Metasploit
Metasploit is an open-source penetration testing framework owned by Rapid7 since 2009, providing security teams, penetration testers, and researchers with modular exploit, payload, and post-exploitation capabilities through a freemium model complemented by Metasploit Pro commercial subscriptions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersAustin, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Metasploit does
Metasploit is a penetration testing framework originally created in 2003 by HD Moore as an open-source project and acquired by Rapid7 in 2009. It serves security operations teams, professional penetration testers, security researchers, and educators through a Ruby-based modular architecture that exposes exploit modules, payload delivery systems, and post-exploitation tooling. The technical footprint includes the Meterpreter payload (with implementations for Windows, PHP, Python, Java, and Android), the Mettle payload targeting a dozen CPU architectures, the RubySMB library for SMB protocol operations, and intentionally vulnerable practice environments such as Metasploitable, Metasploitable3, and Hackazon.
The business model combines a freemium open-source distribution — Metasploit Framework is BSD-licensed and freely downloadable, supported by a GitHub community of 38,471+ stargazers and hundreds of active contributors — with Metasploit Pro, a commercially licensed subscription product sold through Rapid7's enterprise sales channel and integrated with InsightVM, InsightIDR, and InsightAppSec. Customer segmentation is horizontal, primarily addressing security teams that need to verify vulnerabilities, manage assessments, and improve security awareness, with secondary use by researchers and educators training on ethical hacking. Commercial pricing is not publicly disclosed; enterprise customers engage Rapid7 directly for quotes on Metasploit Pro and accompanying professional support.
As a product line within Rapid7 (NASDAQ: RPD), Metasploit relies on Rapid7 for commercial backing, enterprise sales leverage, and ongoing development resources while preserving open-source distribution and community contribution. GTM motion is community-led and product-led: GitHub, Slack, Twitter, Mastodon, YouTube, and the Metasploit/Rapid7 blogs drive awareness and adoption, while Rapid7's enterprise sales motion converts users into Metasploit Pro customers. The framework continues to see active investment, including infrastructure refactoring, expanded Active Directory support, MCP Server Integration, and a steady stream of new exploit modules tied to emerging CVEs.
Metasploit firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Metasploit
- Legal name
- Rapid7
- Website
- https://metasploit.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Metasploit is an open-source penetration testing framework owned by Rapid7 since 2009, providing security teams, penetration testers, and researchers with modular exploit, payload, and post-exploitation capabilities through a freemium model complemented by Metasploit Pro commercial subscriptions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Metasploit industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Penetration Testing Software
- NAICS
- Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Vulnerability Management & Penetration Testing Services (BPAEADAD)
Keywords
Where Metasploit is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Austin
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Metasploit business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Metasploit Framework (Open Source): Free open source penetration testing framework distributed under BSD license, enabling community contributions and widespread adoption
- Metasploit Pro (Commercial): Commercial version with enterprise features, professional support, and advanced capabilities. Includes 30-day trial for evaluation.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Metasploit Framework - Free open source version |
| Subscription | Annual | Metasploit Pro - Commercial enterprise version |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Metasploit product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Metasploit provides an open-source penetration testing framework (Metasploit Framework) and a commercial version (Metasploit Pro) used by security teams to verify vulnerabilities, manage security assessments, and conduct post-exploitation activities. The platform includes modular exploit modules, payload components (Meterpreter, Mettle), and integrates with Rapid7's broader security ecosystem including InsightVM for vulnerability management.
Product overview
Metasploit is a platform-plus-modules architecture consisting of the open-source Metasploit Framework as the core product, complemented by the commercial Metasploit Pro. The ecosystem includes Meterpreter and Mettle as payload components for post-exploitation, Metasploitable and Hackazon as vulnerable testing environments, RubySMB as an SMB protocol library, and vm-automation for VM interaction. Related Rapid7 products InsightVM, InsightIDR, and InsightAppSec provide extended vulnerability management, incident detection, and application security capabilities that integrate with the Metasploit offerings.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Metasploit Framework: Open-source penetration testing framework with community contributions
- Metasploit Pro
Products and services
- Metasploit Framework The world's most used open-source penetration testing framework, enabling security teams to verify vulnerabilities, manage security assessments, and improve security awareness through exploit modules, payloads, and post-exploitation tools.
- Metasploit Pro Commercial penetration testing solution with additional features beyond the open-source framework, providing visibility into network security with Rapid7's InsightVM integration.
- Meterpreter Advanced dynamically extensible payload that runs in memory on the target system, providing interactive shells and post-exploitation capabilities across Windows, PHP, Python, Java, and Android platforms.
- Mettle Native Meterpreter replacement targeting multiple CPU architectures and operating systems, enabling portable and standardized post-exploitation capabilities.
- Metasploitable Virtual machines pre-loaded with intentional security vulnerabilities for practicing penetration testing techniques in a controlled lab environment.
- RubySMB Native Ruby implementation of the SMB Protocol Family providing Client and Packet level support for parsing, manipulating, and performing SMB operations.
Companies that use Metasploit
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Metasploit technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Metasploit partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Rapid7coreMetasploit is a collaboration between the open source community and Rapid7. Rapid7 provides commercial backing, professional support, enterprise sales, and coordinates development while maintaining the open source nature of the framework. The partnership enables community contributions alongside corporate development resources.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Metasploit competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat4 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Metasploit social profiles
Digital presenceMetasploit financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Metasploit leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Metasploit funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Metasploit M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Metasploit
What does Metasploit do?
Metasploit provides an open-source penetration testing framework (Metasploit Framework) and a commercial version (Metasploit Pro) used by security teams to verify vulnerabilities, manage security assessments, and conduct post-exploitation activities. The platform includes modular exploit modules, payload components (Meterpreter, Mettle), and integrates with Rapid7's broader security ecosystem including InsightVM for vulnerability management.
Is Metasploit a public or private company?
Metasploit is a private company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Metasploit founded?
Metasploit was founded in 2003. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Metasploit based?
Metasploit is headquartered in Austin, United States, in the North America region.
How does Metasploit make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Metasploit Framework (Open Source) is the primary driver. The others are metasploit Pro (Commercial).
Does Metasploit have an API?
No public API is recorded for Metasploit.
What industry is Metasploit in?
Metasploit's product category is Penetration Testing Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAEADAD, Vulnerability Management & Penetration Testing Services. Its NAICS code is 5415 and its SIC code is 7372.