head to head · open source
PayloadsAllTheThings vs knockpy
PayloadsAllTheThings has 81,425 GitHub stars, 17,434 forks, 36 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. knockpy has 4,199 stars, 874 forks, 72 open issues and last shipped 8 months ago. PayloadsAllTheThings leads on adoption by 1,839% (81,425 vs 4,199 stars). PayloadsAllTheThings is written in Python under MIT; knockpy is written in Python under GPL-3.0. PayloadsAllTheThings has attracted 21% as many forks as stars, knockpy 21%. PayloadsAllTheThings was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (bugbounty, 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.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| PayloadsAllTheThings | knockpy | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 81K | ★ 4.2K |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | Python |
| Last push | 2026-08-27 | 2026-02-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 17K | ⑂ 874 |
| 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 knockpy if
- You want the knockpy feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and knockpy 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 knockpy
Knockpy is a modular Python 3 subdomain enumeration tool for security testers, bug bounty hunters, and penetration testers who need to discover and audit a domain's subdomains through passive reconnaissance, DNS bruteforce, or both.
read the full knockpy overview →
More in Security & Privacy
Related comparisons
More Threat Detection & Response projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Threat Detection & Response field.
Frequently asked questions
Is PayloadsAllTheThings or knockpy more popular?
PayloadsAllTheThings has 81,425 GitHub stars and knockpy has 4,199. PayloadsAllTheThings has the larger community by that measure.
Are PayloadsAllTheThings and knockpy free?
Both are open source. PayloadsAllTheThings is licensed under MIT and knockpy under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between PayloadsAllTheThings and knockpy?
PayloadsAllTheThings is written in Python and knockpy in Python. 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 knockpy?
Choose PayloadsAllTheThings if you want the larger community (81,425 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose knockpy if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.