head to head · open source
PentestGPT vs osv-scanner
PentestGPT has 16,262 GitHub stars, 2,845 forks, 81 open issues and last shipped 4 months ago. osv-scanner has 11,387 stars, 834 forks, 113 open issues and last shipped today. PentestGPT leads on adoption by 43% (16,262 vs 11,387 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 | 2026-11-04 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.8K | ⑂ 834 |
| 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
[![Contributors][contributors shield]][contributors url] [![Forks][forks shield]][forks url] [![Stargazers][stars shield]][stars url] [![Issues][issues shield]][issues url] [![MIT License][license shield]][license url] [![Discord][discord shield]][discord url] PentestGPT AI Powered Autonomous Penetration Testing Agent Published at USENIX Security 2024 Official Website: pentestgpt.com » Research Paper · Report Bug · Request Feature Demo Installation Watch on YouTube PentestGPT in Action Watch on YouTube What's New in v1.0 (Agentic Upgrade) Multi Stage Pipeline The agent works through staged phases (recon →…
read the full PentestGPT overview →
About osv-scanner
Use OSV Scanner to find existing vulnerabilities affecting your project's dependencies. OSV Scanner provides an officially supported frontend to the OSV database and CLI interface to OSV Scalibr that connects a project’s list of dependencies with the vulnerabilities that affect them. OSV Scanner supports a wide range of project types, package managers and features, including but not limited to: Languages: C/C++, Dart, Elixir, Go, Java, Javascript, PHP, Python, R, Ruby, Rust. Package Managers: npm, pip, yarn, maven, go modules, cargo, gem, composer, nuget and others. Operating Systems: Detects vulnerabilities in…
read the full osv-scanner overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is PentestGPT or osv-scanner more popular?
PentestGPT has 16,262 GitHub stars and osv-scanner has 11,387. 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 (16,262 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.