head to head · open source
PayloadsAllTheThings vs reconftw
PayloadsAllTheThings has 82,443 GitHub stars, 17,566 forks, 36 open issues and last shipped 9 days ago. reconftw has 8,338 stars, 1,263 forks, 5 open issues and last shipped 6 days ago. PayloadsAllTheThings leads on adoption by 889% (82,443 vs 8,338 stars). PayloadsAllTheThings is written in Python under MIT; reconftw is written in Shell under MIT. PayloadsAllTheThings has attracted 21% as many forks as stars, reconftw 15%. reconftw was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 4 topic tags (bugbounty, hacking, penetration-testing, pentest), 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 | reconftw | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 82K | ★ 8.3K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | Python | Shell |
| Last push | 2026-10-30 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 18K | ⑂ 1.3K |
| 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 reconftw if
- You want the reconftw feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Shell
- You evaluated both and reconftw 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 reconftw
reconFTW reconFTW is a powerful automated reconnaissance tool designed for security researchers and penetration testers. It streamlines the process of gathering intelligence on a target by performing subdomain enumeration, vulnerability scanning, OSINT and more. With a modular design, extensive configuration options, and support for distributed scanning via AX Framework, reconFTW is built to deliver comprehensive results efficiently. reconFTW leverages a wide range of techniques, including passive and active subdomain discovery, web vulnerability checks (e.g., XSS, SSRF, SQLi), OSINT, directory fuzzing, port…
read the full reconftw overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is PayloadsAllTheThings or reconftw more popular?
PayloadsAllTheThings has 82,443 GitHub stars and reconftw has 8,338. PayloadsAllTheThings has the larger community by that measure.
Are PayloadsAllTheThings and reconftw free?
Both are open source. PayloadsAllTheThings is licensed under MIT and reconftw under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between PayloadsAllTheThings and reconftw?
PayloadsAllTheThings is written in Python and reconftw in Shell. 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 reconftw?
Choose PayloadsAllTheThings if you want the larger community (82,443 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose reconftw if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.