Overview

Beelzebub combines multi-layer decoys, canary credentials and cloud decoys to expose attacker movement. Its coverage of HTTP, SSH, Telnet, MCP and other protocols makes it a broader choice than a single-protocol honeypot. The central trade-off is operational: the free core is self-hosted, so the team adopting it must run the deployment.

The maker says it can be deployed with Docker or Kubernetes in cloud and on-premises environments, and offers local model options for restricted or air-gapped evaluation. Those options suit environments with deployment constraints, while session investigation and reporting give teams more to work with after a decoy is touched.

Key features

Session investigation

Specialized agents investigate sessions for triage, threat hunting, malware analysis, incident response and reporting. Each decoy session produces a plain-English summary of attacker actions, observed techniques and captured artifacts linked to the original session. That context can help analysts understand what happened without treating an alert as a complete investigation; human review remains important.

Workflow, controls and assurance

APIs and webhooks route structured events and investigation context into security workflows, with integrations spanning SIEM, SOAR, identity, firewall and cloud systems. Active testing can be restricted to an approved scope, and exploitation requires human approval, with evidence preserved for review. This is a meaningful control for teams concerned about unintended activity.

The site lists ISO 9001:2015 and ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certifications. Findings can be mapped to MITRE ATT&CK, NIST CSF, ISO 27001, DORA and NIS2, which can help teams connect investigation outcomes to familiar frameworks.

Pricing

The Open source plan costs 0.00 USD per free and includes the core framework with self-hosted deployment. It is the natural fit for teams that can manage their own infrastructure and want to start without a subscription. The stated free plan is the core framework; the managed platform is not included in that description.

The managed platform includes a 14-day free trial with enterprise features. Enterprise customers can also request a 30-day proof of concept with guided evaluation and dedicated technical support. Enterprise support includes 24/7 phone and chat; community support is through GitHub issues and documentation. Enterprise plan pricing is custom pricing.

Platforms

Beelzebub supports API, Linux and self-hosted use. Deployment can run with Docker or Kubernetes across cloud and on-premises environments. This suits teams with infrastructure to operate, but is a poor fit for buyers seeking a conventional desktop or mobile app.

Who it's for

Beelzebub fits security teams that want protocol breadth, credential lures and investigation context in one deception platform, and have the capacity to self-host or evaluate a managed enterprise option. Teams wanting a narrowly scoped, free honeypot with fewer operational commitments may prefer a simpler alternative.

Pros and cons

Pro: Decoys span HTTP, SSH, Telnet, MCP and other protocols, giving teams broader coverage than a single-protocol setup.
Pro: Session-linked summaries and investigation agents provide usable context beyond a basic detection event.
Pro: Scope limits and required human approval for exploitation add oversight to active testing.
Con: The free core is self-hosted, which places deployment and operation on the adopting team.
Con: The managed trial lasts 14 days; teams needing a longer guided evaluation must qualify for the enterprise proof of concept.

Alternatives

For a narrower self-hosted honeypot, OpenCanary is free and supports Linux and macOS. Canarytokens is a free hosted-token option, with platforms spanning Android, iOS, self-hosted, web and Windows; it has no free trial. Honeyd is a free GPL-licensed option for Linux, Windows and self-hosted use.

T-Pot is a free, open-source self-hosted option for Linux, macOS and Windows, with hardware and network requirements to account for. Cowrie is a free BSD-licensed SSH and Telnet honeypot for Linux and self-hosted deployments. Honeytrap is a free Apache License 2.0 self-managed option for Linux. Heralding is a free GPL-3.0 open-source honeypot for Linux and self-hosted use. Mailoney is another alternative.

Browse more options in Honeypot Software.

Verdict

Choose Beelzebub if your security team can operate a self-hosted platform and wants decoys paired with session investigation, reporting and controlled active testing. Its free core makes that combination accessible, but teams that want a managed service from the outset or a simpler honeypot should look elsewhere.

	Beelzebub	T-Pot
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Free trial	Yes	No
Paid from	Free	Free
Platforms	api, Linux, self-hosted	Linux, macOS, self-hosted, Windows
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Deployment model	self-hosted	self-hosted
Decoy scope	multi-layer	multi-layer
Credential lures	Yes
Cloud decoys	Yes

Beelzebub vs T-Pot

Beelzebub

T-Pot