head to head · open source
PentestGPT vs linkedin2username
PentestGPT has 15,896 GitHub stars, 2,776 forks, 81 open issues and last shipped 3 months ago. linkedin2username has 1,872 stars, 224 forks, 1 open issues and last shipped 5 months ago. PentestGPT leads on adoption by 749% (15,896 vs 1,872 stars). PentestGPT is written in Python under MIT; linkedin2username is written in Python under MIT. PentestGPT has attracted 17% as many forks as stars, linkedin2username 12%. 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 | linkedin2username | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 16K | ★ 1.9K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | Python | Python |
| Last push | 2026-07-14 | 2026-05-20 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.8K | ⑂ 224 |
| 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 linkedin2username if
- You want the linkedin2username feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and linkedin2username 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 linkedin2username
linkedin2username is an OSINT tool for penetration testers and security researchers who need to generate lists of probable corporate usernames from a company's LinkedIn employee page.
read the full linkedin2username overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is PentestGPT or linkedin2username more popular?
PentestGPT has 15,896 GitHub stars and linkedin2username has 1,872. PentestGPT has the larger community by that measure.
Are PentestGPT and linkedin2username free?
Both are open source. PentestGPT is licensed under MIT and linkedin2username under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between PentestGPT and linkedin2username?
PentestGPT is written in Python and linkedin2username in Python. 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 linkedin2username?
Choose PentestGPT if you want the larger community (15,896 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose linkedin2username if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.