head to head · open source
PayloadsAllTheThings vs mutillidae
PayloadsAllTheThings has 81,985 GitHub stars, 17,492 forks, 36 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. mutillidae has 1,531 stars, 569 forks, 1 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. PayloadsAllTheThings leads on adoption by 5,255% (81,985 vs 1,531 stars). PayloadsAllTheThings is written in Python under MIT; mutillidae is written in PHP under GPL-3.0. PayloadsAllTheThings has attracted 21% as many forks as stars, mutillidae 37%. mutillidae 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 | mutillidae | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 82K | ★ 1.5K |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | PHP |
| Last push | 2026-08-27 | 2026-09-24 |
| Forks | ⑂ 17K | ⑂ 569 |
| 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 mutillidae if
- You want the mutillidae feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches PHP
- You evaluated both and mutillidae 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 mutillidae
OWASP Mutillidae II OWASP Mutillidae II is a free, open source, deliberately vulnerable web application designed for web security enthusiasts. It serves as a target for learning and practicing web security skills. Mutillidae can be easily installed on Linux and Windows systems using LAMP, WAMP, and XAMMP stacks. Additionally, it comes pre installed on SamuraiWTF and OWASP BWA, and the existing version can be updated on these platforms. With dozens of vulnerabilities and hints to guide the user, Mutillidae provides an accessible web hacking environment suitable for labs, security enthusiasts, classrooms, CTFs…
read the full mutillidae overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is PayloadsAllTheThings or mutillidae more popular?
PayloadsAllTheThings has 81,985 GitHub stars and mutillidae has 1,531. PayloadsAllTheThings has the larger community by that measure.
Are PayloadsAllTheThings and mutillidae free?
Both are open source. PayloadsAllTheThings is licensed under MIT and mutillidae under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between PayloadsAllTheThings and mutillidae?
PayloadsAllTheThings is written in Python and mutillidae in PHP. 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 mutillidae?
Choose PayloadsAllTheThings if you want the larger community (81,985 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose mutillidae if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.