head to head · open source
PayloadsAllTheThings vs brutespray
PayloadsAllTheThings has 81,477 GitHub stars, 17,436 forks, 36 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. brutespray has 2,542 stars, 438 forks, 14 open issues and last shipped yesterday. PayloadsAllTheThings leads on adoption by 3,105% (81,477 vs 2,542 stars). PayloadsAllTheThings is written in Python under MIT; brutespray is written in Go under MIT. PayloadsAllTheThings has attracted 21% as many forks as stars, brutespray 17%. brutespray was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (penetration-testing), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
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
| PayloadsAllTheThings | brutespray | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 81K | ★ 2.5K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | Python | Go |
| Last push | 2026-08-27 | 2026-10-04 |
| Forks | ⑂ 17K | ⑂ 438 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick PayloadsAllTheThings if
- You weight community size — 81K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick brutespray if
- You want the brutespray feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and brutespray fits your workflow better
About PayloadsAllTheThings
Payloads All The Things is an MIT licensed, community maintained collection of web application security payloads, bypass techniques and pentest methodology notes, written for penetration testers, bug bounty hunters, CTF players and red teamers who need a reference they can copy from during an engagement.
read the full PayloadsAllTheThings overview →
About brutespray
Brutespray is a fast, multi protocol credential brute forcer for penetration testers and red teams that automatically tests default and custom credentials across dozens of services directly from scanner output.
read the full brutespray overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is PayloadsAllTheThings or brutespray more popular?
PayloadsAllTheThings has 81,477 GitHub stars and brutespray has 2,542. PayloadsAllTheThings has the larger community by that measure.
Are PayloadsAllTheThings and brutespray free?
Both are open source. PayloadsAllTheThings is licensed under MIT and brutespray under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between PayloadsAllTheThings and brutespray?
PayloadsAllTheThings is written in Python and brutespray 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, PayloadsAllTheThings or brutespray?
Choose PayloadsAllTheThings if you want the larger community (81,477 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose brutespray if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.