Great Scott Gadgets
Great Scott Gadgets designs, manufactures, and distributes open-source hardware and software tools for software-defined radio, USB protocol analysis, and Bluetooth monitoring, serving security researchers, educators, students, amateur radio operators, and hardware hackers globally through a network of authorized resellers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersEvergreen, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Great Scott Gadgets does
Great Scott Gadgets is a privately held, founder-led hardware company founded in 2009 and headquartered in Evergreen, Colorado, that designs, manufactures, and distributes open-source tools for software-defined radio (SDR) and USB protocol analysis. Its core product portfolio centers on the HackRF One and HackRF Pro SDR transceivers (covering 10 MHz to 6 GHz), the Cynthion FPGA-based USB analysis and emulation platform, the Ubertooth One Bluetooth monitoring tool, the YARD Stick One sub-GHz transceiver, and the GreatFET One hardware hacking interface, complemented by accessories such as ANT500/ANT700 telescopic antennas, the Opera Cake RF switch matrix, and the Throwing Star LAN Tap. The underlying technology combines FPGA-based hardware with open-source gateware and companion software including the Packetry USB capture tool (built on Rust), the Moondancer Facedancer backend, and the LUNA gateware framework, with deep integration into the broader GNU Radio, SDR#, Wireshark, and Kismet ecosystems.
The company operates a fully remote team of 11–50 employees and generates revenue almost exclusively through hardware sales distributed via a global network of 12+ authorized resellers, including Mouser, SparkFun, Hak5, and NooElec, with crowdfunding campaigns on Crowd Supply used for major product introductions. Pricing is not publicly disclosed but products are positioned in the mid-range specialty electronics segment. Customer segments are deliberately horizontal and fragmented, spanning security researchers and penetration testers, university and secondary educators and students, amateur radio operators, hardware hackers, and scientific researchers in fields such as radio astronomy and aerospace. The company reinforces its open-source positioning through a Free Stuff Program that has donated hardware to 500+ recipients across 30+ countries, a public Discord community, active GitHub repositories, and an extensive educational content library including Michael Ossmann's SDR training video series.
Leadership consists of founder Michael Ossmann and CEO Elizabeth Hendrex. The company is bootstrapped with no disclosed venture capital, institutional funding, or acquisition activity, and holds registered trademarks across its entire product family. Strategic activity in 2024–2025 has centered on the general availability of Cynthion (including CE marking and RoHS certification for EU market entry) and the launch and shipping of HackRF Pro as a refresh of the flagship HackRF line.
Great Scott Gadgets firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Great Scott Gadgets
- Legal name
- Great Scott Gadgets
- Website
- https://greatscottgadgets.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Great Scott Gadgets designs, manufactures, and distributes open-source hardware and software tools for software-defined radio, USB protocol analysis, and Bluetooth monitoring, serving security researchers, educators, students, amateur radio operators, and hardware hackers globally through a network of authorized resellers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Great Scott Gadgets industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Open-source test and measurement hardware
- NAICS
- Instrument Manufacturing for Measuring and Testing Electricity and Electrical Signals (334515), Computer Terminal and Other Computer Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing (334118)
- SIC
- Instruments For Meas & Testing Of Electricity & Elec Signals (3825), Computer Peripheral Equipment, Nec (3577), Electronic Components & Accessories (3670)
- akta.pro primary industry
- PCB, Prototyping Boards & Etching Supplies Retail (CRACAKAF)
Keywords
Where Great Scott Gadgets is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Evergreen
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Great Scott Gadgets business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations
Revenue model
- Hardware Sales: The company generates revenue primarily through the sale of open-source hardware products including SDR platforms (HackRF One, HackRF Pro, Cynthion), accessories (antennas, cases), and peripheral devices. Products are sold through authorized resellers globally at varying price points depending on product complexity and features.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels12 records
Marketing channels8 records
Great Scott Gadgets product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Great Scott Gadgets designs, manufactures, and sells open-source hardware tools for hacking, reverse engineering, and security research. Their product line includes software-defined radios, USB peripherals, and FPGA-based development platforms used by security professionals, researchers, and hobbyists.
Product overview
Great Scott Gadgets develops a portfolio of open-source hardware and software tools primarily focused on software-defined radio (SDR) and USB analysis. The core product lines include HackRF One and HackRF Pro (SDR transceivers), Cynthion (USB analyzer/platform), Ubertooth One (Bluetooth monitoring), YARD Stick One (sub-GHz transceiver), and GreatFET One (USB expansion board). These are complemented by accessories including ANT500 and ANT700 antennas, Opera Cake RF switch, and Throwing Star LAN Tap. The company also develops companion software tools including Packetry for USB analysis and supports integration with GNU Radio, SDR#, and Facedancer ecosystem. Great Scott Gadgets operates a Free Stuff Program that donates hardware to educational and community projects.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- GSG: The GSG gears logo is a registered trademark of Great Scott Gadgets.
Quantifiable outcome
- Global distribution across 30+ countries through authorized resellers
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Great Scott Gadgets
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Great Scott Gadgets technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration11 records
Feature10 records
Great Scott Gadgets partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Mouser ElectronicscoreGlobal electronics distributor and Crowd Supply fulfillment partner for Cynthion. Received 885 lb / 401 kg shipment of thousands of Cynthion units in July 2024 for order fulfillment. Primary distribution channel for crowdfunding campaigns.
