head to head · open source
PentestGPT vs reconftw
PentestGPT has 16,298 GitHub stars, 2,853 forks, 81 open issues and last shipped 4 months ago. reconftw has 8,338 stars, 1,263 forks, 5 open issues and last shipped 6 days ago. PentestGPT leads on adoption by 95% (16,298 vs 8,338 stars). PentestGPT is written in Python under MIT; reconftw is written in Shell under MIT. PentestGPT has attracted 18% as many forks as stars, reconftw 15%. reconftw 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 | reconftw | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 16K | ★ 8.3K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | Python | Shell |
| Last push | 2026-07-14 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.9K | ⑂ 1.3K |
| 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 reconftw if
- You want the reconftw feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Shell
- You evaluated both and reconftw 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 reconftw
reconFTW reconFTW is a powerful automated reconnaissance tool designed for security researchers and penetration testers. It streamlines the process of gathering intelligence on a target by performing subdomain enumeration, vulnerability scanning, OSINT and more. With a modular design, extensive configuration options, and support for distributed scanning via AX Framework, reconFTW is built to deliver comprehensive results efficiently. reconFTW leverages a wide range of techniques, including passive and active subdomain discovery, web vulnerability checks (e.g., XSS, SSRF, SQLi), OSINT, directory fuzzing, port…
read the full reconftw overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is PentestGPT or reconftw more popular?
PentestGPT has 16,298 GitHub stars and reconftw has 8,338. PentestGPT has the larger community by that measure.
Are PentestGPT and reconftw free?
Both are open source. PentestGPT is licensed under MIT and reconftw under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between PentestGPT and reconftw?
PentestGPT is written in Python and reconftw in Shell. 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 reconftw?
Choose PentestGPT if you want the larger community (16,298 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose reconftw if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.