head to head · open source
PayloadsAllTheThings vs crowdsec
PayloadsAllTheThings has 82,508 GitHub stars, 17,570 forks, 36 open issues and last shipped 11 days ago. crowdsec has 15,510 stars, 757 forks, 296 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. PayloadsAllTheThings leads on adoption by 432% (82,508 vs 15,510 stars). PayloadsAllTheThings is written in Python under MIT; crowdsec is written in Go under MIT. PayloadsAllTheThings has attracted 21% as many forks as stars, crowdsec 5%. 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
| PayloadsAllTheThings | crowdsec | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 83K | ★ 16K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | Python | Go |
| Last push | 2026-10-30 | 2026-11-06 |
| Forks | ⑂ 18K | ⑂ 757 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick PayloadsAllTheThings if
- You weight community size — 83K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick crowdsec if
- You want the crowdsec feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and crowdsec fits your workflow better
About PayloadsAllTheThings
Payloads All The Things A list of useful payloads and bypasses for Web Application Security. Feel free to improve with your payloads and techniques! You can also contribute with a :beers: IRL, or using the sponsor button. An alternative display version is available at PayloadsAllTheThingsWeb. :book: Documentation Every section contains the following files, you can use the template vuln folder to create a new chapter: README.md vulnerability description and how to exploit it, including several payloads Intruder a set of files to give to Burp Intruder Images pictures for the README.md Files some files referenced…
read the full PayloadsAllTheThings overview →
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 →
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Frequently asked questions
Is PayloadsAllTheThings or crowdsec more popular?
PayloadsAllTheThings has 82,508 GitHub stars and crowdsec has 15,510. PayloadsAllTheThings has the larger community by that measure.
Are PayloadsAllTheThings and crowdsec free?
Both are open source. PayloadsAllTheThings is licensed under MIT and crowdsec under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between PayloadsAllTheThings and crowdsec?
PayloadsAllTheThings is written in Python and crowdsec 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 crowdsec?
Choose PayloadsAllTheThings if you want the larger community (82,508 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose crowdsec if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.