head to head · open source
PentestGPT vs mutillidae
PentestGPT has 16,080 GitHub stars, 2,818 forks, 81 open issues and last shipped 3 months ago. mutillidae has 1,531 stars, 569 forks, 1 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. PentestGPT leads on adoption by 950% (16,080 vs 1,531 stars). PentestGPT is written in Python under MIT; mutillidae is written in PHP under GPL-3.0. PentestGPT has attracted 18% as many forks as stars, mutillidae 37%. mutillidae 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 | mutillidae | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 16K | ★ 1.5K |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | PHP |
| Last push | 2026-07-14 | 2026-09-24 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.8K | ⑂ 569 |
| 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 mutillidae if
- You want the mutillidae feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches PHP
- You evaluated both and mutillidae 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 mutillidae
OWASP Mutillidae II OWASP Mutillidae II is a free, open source, deliberately vulnerable web application designed for web security enthusiasts. It serves as a target for learning and practicing web security skills. Mutillidae can be easily installed on Linux and Windows systems using LAMP, WAMP, and XAMMP stacks. Additionally, it comes pre installed on SamuraiWTF and OWASP BWA, and the existing version can be updated on these platforms. With dozens of vulnerabilities and hints to guide the user, Mutillidae provides an accessible web hacking environment suitable for labs, security enthusiasts, classrooms, CTFs…
read the full mutillidae overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is PentestGPT or mutillidae more popular?
PentestGPT has 16,080 GitHub stars and mutillidae has 1,531. PentestGPT has the larger community by that measure.
Are PentestGPT and mutillidae free?
Both are open source. PentestGPT is licensed under MIT and mutillidae under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between PentestGPT and mutillidae?
PentestGPT is written in Python and mutillidae in PHP. 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 mutillidae?
Choose PentestGPT if you want the larger community (16,080 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose mutillidae if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.