Cybersecurity · head to head
Metasploit vs OpenEBS
Metasploit
Cybersecurity
The world's most used penetration testing framework
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Metasploit the free Framework edition is command line only; the web interface is Pro only; OpenEBS there is no vendor on the other end of an incident unless you separately contract DataCore, so an outage at three in the morning is resolved by your own team and a public Slack channel.
- They diverge on capability: Metasploit covers Exploit database, OpenEBS covers Replicated engine.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Metasploit and OpenEBS actually diverge.
| Attribute | Metasploit | OpenEBS |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | freemium | Open source, no licence fee |
| Platforms | Desktop, Cli | Linux |
| Category | Cybersecurity | Cloud |
| Founded | 2000 | Unknown |
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 Metasploit
- Exploit database
- Payload generation
- Post-exploitation
- Evasion modules
- Auxiliary scanners
- Social engineering
- Credential harvesting
- Session management
Only in OpenEBS
- Replicated engine
- Local PV engines
- Kubernetes-native management
- Snapshots and clones
- No licence fee
- Hardware independence
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Metasploit
- Penetration testing and exploit development against known vulnerabilitiesnot OpenEBS
- Validating whether a reported vulnerability is actually exploitablenot OpenEBS
- Running phishing and credential attack simulations on the Pro editionnot OpenEBS
OpenEBS
- Running Cassandra or Kafka on Kubernetes where the application already replicates and node-local volumes are sufficientnot Metasploit
- A platform team that needs persistent volumes on bare metal Kubernetes without a per node subscriptionnot Metasploit
- An edge or lab deployment where a commercial storage licence cannot be justifiednot Metasploit
- Replacing hostpath volumes with something that has snapshots and a Container Storage Interface drivernot Metasploit
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
OpenEBS
- There is no vendor on the other end of an incident unless you separately contract DataCore, so an outage at three in the morning is resolved by your own team and a public Slack channel.
- The project has several storage engines with different maturity and different operational characteristics, and choosing the wrong one for your workload produces poor results that look like a product failure.
- Documentation and upgrade guidance assume real Kubernetes storage knowledge, so teams without that expertise underestimate the operational load they are taking on.
- Project governance shifted after DataCore acquired MayaData in 2021, which means the direction of a supposedly neutral project is influenced by one commercial sponsor.
- Disaster recovery, cross-cluster replication and policy-driven data services are thinner than in the commercial alternatives, so organisations with those requirements end up building them or buying a product anyway.
Pricing, plan by plan
Metasploit
Free- Metasploit Framework (OSS)Free
- Open source
- 1500+ exploits
- Command line
- Metasploit ProFree
- Web interface
- Automated testing
- Phishing campaigns
OpenEBS
Free- OpenEBSFree
- Apache 2.0 licensed
- All storage engines included
- No node or capacity limits
Which should you pick?
Choose Metasploit if
- You need exploit database.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Desktop, Cli.
- You also want payload generation.
Choose OpenEBS if
- You need replicated engine.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux.
- You also want local pv engines.
Questions people ask
- Is Metasploit or OpenEBS better?
- Neither clearly leads. Metasploit starts at Free and OpenEBS at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Metasploit or OpenEBS?
- Metasploit starts at Free and OpenEBS at Free.
- Does Metasploit or OpenEBS run on more platforms?
- Metasploit runs on Desktop, Cli. OpenEBS runs on Linux.
- Can I use Metasploit for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Metasploit best used for?
- Metasploit is most often used for penetration testing and exploit development against known vulnerabilities, validating whether a reported vulnerability is actually exploitable, running phishing and credential attack simulations on the pro edition. Of those, penetration testing and exploit development against known vulnerabilities and validating whether a reported vulnerability is actually exploitable are not what OpenEBS is typically brought in for.
- What can Metasploit do that OpenEBS cannot?
- Metasploit covers Exploit database, Payload generation, Post-exploitation, Evasion modules. OpenEBS covers Replicated engine, Local PV engines, Kubernetes-native management, Snapshots and clones.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
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.
SourceOpenEBS: Who supports it in production?
The project is community supported. Commercial support is available from DataCore, which acquired the original sponsor MayaData in 2021. Establish that relationship before production, not during an incident.
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.
SourceOpenEBS: Which engine should we use?
If your application replicates its own data, use a Local engine and avoid replicating twice. If it does not, such as with PostgreSQL, use the Replicated engine.
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.
SourceOpenEBS: Does it cost anything?
No licence fee. The cost is operational, and a support contract if you want someone accountable.
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