head to head · open source
PentestGPT vs npq
PentestGPT has 15,638 GitHub stars, 2,720 forks, 81 open issues and last shipped 3 months ago. npq has 1,796 stars, 43 forks, 7 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. PentestGPT leads on adoption by 771% (15,638 vs 1,796 stars). PentestGPT is written in Python under MIT; npq is written in JavaScript under Apache-2.0. PentestGPT has attracted 17% as many forks as stars, npq 2%. npq 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
| PentestGPT | npq | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 16K | ★ 1.8K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-07-14 | 2026-08-25 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.7K | ⑂ 43 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick PentestGPT if
- You weight community size — 16K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick npq if
- You want the npq feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and npq fits your workflow better
About PentestGPT
PentestGPT is an MIT licensed Python framework that uses large language models to run automated penetration tests and CTF challenges, aimed at penetration testers, security engineers and CTF players who want an agent to drive the tooling rather than working through it by hand.
read the full PentestGPT overview →
About npq
npq is a command line security tool that audits npm packages before they are installed, aimed at Node.js developers and supply chain security teams who want a pre install checkpoint rather than discovering a malicious or vulnerable dependency after its install scripts have already run.
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Frequently asked questions
Is PentestGPT or npq more popular?
PentestGPT has 15,638 GitHub stars and npq has 1,796. PentestGPT has the larger community by that measure.
Are PentestGPT and npq free?
Both are open source. PentestGPT is licensed under MIT and npq under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between PentestGPT and npq?
PentestGPT is written in Python and npq in JavaScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, PentestGPT or npq?
Choose PentestGPT if you want the larger community (15,638 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose npq if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.