head to head · open source
PentestGPT vs DSInternals
PentestGPT has 15,574 GitHub stars, 2,713 forks, 81 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. DSInternals has 1,969 stars, 277 forks, 20 open issues and last shipped 14 days ago. PentestGPT leads on adoption by 691% (15,574 vs 1,969 stars). PentestGPT is written in Python under MIT; DSInternals is written in C# under MIT. PentestGPT has attracted 17% as many forks as stars, DSInternals 14%. DSInternals 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
| PentestGPT | DSInternals | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 16K | ★ 2.0K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | Python | C# |
| Last push | 2026-07-14 | 2026-09-11 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.7K | ⑂ 277 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick PentestGPT if
- You weight community size — 16K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick DSInternals if
- You want the DSInternals feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches C#
- You evaluated both and DSInternals fits your workflow better
About PentestGPT
PentestGPT is an MIT licensed Python framework that uses large language models to run automated penetration tests and CTF challenges, aimed at penetration testers, security engineers and CTF players who want an agent to drive the tooling rather than working through it by hand.
read the full PentestGPT overview →
About DSInternals
DSInternals is an MIT licensed C framework and PowerShell module that exposes internal Active Directory features — password auditing, DPAPI NG and key credential handling, offline ntds.dit manipulation, and bare metal domain controller recovery — to Active Directory administrators, security teams, and penetration testers.
read the full DSInternals overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is PentestGPT or DSInternals more popular?
PentestGPT has 15,574 GitHub stars and DSInternals has 1,969. PentestGPT has the larger community by that measure.
Are PentestGPT and DSInternals free?
Both are open source. PentestGPT is licensed under MIT and DSInternals under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between PentestGPT and DSInternals?
PentestGPT is written in Python and DSInternals in C#. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, PentestGPT or DSInternals?
Choose PentestGPT if you want the larger community (15,574 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose DSInternals if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.