head to head · open source
prowler vs windows_hardening
prowler has 15,159 GitHub stars, 2,479 forks, 371 open issues and last shipped yesterday. windows_hardening has 2,673 stars, 332 forks, 21 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. prowler leads on adoption by 467% (15,159 vs 2,673 stars). prowler is written in Python under Apache-2.0; windows_hardening is written in PowerShell under MIT. prowler has attracted 16% as many forks as stars, windows_hardening 12%. prowler was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (compliance), 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
| prowler | windows_hardening | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 15K | ★ 2.7K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Python | PowerShell |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-31 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.5K | ⑂ 332 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick prowler if
- You weight community size — 15K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick windows_hardening if
- You want the windows_hardening feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches PowerShell
- You evaluated both and windows_hardening fits your workflow better
About prowler
Prowler is the Open Cloud Security Platform trusted by thousands to automate security and compliance in any cloud environment. With thousands of ready to use checks and compliance frameworks, Prowler delivers real time, customizable monitoring and seamless integrations, making cloud security simple, scalable, and cost effective for organizations of any size. The Agentic Cloud Defender Try Prowler Cloud Join our Prowler community! Description Prowler is the world’s most widely used Open Source Cloud Security Platform that automates security and compliance across any cloud environment . With thousands of ready to…
read the full prowler overview →
About windows_hardening
HardeningKitty and Windows Hardening Introduction The project started as a simple hardening list for Windows 10. After some time, HardeningKitty was created to simplify the hardening of Windows. Now, HardeningKitty supports guidelines from Microsoft, CIS Benchmarks, DoD STIG and BSI SiSyPHuS Win10. And of course my own hardening list. This is a hardening checklist that can be used in private and business environments for hardening Windows 10. The checklist can be used for all Windows versions, but in Windows 10 Home the Group Policy Editor is not integrated and the adjustment must be done directly in the…
read the full windows_hardening overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is prowler or windows_hardening more popular?
prowler has 15,159 GitHub stars and windows_hardening has 2,673. prowler has the larger community by that measure.
Are prowler and windows_hardening free?
Both are open source. prowler is licensed under Apache-2.0 and windows_hardening under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between prowler and windows_hardening?
prowler is written in Python and windows_hardening in PowerShell. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, prowler or windows_hardening?
Choose prowler if you want the larger community (15,159 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose windows_hardening if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.