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Developer Tools · head to head

Earthly vs Metasploit

Earthly logo

Earthly

Developer Tools

Engineering guardrails for the AI era

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Metasploit logo

Metasploit

Cybersecurity

The world's most used penetration testing framework

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Earthly pricing model not published; requires sales contact; Metasploit the free Framework edition is command line only; the web interface is Pro only
  • They diverge on capability: Earthly covers Policy as code, Metasploit covers Exploit database.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Earthly and Metasploit actually diverge.

Attributes where Earthly and Metasploit differ
AttributeEarthlyMetasploit
Pricing modelNo pricing published on websitefreemium
PlatformsWeb, CLIDesktop, Cli
CategoryDeveloper ToolsCybersecurity
Founded20202000

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Earthly

  • Policy as code
  • Multi-stage enforcement
  • AI agent governance
  • Repository-wide policies
  • Incident response automation
  • Compliance management
  • Earthfiles build tool
  • Satellites

Only in Metasploit

  • Exploit database
  • Payload generation
  • Post-exploitation
  • Evasion modules
  • Auxiliary scanners
  • Social engineering
  • Credential harvesting
  • Session management

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Earthly

  • Enforcing engineering standards across AI and human developersnot Metasploit
  • Automating incident response procedures across all repositoriesnot Metasploit
  • Embedding compliance requirements into development workflowsnot Metasploit
  • Standardizing build processes with Earthfilesnot Metasploit

Metasploit

  • Penetration testing and exploit development against known vulnerabilitiesnot Earthly
  • Validating whether a reported vulnerability is actually exploitablenot Earthly
  • Running phishing and credential attack simulations on the Pro editionnot Earthly

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Earthly

  • Pricing model not published; requires sales contact
  • Earthly Lunar is a recent launch (2025) with limited track record
  • Primarily GitHub-focused; limited integration with other platforms
  • No public documentation on pricing or feature tiers

Metasploit

  • The free Framework edition is command line only; the web interface is Pro only
  • Automated exploitation, automated credential attacks and antivirus evading dynamic payloads are restricted to Metasploit Pro
  • Reporting, audit wizards, task chains and closed loop vulnerability validation are Pro only
  • Rapid7 publishes no price for Metasploit Pro and routes buyers to contact sales

Pricing, plan by plan

Earthly

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Earthly review.

Metasploit

Free
  • Metasploit Framework (OSS)Free
    • Open source
    • 1500+ exploits
    • Command line
  • Metasploit ProFree
    • Web interface
    • Automated testing
    • Phishing campaigns

Which should you pick?

Choose Earthly if

  • You need policy as code.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, CLI.
  • You also want multi-stage enforcement.
Earthly review

Choose Metasploit if

  • You need exploit database.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Desktop, Cli.
  • You also want payload generation.
Metasploit review

Questions people ask

Is Earthly or Metasploit better?
Neither clearly leads. Earthly starts at Free and Metasploit at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Earthly or Metasploit?
Earthly starts at Free and Metasploit at Free.
Does Earthly or Metasploit run on more platforms?
Earthly runs on Web, CLI. Metasploit runs on Desktop, Cli.
Can I use Earthly for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Earthly best used for?
Earthly is most often used for enforcing engineering standards across ai and human developers, automating incident response procedures across all repositories, embedding compliance requirements into development workflows, standardizing build processes with earthfiles. Of those, enforcing engineering standards across ai and human developers and automating incident response procedures across all repositories are not what Metasploit is typically brought in for.
What can Earthly do that Metasploit cannot?
Earthly covers Policy as code, Multi-stage enforcement, AI agent governance, Repository-wide policies. Metasploit covers Exploit database, Payload generation, Post-exploitation, Evasion modules.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Earthly: What is the difference between Earthfiles and Earthly Lunar?

Earthfiles is an open-source build tool that reached 12,000 GitHub stars and is used by companies like NVIDIA, Intel, and Databricks. Earthly Lunar is a separate governance platform launched in 2025 for enforcing standards across development workflows.

Source
Metasploit: Is Metasploit Framework free to use?

Yes, Metasploit Framework is available as free open-source software with source code accessible via GitHub. Community support is provided through Slack, GitHub, Twitter, and email.

Source
Earthly: How does Earthly Lunar enforce standards?

Lunar converts engineering standards, compliance requirements, and processes documented in AGENTS.md files, wikis, and incident postmortems into enforceable guardrails that apply consistently across repositories and development stages.

Source
Metasploit: What is the difference between Metasploit Framework and Metasploit Pro?

Metasploit Framework is the free open-source version. Metasploit Pro is a commercial offering with customer support from Rapid7, though specific pricing and features are not detailed on the download page.

Source
Earthly: What is the pricing for Earthly Lunar?

Pricing is not published on the website. Interested customers should contact Earthly's sales team for current pricing and feature tiers.

Source
Metasploit: What support is available for the free Framework version?

Community-based support for Metasploit Framework is available through Slack, GitHub, Twitter, and email ([email protected]). Commercial customers using Metasploit Pro receive customer support from Rapid7.

Source
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