Wapiti vs Armitage: Which Vulnerability Research tool is Best in 2025?

Wapiti, pre-installed in Kali Linux, is an open-source web application vulnerability scanner designed for black-box security testing of web applications. Written in Python, it crawls websites to identify scripts and forms, injecting payloads to detect vulnerabilities such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), file disclosure, command execution, XML external entity (XXE) injection, CRLF injection, and server-side request forgery (SSRF). Wapiti leverages a Nikto database to search for dangerous files and supports authentication, proxies, Tor, and customizable scan scopes (e.g., page, folder, domain). Its lightweight 1.54 MB footprint and modular design make it ideal for penetration testers and security auditors.

Armitage is a dynamic open-source GUI for the Metasploit Framework, pre-installed in Kali Linux (version 20221206), tailored for penetration testers and red teams. This Metasploit GUI tool for ethical hacking simplifies complex workflows by visualizing targets, recommending exploits, and automating post-exploitation tasks. With a 10.95 MB footprint and team server for multi-user collaboration, Armitage is a top collaborative penetration testing tool for cybersecurity experts, harnessing Metasploit’s vast exploit library for streamlined security assessments.