head to head · open source
PentestGPT vs osv-scanner
PentestGPT has 15,534 GitHub stars, 2,706 forks, 81 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. osv-scanner has 11,061 stars, 794 forks, 113 open issues and last shipped yesterday. PentestGPT leads on adoption by 40% (15,534 vs 11,061 stars). PentestGPT is written in Python under MIT; osv-scanner is written in Go under Apache-2.0. PentestGPT has attracted 17% as many forks as stars, osv-scanner 7%. osv-scanner 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 | osv-scanner | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 16K | ★ 11K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Go |
| Last push | 2026-07-14 | 2026-09-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.7K | ⑂ 794 |
| 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 osv-scanner if
- You want the osv-scanner feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and osv-scanner 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 osv-scanner
OSV Scanner is an Apache 2.0 licensed vulnerability scanner written in Go that connects a project's list of dependencies with the vulnerabilities affecting them, using data from the open OSV.dev database, and it is aimed at developers, maintainers, and security teams who need to find known vulnerabilities in the dependencies they already ship.
read the full osv-scanner overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is PentestGPT or osv-scanner more popular?
PentestGPT has 15,534 GitHub stars and osv-scanner has 11,061. PentestGPT has the larger community by that measure.
Are PentestGPT and osv-scanner free?
Both are open source. PentestGPT is licensed under MIT and osv-scanner under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between PentestGPT and osv-scanner?
PentestGPT is written in Python and osv-scanner in Go. 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 osv-scanner?
Choose PentestGPT if you want the larger community (15,534 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose osv-scanner if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.