Last updated: July 2026. Written by Josh Hutcheson, OnlineCourseing editor. See our review methodology.
QUICK VERDICT
Bottom line: Metasploit is a hands-on tool, so pick a lab-driven course over a lecture-only one. For most people the best starting point is Metasploit Framework: Penetration Testing with Metasploit — it walks through the full exploit–post-exploit cycle against deliberately vulnerable targets.
- Best overall: Metasploit Framework: Penetration Testing with Metasploit (Udemy, 4.5★, updated 6/2026)
- Best for exploit + post-exploitation depth: Ethical Hacking with Metasploit: Exploit & Post Exploit
- Best free option: Metasploit Unleashed — OffSec’s own free course
- Skip if: you have no networking or Linux basics yet — start with an ethical-hacking foundation first
Start the top Metasploit course →
Metasploit is the framework most penetration testers reach for first. It bundles a huge library of exploits, payloads, and post-exploitation modules behind a single console, so you can find a vulnerability, weaponise it, and pivot deeper into a network without writing everything from scratch. The catch: it rewards practice, not reading. The courses below were chosen because they put you in a lab with vulnerable targets rather than narrating slides.
A quick honest note on scope. Metasploit is one tool inside a wider skill set. If you are completely new to security, a course here will feel like being handed a power drill before you have learned to use a screwdriver — pair it with the fundamentals linked at the end.
| Course | Level | Best for | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metasploit Framework: Penetration Testing | Beginner–Intermediate | The complete exploit cycle | 6/2026 |
| Ethical Hacking with Metasploit: Exploit & Post Exploit | Intermediate | Meterpreter & pivoting depth | current |
| Metasploit Framework for Beginners | Beginner | Gentlest on-ramp | current |
| Metasploit Unleashed (OffSec) | All levels | Free, text-based reference | current |
The best Metasploit courses in 2026
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1. Metasploit Framework: Penetration Testing with Metasploit — Udemy (Best overall)
This is the pick for most learners. Rated 4.5★ from roughly 1,500 ratings (11,900+ students, last updated June 2026), it is both current and lab-first. You set up a Kali Linux attacker and a vulnerable target, then work the complete engagement: reconnaissance with the framework’s auxiliary modules, exploitation, Meterpreter sessions, privilege escalation, and post-exploitation persistence. Because it was refreshed in 2026 it uses the current msfconsole workflow rather than screenshots from five years ago.
2. Ethical Hacking with Metasploit: Exploit & Post Exploit — Udemy
Where the top pick covers the whole cycle, this course goes deeper on the two phases that separate a script-runner from an operator: landing the exploit and then doing something useful once you are in. Expect meaningful time on Meterpreter, pivoting through a compromised host to reach an internal network, and maintaining access. A sensible second course once the fundamentals click.
3. Metasploit Framework for Beginners — Udemy
If the courses above assume more Linux comfort than you have, start here. It slows down for the absolute basics — installing the framework, understanding the module structure, and running your first exploit against a lab box — before building up to a simple end-to-end test. Thinner than the top pick, but a gentler on-ramp.
4. Practice Your First Penetration Test: Kali & Metasploit Lab — Udemy
A short, practical option focused entirely on building the lab and running one complete test with Kali and Metasploit together. Good if you learn by doing and want to skip theory, though you will outgrow it quickly.
What you’ll actually learn (the Metasploit workflow)
Good Metasploit courses all follow the same arc, because that is the arc of a real engagement. Knowing the stages helps you judge whether a course covers the whole job or stops halfway:
- msfconsole basics — the command interface: how to
searchfor a module,useit, set options, andrunit. - Auxiliary & scanning modules — using the framework for reconnaissance and to confirm a target is exploitable.
- Exploitation — matching an exploit module to a vulnerability and choosing a payload.
- Meterpreter — the post-exploitation payload: navigating a compromised host, dumping credentials, capturing screenshots.
- Post-exploitation & pivoting — privilege escalation, persistence, and routing through the first machine to reach the rest of the network.
- msfvenom — generating standalone payloads outside the console.
A course that stops at “run the exploit” teaches you a party trick. The value is in the post-exploitation stages, which is why our top two picks weight them heavily.
How to choose a Metasploit course
Weigh three things. Is it lab-based? Video-only Metasploit training is close to useless — you need to run the commands yourself. How recent is it? The framework evolves; a 2026-updated course uses the current msfconsole output. Does it cover post-exploitation? That is the part that turns a scanner into a penetration tester. All four picks above are lab-based; the top two lead on recency and depth.
Free ways to learn Metasploit
Metasploit Unleashed (OffSec)
OffSec — the team behind Kali Linux and the OSCP — maintains Metasploit Unleashed, a genuinely comprehensive free course covering the framework end to end. It is text-based rather than video, but it is the reference most professionals learned from and it is kept reasonably current. Pair it with TryHackMe or Hack The Box rooms so you have legal, safe targets to practise on.
Is there a Metasploit certification?
No — there is no vendor certification specifically for Metasploit, so treat any course promising a “Metasploit certificate” as awarding a completion certificate only, not an industry credential. What actually carries weight is a broader hands-on certification that uses Metasploit as part of the exam. The OSCP (OffSec) and PenTest+ (CompTIA) both expect you to be fluent with the framework, and the eJPT is a friendlier entry point. If a credential is your goal, learn Metasploit as a means to one of those, not as an end in itself.
WHERE TO GO NEXT
Metasploit courses: frequently asked questions
Is Metasploit hard to learn?
The console itself is straightforward once you understand its module structure — search, use, set options, run. The harder part is the security knowledge around it: how the exploit works, why a target is vulnerable, and what to do after you get a session. With a lab-based course most people are running end-to-end tests within a few weeks.
Is it legal to learn Metasploit?
Yes. Learning and running Metasploit is completely legal. Using it against systems you do not own or have written permission to test is a crime in most countries. Always practise on your own lab, or on authorised platforms like TryHackMe and Hack The Box.
Do I need to know Linux first?
You need to be comfortable at a Linux command line, since Metasploit is almost always driven from Kali Linux. You do not need to be an expert — basic navigation, file handling, and networking commands are enough to start.
Metasploit vs Nmap — which do I learn first?
Nmap first. Nmap is how you discover and profile targets; Metasploit is how you act on what Nmap finds. Most engagements start with an Nmap scan and only then move to exploitation.