head to head · open source
PayloadsAllTheThings vs linkedin2username
PayloadsAllTheThings has 81,677 GitHub stars, 17,465 forks, 36 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. linkedin2username has 1,872 stars, 224 forks, 1 open issues and last shipped 5 months ago. PayloadsAllTheThings leads on adoption by 4,263% (81,677 vs 1,872 stars). PayloadsAllTheThings is written in Python under MIT; linkedin2username is written in Python under MIT. PayloadsAllTheThings has attracted 21% as many forks as stars, linkedin2username 12%. PayloadsAllTheThings was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (hacking, 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 | linkedin2username | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 82K | ★ 1.9K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | Python | Python |
| Last push | 2026-08-27 | 2026-05-20 |
| Forks | ⑂ 17K | ⑂ 224 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick PayloadsAllTheThings if
- You weight community size — 82K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick linkedin2username if
- You want the linkedin2username feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and linkedin2username 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 linkedin2username
linkedin2username is an OSINT tool for penetration testers and security researchers who need to generate lists of probable corporate usernames from a company's LinkedIn employee page.
read the full linkedin2username overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is PayloadsAllTheThings or linkedin2username more popular?
PayloadsAllTheThings has 81,677 GitHub stars and linkedin2username has 1,872. PayloadsAllTheThings has the larger community by that measure.
Are PayloadsAllTheThings and linkedin2username free?
Both are open source. PayloadsAllTheThings is licensed under MIT and linkedin2username under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between PayloadsAllTheThings and linkedin2username?
PayloadsAllTheThings is written in Python and linkedin2username 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 linkedin2username?
Choose PayloadsAllTheThings if you want the larger community (81,677 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose linkedin2username if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.