Cybersecurity · head to head
Metasploit vs Very Good Security
Metasploit
Cybersecurity
The world's most used penetration testing framework
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Very Good Security
Cybersecurity
Tokenisation proxy that keeps card and personal data out of your own systems and out of PCI scope
- From
- $1000/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Metasploit has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Metasploit the free Framework edition is command line only; the web interface is Pro only; Very Good Security vGS sits in the live path of every request carrying sensitive data, so its latency and availability become yours, and an outage in the proxy is a payment outage no matter how healthy your own systems are.
- They diverge on capability: Metasploit covers Exploit database, Very Good Security covers Aliasing proxy.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Metasploit and Very Good Security actually diverge.
| Attribute | Metasploit | Very Good Security |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | $1000/month |
| Pricing model | freemium | Per month |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Desktop, Cli | Web, API |
| Founded | 2000 | Unknown |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Cybersecurity).
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 Very Good Security
- Aliasing proxy
- PCI scope reduction
- Network tokenisation
- Processor optionality
- Card issuing data
- Vault and access controls
- Data residency options
- Compliance artefacts
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 Very Good Security
- Validating whether a reported vulnerability is actually exploitablenot Very Good Security
- Running phishing and credential attack simulations on the Pro editionnot Very Good Security
Very Good Security
- A marketplace facing its first PCI DSS Level 1 assessment that wants to keep card data off its own estate rather than harden a dozen servicesnot Metasploit
- A merchant negotiating with a second acquirer that needs card credentials portable so the negotiation is real rather than theoreticalnot Metasploit
- A fintech collecting bank account and identity documents that wants sensitive fields absent from logs, backups and analytics warehouses by constructionnot Metasploit
- A card issuer that must display a full PAN in its own mobile app without the app or its backend touching cardholder datanot 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
Very Good Security
- VGS sits in the live path of every request carrying sensitive data, so its latency and availability become yours, and an outage in the proxy is a payment outage no matter how healthy your own systems are.
- Token portability is the whole selling point yet leaving VGS means migrating tokens back out, a project the vendor has no incentive to streamline, so the lock-in you removed from your acquirer partly moves to VGS.
- Entry pricing at around one thousand US dollars a month is real money for a pre-revenue fintech, and it buys volume-limited throughput, so cost scales with exactly the growth that made you buy it.
- Scope reduction is not scope elimination: your QSA still assesses how you integrate, and teams regularly discover that a support tool or an internal admin screen pulled plaintext back in and dragged systems into scope again.
- Proxy-based interception constrains how you design request flows, and non-standard payloads, streaming uploads or binary formats often need custom routing rules that make debugging production issues noticeably harder.
Pricing, plan by plan
Metasploit
Free- Metasploit Framework (OSS)Free
- Open source
- 1500+ exploits
- Command line
- Metasploit ProFree
- Web interface
- Automated testing
- Phishing campaigns
Very Good Security
$1000/month- Starter$1000/month
- Aliasing proxy
- Vault storage
- PCI scope reduction
- Growth$undefined/month
- Network tokenisation
- Multiple processors
- Data residency options
- Enterprise$undefined/year
- Custom vault architecture
- Dedicated support and SLA
- Contractual compliance coverage
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 Very Good Security if
- You need aliasing proxy.
- You work on Web, API.
- You also want pci scope reduction.
Questions people ask
- Is Metasploit or Very Good Security better?
- Neither clearly leads. Metasploit starts at Free and Very Good Security at $1000/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Metasploit or Very Good Security?
- Metasploit has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Metasploit and $1000/month for Very Good Security.
- Does Metasploit or Very Good Security run on more platforms?
- Metasploit runs on Desktop, Cli. Very Good Security runs on Web, API.
- Can I use Metasploit for free?
- Yes. Metasploit has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Very Good Security starts at $1000/month.
- 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 Very Good Security is typically brought in for.
- What can Metasploit do that Very Good Security cannot?
- Metasploit covers Exploit database, Payload generation, Post-exploitation, Evasion modules. Very Good Security covers Aliasing proxy, PCI scope reduction, Network tokenisation, Processor optionality.
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.
SourceVery Good Security: Does VGS make me PCI compliant?
No. It removes cardholder data from your systems so your assessment covers a far smaller boundary, but you still complete an assessment and your integration is part of it.
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.
SourceVery Good Security: Can I move to another processor without re-collecting cards?
Yes, that is a core reason people buy it. The vault reveals stored credentials to whichever processor you route to.
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.
SourceVery Good Security: What does it cost?
Published entry pricing is about one thousand US dollars per month; growth and enterprise tiers are quoted.
Very Good Security: Is it only for card data?
No. The proxy handles any sensitive field, including bank details, national identifiers and documents, though payments is where the product is now focused.
Related pages
More on Very Good Security
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