head to head · open source
pentest-ai vs vuln-bank
pentest-ai has 1,802 GitHub stars, 329 forks, 2 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. vuln-bank has 992 stars, 374 forks, 10 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. pentest-ai leads on adoption by 82% (1,802 vs 992 stars). pentest-ai is written in Python under MIT; vuln-bank is written in HTML under MIT. pentest-ai has attracted 18% as many forks as stars, vuln-bank 38%. vuln-bank was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (ai-security, devsecops), 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
| pentest-ai | vuln-bank | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 1.8K | ★ 992 |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | Python | HTML |
| Last push | 2026-11-03 | 2026-11-04 |
| Forks | ⑂ 329 | ⑂ 374 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick pentest-ai if
- You weight community size — 1.8K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick vuln-bank if
- You want the vuln-bank feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches HTML
- You evaluated both and vuln-bank fits your workflow better
About pentest-ai
Website · Quick start · Verification · Documentation · Issues Pentest AI connects an AI client or model to a penetration testing workflow. It investigates applications, records findings, and uses machine oracles to check whether an exploit can be reproduced . Verified findings carry evidence you can replay. Use it through MCP , from the CLI , or in CI . The model helps drive the investigation; an oracle determines whether a finding earns a verified verdict. Test only systems you own or have explicit authorization to assess. Read the acceptable use policy and terms before running an engagement. Quick start…
read the full pentest-ai overview →
About vuln-bank
Vulnerable Bank Application 🏦 A deliberately vulnerable web application for practicing application security testing of Web, APIs and LLMs, secure code review and implementing security in CI/CD pipelines. ⚠️ WARNING: This application is intentionally vulnerable and should only be used for educational purposes in isolated environments. Overview This project is a simple banking application with multiple security vulnerabilities built in. It's designed to help security engineers, developers, interns, QA analyst and DevSecOps practitioners learn about: Common web application and API vulnerabilities AI/LLM…
read the full vuln-bank overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is pentest-ai or vuln-bank more popular?
pentest-ai has 1,802 GitHub stars and vuln-bank has 992. pentest-ai has the larger community by that measure.
Are pentest-ai and vuln-bank free?
Both are open source. pentest-ai is licensed under MIT and vuln-bank under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between pentest-ai and vuln-bank?
pentest-ai is written in Python and vuln-bank in HTML. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, pentest-ai or vuln-bank?
Choose pentest-ai if you want the larger community (1,802 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose vuln-bank if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.