- Crowd SupplycoreCrowdfunding platform used for Cynthion campaign. Orders fulfilled through Mouser. Provided pre-order system and backer management for product launch.
- AstroRadiominorAuthorized reseller in Spain carrying HackRF Pro.
- Canada RobotixminorAuthorized reseller in Canada carrying HackRF Pro.
- Elektor International MediaminorAuthorized reseller in Netherlands carrying HackRF Pro.
- Fab.to.LabminorAuthorized reseller in India carrying HackRF Pro.
- Hacker WarehouseminorUS-based hacker/security vendor authorized reseller carrying HackRF Pro.
- HackmoDminorAuthorized reseller in Germany carrying HackRF Pro.
- H4CK3R8ROSminorAuthorized reseller in Netherlands carrying HackRF Pro.
- Hak5minorSecurity education vendor and authorized reseller carrying HackRF Pro.
- Lab401minorEuropean security/hacker vendor authorized reseller in France/US carrying HackRF Pro.
- ML&S Martin Lynch & SonsminorUK amateur radio equipment distributor authorized reseller carrying HackRF Pro.
- NooElecminorSDR specialist authorized reseller in US/Canada carrying HackRF Pro.
- SparkFun ElectronicsminorUS-based electronics hobbyist distributor authorized reseller carrying HackRF Pro.
- OzHackminorAustralian authorized reseller carrying HackRF Pro.
- RoboSavvyminorUK authorized reseller carrying HackRF Pro.
- SDR.in.uaminorUkrainian SDR specialist authorized reseller carrying HackRF Pro.
- GNU RadiocoreOpen-source SDR toolkit that is compatible with all HackRF products. Primary software framework for signal processing with Great Scott Gadgets SDR platforms.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Great Scott Gadgets competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Ettus Research (National Instruments): Sells the USRP family of professional-grade SDR platforms used widely in academic and commercial research. Targets higher-end customers than GSG but competes for the same university and lab budgets.
- Adafruit: Large open-source hardware and maker electronics retailer with overlapping customer base (educators, hobbyists, hardware hackers) and educational content library.
- SparkFun Electronics: Major maker electronics retailer that is both a peer in the open-source hardware ecosystem and an authorized reseller of HackRF Pro, sharing customer overlap in education and hobbyist segments.
- Analog Devices: Large semiconductor and signal-processing company whose RF and software-defined radio platforms (ADALM-PLUTO, etc.) compete in adjacent academic and engineering markets.
Direct peers
- SDRplay: Designs and sells mid-range wideband SDR receivers (RSP series) targeting amateur radio, broadcast monitoring, and spectrum analysis use cases — a directly comparable product category to HackRF.
- Hak5: Security-focused hardware vendor producing WiFi Pineapple, Packet Squirrel, and other offensive security tools. Shares the same hacker/security researcher community and is also an authorized reseller of HackRF Pro.
- Lime Microsystems: Maker of LimeSDR, an open-source field-programmable RF transceiver and the most direct open-source SDR competitor to HackRF. Lime targets similar hobbyist, academic, and wireless research segments and shares the open-hardware ethos.
- RTL-SDR.com: Sells low-cost receive-only SDR dongles based on Realtek chipsets, competing directly with HackRF at the entry-level price point. Operates in the same hacker, education, and amateur radio communities.
- Total Phase: Commercial vendor of USB protocol analyzers and emulators that compete head-to-head with Cynthion in the embedded systems and hardware development market, though at significantly higher price points.
Emerging players
- BeagleBoard.org Foundation: Open-source single-board computer project (BeagleBone) that serves overlapping maker, education, and embedded developer communities, though focused on general-purpose SBCs rather than RF/USB instrumentation.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Great Scott Gadgets social profiles
Digital presenceGreat Scott Gadgets compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Great Scott Gadgets financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Great Scott Gadgets leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Great Scott Gadgets funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Great Scott Gadgets 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 Great Scott Gadgets
What does Great Scott Gadgets do?
Great Scott Gadgets designs, manufactures, and sells open-source hardware tools for hacking, reverse engineering, and security research. Their product line includes software-defined radios, USB peripherals, and FPGA-based development platforms used by security professionals, researchers, and hobbyists.
Is Great Scott Gadgets a public or private company?
Great Scott Gadgets is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Great Scott Gadgets founded?
Great Scott Gadgets was founded in 2009. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Great Scott Gadgets based?
Great Scott Gadgets is headquartered in Evergreen, United States, in the North America region.
How does Great Scott Gadgets make money?
One revenue line is on record: hardware Sales.
Who are Great Scott Gadgets's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Ettus Research (National Instruments), Adafruit, SparkFun Electronics and Analog Devices. Direct peers are SDRplay, Hak5, Lime Microsystems, RTL-SDR.com and Total Phase. BeagleBoard.org Foundation is listed as an emerging player.
Does Great Scott Gadgets have an API?
No public API is recorded for Great Scott Gadgets.
What industry is Great Scott Gadgets in?
Great Scott Gadgets's product category is Open-source test and measurement hardware. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRACAKAF, PCB, Prototyping Boards & Etching Supplies Retail. Its NAICS code is 334515 and its SIC code is 3825.