· Théo Turletti · For CISO · 3 min read
Best Honeypot Solutions in 2026 (including Open-Source)
Discover the top honeypot and deception platforms in 2026, with open-source, for your SOC or security team.
In 2026, cyber deception is no longer optional. Attackers move faster than ever, and organizations need honeypots and deception platforms that are easy to deploy, provide deep attacker interaction, ensure data sovereignty, integrate with SIEM, and offer actionable analytics.
This guide evaluates the top 5 honeypot platforms based on deployment, interaction depth, data residency, UI & analytics, pricing, and SIEM integration. Whether you’re a large enterprise, SOC team, or security researcher, this overview will help you identify the solution that best fits your needs.
Takeaways
- TrapEye dominates for enterprise and SOCs for rapid deployment, reliable high confidence alerts and comprehensive multi-tenant console.
- Thinkst Canary offers fast deployment, hardware appliance, and multiples services.
- FortiDeceptor excels for Fortinet-aligned enterprises with specific integration.
- T-Pot provides full-stack open-source flexibility, ideal for research labs and advanced SOCs.
1. TrapEye - Swiss Enterprise-Grade Deception
Overview:
TrapEye focuses on speed, reliability, and signal clarity. Lightweight decoys trigger high-confidence alerts without generating false positives, making it ideal for SOC teams who need early warning with minimal operational overhead. Rich analytics, integration and multi-tenant compatibility.
| Criteria | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Setup in minutes, VM, cloud, or container |
| Interaction Depth | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 10+ services emulation, mainly high-interaction |
| Data Residency | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Switzerland-hosted SaaS |
| UI & Analytics | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Rich UI, easy to use with analytics and triage granularity, multi-tenant by default |
| Pricing | ⭐⭐⭐ | $3,000/year for 2 devices, free trial |
| SIEM Integration | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Comprehensive Integration with any SIEM/SOAR |
2. Thinkst Canary – Fast, deception that works
Overview:
Thinkst offers plug-and-play deployment of decoys across networks and cloud environments. Designed for enterprise security teams, it prioritizes rapid setup and simplicity.
| Criteria | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Setup in minutes, hardware, VM, cloud, or container |
| Interaction Depth | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Multiple service emulation, 20+ honeytoken types |
| Data Residency | ⭐⭐ | AWS-hosted SaaS, limited EU options |
| UI & Analytics | ⭐⭐⭐ | Simple UI, no metrics, no grouping of interaction by threat actor, no multi-tenant for MSSP. |
| Pricing | ⭐⭐ | $5,000/year for 2 devices, no trial |
| SIEM Integration | ⭐⭐ | Limited SIEM Integration |
3. FortiDeceptor – Enterprise-Grade, Deeply Integrated
Overview:
FortiDeceptor provides network-wide decoys tightly integrated with the Fortinet Security Fabric. Best for organizations already invested in Fortinet products, offering detailed alerts.
| Criteria | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment | ⭐⭐ | Hardware/Virtual appliance, can be complex outside Fortinet-heavy environments |
| Interaction Depth | ⭐⭐ | Limited service decoys |
| Data Residency | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | On-prem options, SaaS variant less clear |
| UI & Analytics | ⭐⭐⭐ | Centralized UI, not intuitive, no multi-tenant for SOCs |
| Pricing | ⭐⭐⭐ | Per-VLAN/licensing can get expensive quickly |
| SIEM Integration | ⭐⭐ | Integration with FortiSIEM, FortiGate only |
4. T-Pot – Open-Source, Full-Stack Flexibility
Overview:
T-Pot is a community-driven open-source deception stack with 20+ honeypots, Elastic dashboards, and optional LLM interaction modules. Best for researchers and advanced SOC teams who want total control and visibility.
| Criteria | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment | ⭐ | Very complex to setup and install, hard to monitor and manage several honeypots for enterprise |
| Interaction Depth | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Multi-protocol, LLM-backed decoys |
| Data Residency | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Fully self-hosted, flexible |
| UI & Analytics | ⭐⭐⭐ | Kibana dashboards, real-time maps |
| Pricing | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Free, open-source |
| SIEM Integration | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Syslog, ELK, custom webhooks |
5. Cowrie – SSH/Telnet Specialist
Overview:
Cowrie provides high-fidelity SSH/Telnet session capture and proxy capabilities, ideal for forensic research or small-scale deception. Lightweight, free, and open-source.
| Criteria | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment | ⭐⭐ | Docker, Linux, or VM, requires manual setup and management |
| Interaction Depth | ⭐⭐ | Full shell emulation, but only SSH/Telnet |
| Data Residency | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Fully self-hosted |
| UI & Analytics | ⭐⭐ | No native GUI, relies on external dashboards |
| Pricing | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Free, open-source |
| SIEM Integration | ⭐⭐⭐ | JSON/syslog output only, minimal orchestration |
