head to head · open source
crowdsec vs reconftw
crowdsec has 15,510 GitHub stars, 757 forks, 296 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. reconftw has 8,345 stars, 1,263 forks, 5 open issues and last shipped 8 days ago. crowdsec leads on adoption by 86% (15,510 vs 8,345 stars). crowdsec is written in Go under MIT; reconftw is written in Shell under MIT. crowdsec has attracted 5% as many forks as stars, reconftw 15%. crowdsec was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| crowdsec | reconftw | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 16K | ★ 8.3K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | Go | Shell |
| Last push | 2026-11-06 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 757 | ⑂ 1.3K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick crowdsec if
- You weight community size — 16K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick reconftw if
- You want the reconftw feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Shell
- You evaluated both and reconftw fits your workflow better
About crowdsec
CrowdSec: open source IDS/IPS, WAF and bot detection CrowdSec is an open source and participative security solution offering crowdsourced server detection and protection against malicious IPs. Detect and block with our Security Engine, contribute to the network, and enjoy our real time community blocklist. Features & Advantages Versatile Security Engine CrowdSec Security Engine is an all in one IDS/IPS and WAF. It detects bad behaviors by analyzing log sources and HTTP requests, and allows active remediation thanks to the Remediation Components. Detection rules are available on our hub under MIT license…
read the full crowdsec overview →
About reconftw
reconFTW reconFTW is a powerful automated reconnaissance tool designed for security researchers and penetration testers. It streamlines the process of gathering intelligence on a target by performing subdomain enumeration, vulnerability scanning, OSINT and more. With a modular design, extensive configuration options, and support for distributed scanning via AX Framework, reconFTW is built to deliver comprehensive results efficiently. reconFTW leverages a wide range of techniques, including passive and active subdomain discovery, web vulnerability checks (e.g., XSS, SSRF, SQLi), OSINT, directory fuzzing, port…
read the full reconftw overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is crowdsec or reconftw more popular?
crowdsec has 15,510 GitHub stars and reconftw has 8,345. crowdsec has the larger community by that measure.
Are crowdsec and reconftw free?
Both are open source. crowdsec is licensed under MIT and reconftw under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between crowdsec and reconftw?
crowdsec is written in Go and reconftw in Shell. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, crowdsec or reconftw?
Choose crowdsec if you want the larger community (15,510 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose reconftw if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.