head to head · open source
PentestGPT vs WhatWeb
PentestGPT has 15,580 GitHub stars, 2,717 forks, 81 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. WhatWeb has 6,855 stars, 1,013 forks, 51 open issues and last shipped 6 months ago. PentestGPT leads on adoption by 127% (15,580 vs 6,855 stars). PentestGPT is written in Python under MIT; WhatWeb is written in Ruby under GPL-2.0. PentestGPT has attracted 17% as many forks as stars, WhatWeb 15%. 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 | WhatWeb | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 16K | ★ 6.9K |
| License | MIT | GPL-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Ruby |
| Last push | 2026-07-14 | 2026-04-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.7K | ⑂ 1.0K |
| 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 WhatWeb if
- You want the WhatWeb feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Ruby
- You evaluated both and WhatWeb 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 WhatWeb
WhatWeb is a free, GPL 2.0 licensed web scanner written in Ruby that identifies the technologies powering a website — content management systems, blogging platforms, analytics packages, JavaScript libraries, web servers and embedded devices — and it is built for penetration testers, security analysts and network defenders who need to answer the question, "What is that Website?"
read the full WhatWeb overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is PentestGPT or WhatWeb more popular?
PentestGPT has 15,580 GitHub stars and WhatWeb has 6,855. PentestGPT has the larger community by that measure.
Are PentestGPT and WhatWeb free?
Both are open source. PentestGPT is licensed under MIT and WhatWeb under GPL-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between PentestGPT and WhatWeb?
PentestGPT is written in Python and WhatWeb in Ruby. 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 WhatWeb?
Choose PentestGPT if you want the larger community (15,580 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose WhatWeb if its feature set, stack or GPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.