head to head · open source
PentestGPT vs Infosec_Reference
PentestGPT has 16,418 GitHub stars, 2,874 forks, 81 open issues and last shipped 4 months ago. Infosec_Reference has 6,042 stars, 1,232 forks, 4 open issues and last shipped 19 days ago. PentestGPT leads on adoption by 172% (16,418 vs 6,042 stars). PentestGPT is written in Python under MIT; Infosec_Reference is written in CSS under MIT. PentestGPT has attracted 18% as many forks as stars, Infosec_Reference 20%. Infosec_Reference 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 | Infosec_Reference | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 16K | ★ 6.0K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | Python | CSS |
| Last push | 2026-07-14 | 2026-10-26 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.9K | ⑂ 1.2K |
| 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 Infosec_Reference if
- You want the Infosec_Reference feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches CSS
- You evaluated both and Infosec_Reference fits your workflow better
About PentestGPT
[![Contributors][contributors shield]][contributors url] [![Forks][forks shield]][forks url] [![Stargazers][stars shield]][stars url] [![Issues][issues shield]][issues url] [![MIT License][license shield]][license url] [![Discord][discord shield]][discord url] PentestGPT AI Powered Autonomous Penetration Testing Agent Published at USENIX Security 2024 Official Website: pentestgpt.com » Research Paper · Report Bug · Request Feature Demo Installation Watch on YouTube PentestGPT in Action Watch on YouTube What's New in v1.0 (Agentic Upgrade) Multi Stage Pipeline The agent works through staged phases (recon →…
read the full PentestGPT overview →
About Infosec_Reference
InfoSec Reference Any communicaitons occuring within the United States should be viewed as compromised and no privacy guaranteed unless E2EE was used and verified(Not new). (New: The US gov now has legal authority to compel recording or monitoring by any citizen within the United States, regardless of their proximity or interaction with the supposed crime being monitored. Among the other issues made possible/enabled through passage of the legislation) I have kept this project non political, but this is absolutely terrible. Full support by Biden and his administration as well shows that this is not some partisan…
read the full Infosec_Reference overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is PentestGPT or Infosec_Reference more popular?
PentestGPT has 16,418 GitHub stars and Infosec_Reference has 6,042. PentestGPT has the larger community by that measure.
Are PentestGPT and Infosec_Reference free?
Both are open source. PentestGPT is licensed under MIT and Infosec_Reference under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between PentestGPT and Infosec_Reference?
PentestGPT is written in Python and Infosec_Reference in CSS. 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 Infosec_Reference?
Choose PentestGPT if you want the larger community (16,418 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Infosec_Reference if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.