head to head · open source
PentestGPT vs Infosec_Reference
PentestGPT has 15,638 GitHub stars, 2,720 forks, 81 open issues and last shipped 3 months ago. Infosec_Reference has 5,998 stars, 1,230 forks, 4 open issues and last shipped 11 months ago. PentestGPT leads on adoption by 161% (15,638 vs 5,998 stars). PentestGPT is written in Python under MIT; Infosec_Reference is written in CSS under MIT. PentestGPT has attracted 17% as many forks as stars, Infosec_Reference 21%. PentestGPT 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 | 2025-10-20 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.7K | ⑂ 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
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 Infosec_Reference
Infosec Reference is an MIT licensed, freely available information security reference maintained as a Git repository and published as a hosted HTML page, intended for anyone from beginners to experienced practitioners who want a curated jumping off point for techniques, tools, and tactics across offense, defense, and privacy.
read the full Infosec_Reference overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is PentestGPT or Infosec_Reference more popular?
PentestGPT has 15,638 GitHub stars and Infosec_Reference has 5,998. 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 (15,638 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Infosec_Reference if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.