head to head · open source
PayloadsAllTheThings vs osv-scanner
PayloadsAllTheThings has 80,960 GitHub stars, 17,377 forks, 36 open issues and last shipped 23 days ago. osv-scanner has 11,049 stars, 794 forks, 113 open issues and last shipped yesterday. PayloadsAllTheThings leads on adoption by 633% (80,960 vs 11,049 stars). PayloadsAllTheThings is written in Python under MIT; osv-scanner is written in Go under Apache-2.0. PayloadsAllTheThings has attracted 21% as many forks as stars, osv-scanner 7%. osv-scanner 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 | osv-scanner | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 81K | ★ 11K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Go |
| Last push | 2026-08-27 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 17K | ⑂ 794 |
| 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 osv-scanner if
- You want the osv-scanner feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and osv-scanner 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 osv-scanner
OSV Scanner is an Apache 2.0 licensed vulnerability scanner written in Go that connects a project's list of dependencies with the vulnerabilities affecting them, using data from the open OSV.dev database, and it is aimed at developers, maintainers, and security teams who need to find known vulnerabilities in the dependencies they already ship.
read the full osv-scanner overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is PayloadsAllTheThings or osv-scanner more popular?
PayloadsAllTheThings has 80,960 GitHub stars and osv-scanner has 11,049. PayloadsAllTheThings has the larger community by that measure.
Are PayloadsAllTheThings and osv-scanner free?
Both are open source. PayloadsAllTheThings is licensed under MIT and osv-scanner under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between PayloadsAllTheThings and osv-scanner?
PayloadsAllTheThings is written in Python and osv-scanner 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 osv-scanner?
Choose PayloadsAllTheThings if you want the larger community (80,960 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose osv-scanner if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.