head to head · open source
PentestGPT vs One-Lin3r
PentestGPT has 15,950 GitHub stars, 2,801 forks, 81 open issues and last shipped 3 months ago. One-Lin3r has 1,791 stars, 300 forks, 4 open issues and last shipped 10 months ago. PentestGPT leads on adoption by 791% (15,950 vs 1,791 stars). PentestGPT is written in Python under MIT; One-Lin3r is written in Python under GPL-3.0. PentestGPT has attracted 18% as many forks as stars, One-Lin3r 17%. PentestGPT was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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 | One-Lin3r | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 16K | ★ 1.8K |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | Python |
| Last push | 2026-07-14 | 2025-12-09 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.8K | ⑂ 300 |
| 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 One-Lin3r if
- You want the One-Lin3r feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and One-Lin3r 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 One-Lin3r
One Lin3r is a lightweight, modular Python framework that supplies penetration testers and hackers with a searchable, auto completing library of one liners for reverse shells, bind shells, privilege escalation, and payload droppers across Windows, Linux, macOS, and BSD targets.
read the full One-Lin3r overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is PentestGPT or One-Lin3r more popular?
PentestGPT has 15,950 GitHub stars and One-Lin3r has 1,791. PentestGPT has the larger community by that measure.
Are PentestGPT and One-Lin3r free?
Both are open source. PentestGPT is licensed under MIT and One-Lin3r under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between PentestGPT and One-Lin3r?
PentestGPT is written in Python and One-Lin3r 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 One-Lin3r?
Choose PentestGPT if you want the larger community (15,950 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose One-Lin3r if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.