head to head · open source
PayloadsAllTheThings vs DSInternals
PayloadsAllTheThings has 81,153 GitHub stars, 17,408 forks, 36 open issues and last shipped 29 days ago. DSInternals has 1,969 stars, 277 forks, 20 open issues and last shipped 14 days ago. PayloadsAllTheThings leads on adoption by 4,022% (81,153 vs 1,969 stars). PayloadsAllTheThings is written in Python under MIT; DSInternals is written in C# under MIT. PayloadsAllTheThings has attracted 21% as many forks as stars, DSInternals 14%. DSInternals 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 | DSInternals | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 81K | ★ 2.0K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | Python | C# |
| Last push | 2026-08-27 | 2026-09-11 |
| Forks | ⑂ 17K | ⑂ 277 |
| 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 DSInternals if
- You want the DSInternals feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches C#
- You evaluated both and DSInternals 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 DSInternals
DSInternals is an MIT licensed C framework and PowerShell module that exposes internal Active Directory features — password auditing, DPAPI NG and key credential handling, offline ntds.dit manipulation, and bare metal domain controller recovery — to Active Directory administrators, security teams, and penetration testers.
read the full DSInternals overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is PayloadsAllTheThings or DSInternals more popular?
PayloadsAllTheThings has 81,153 GitHub stars and DSInternals has 1,969. PayloadsAllTheThings has the larger community by that measure.
Are PayloadsAllTheThings and DSInternals free?
Both are open source. PayloadsAllTheThings is licensed under MIT and DSInternals under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between PayloadsAllTheThings and DSInternals?
PayloadsAllTheThings is written in Python and DSInternals in C#. 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 DSInternals?
Choose PayloadsAllTheThings if you want the larger community (81,153 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose DSInternals if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.