continuous scheduling offer further comparison points. Deployment model and free-plan or paid-from details help frame operational fit. Atomic Red Team, OpenAEV, and Infection Monkey appear near the top, with PurpleSharp and BlackNoise BAS also among the early entries. Match the stated capabilities to the security exercises you need to run.
19 breach and attack simulation software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
4 of the 19 here have a free tier you can use, 0 have open-source code on record, and 0 have full bars: free, open, on most of your devices and documented.
| # | App | Signal | Free tier | Open code | Devices | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atomic Red TeamWindows · Mac · Linux · API | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 2 | Infection MonkeyWeb · Windows · Linux · Self-hosted | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 3 | MITRE CalderaWeb · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 4 | OpenAEVWeb · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 5 | Pentera PlatformWeb · Windows · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.6 |
| 6 | BlackNoise BASWeb · Self-hosted | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 7 | Cymulate PlatformWeb | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 8 | Keysight Eggplant TestWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone · API | Two bars | — | — | 6 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 9 | Stratus Red TeamWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 10 | SafeBreach ValidateWeb | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 11 | ShadowBreachNo platforms listed | One bar | — | — | 0 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 12 | FourCore ATTACKWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 13 | Picus Security PlatformWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 14 | PurpleSharpWindows | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 15 | SCYTHEWeb · Windows · Linux · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 16 | Valitrix BAS PlatformWindows · Mac · Linux · API | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 17 | AttackIQ PlatformWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
| 18 | Skyhawk Security BASWeb · API | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
| 19 | CymrixNo platforms listed | One bar | — | — | 0 of 6 | — | 4.7 |
Compare all 19 in a table
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Attack simulation modes | Included attack surfaces |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atomic Red Team | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | Windows, Linux, macOS, cloud infrastructure, containers, SaaS, Azure AD, Google Workspace, Office 365, and IaaS providers |
| 2 | Infection Monkey | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | agent-based | local networks; internal servers; on-premises data centers; cloud-based data centers; open services |
| 3 | MITRE Caldera | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | — | — | agent-based | hosts, networks, endpoint security, OT environments |
| 4 | OpenAEV | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | hybrid | endpoints, asset groups, people, teams, network hosts, email, phishing landing pages, SMS, phone-based social engineering, media pressure, tabletop exercises |
| 5 | Pentera Platform | 5.6 | No | — | — | — | agentless | internal networks, cloud environments, external attack surface, web applications, endpoints, servers, services, and network devices |
| 6 | BlackNoise BAS | 5.4 | No | — | — | — | agentless | network, Windows, Linux, macOS, AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud |
| 7 | Cymulate Platform | 5.4 | No | — | — | — | agentless | Endpoint Security; Email Gateway; Web Gateway; Web Application Firewall; Phishing Awareness; Lateral Movement; Data Exfiltration; Full Kill Chain; APT; Immediate Threat Intelligence |
| 8 | Keysight Eggplant Test | 5.4 | No | — | — | — | hybrid | network, endpoint, email |
| 9 | Stratus Red Team | 5.4 | No | — | — | — | agentless | AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes, Amazon EKS, Entra ID |
| 10 | SafeBreach Validate | 5.3 | No | — | — | — | hybrid | endpoint, network, cloud, web, application, email |
| 11 | ShadowBreach | 5.3 | No | — | — | — | — | — |
| 12 | FourCore ATTACK | 5.2 | No | — | — | — | agent-based | endpoint, email, WAF, network segmentation, SIEM, EDR, XDR, firewall, DLP |
| 13 | Picus Security Platform | 5.2 | No | — | No | — | hybrid | network, endpoint, email, web application, data exfiltration, URL filtering |
| 14 | PurpleSharp | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | — | — | execution, persistence, privilege escalation, credential access, lateral movement, discovery, defense evasion |
| 15 | SCYTHE | 5.2 | No | — | No | — | — | Windows, macOS, Linux, cloud, OT/ICS |
| 16 | Valitrix BAS Platform | 5.2 | No | — | No | — | agent-based | endpoint, email, network, SIEM |
| 17 | AttackIQ Platform | 5.1 | No | — | — | — | — | — |
| 18 | Skyhawk Security BAS | 5.1 | No | — | No | — | agentless | cloud architecture, cloud security controls, identities and permissions, vulnerabilities, attack paths, high-value cloud assets |
| 19 | Cymrix | 4.7 | No | — | No | — | agent-based | Network; Windows Active Directory; IoT devices |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which breach and attack simulation software is ranked first on Freedom251?
Atomic Red Team is ranked #1 of 19 with a score of 6.5. Infection Monkey is second and MITRE Caldera third.
How many of these have a free plan?
4 of the 19 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.