head to head · open source
PentestGPT vs Raccoon
PentestGPT has 15,534 GitHub stars, 2,706 forks, 81 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. Raccoon has 4,027 stars, 501 forks, 14 open issues and last shipped 5 months ago. PentestGPT leads on adoption by 286% (15,534 vs 4,027 stars). PentestGPT is written in Python under MIT; Raccoon is written in Python under MIT. PentestGPT has attracted 17% as many forks as stars, Raccoon 12%. 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 | Raccoon | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 16K | ★ 4.0K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | Python | Python |
| Last push | 2026-07-14 | 2026-04-21 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.7K | ⑂ 501 |
| 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 Raccoon if
- You want the Raccoon feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and Raccoon 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 Raccoon
Raccoon is an open source, MIT licensed offensive security tool written in Python for reconnaissance and information gathering, built for penetration testers, bug bounty hunters, and security analysts who need to map a target's DNS, TLS, network, and web footprint from a single command line.
read the full Raccoon overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is PentestGPT or Raccoon more popular?
PentestGPT has 15,534 GitHub stars and Raccoon has 4,027. PentestGPT has the larger community by that measure.
Are PentestGPT and Raccoon free?
Both are open source. PentestGPT is licensed under MIT and Raccoon under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between PentestGPT and Raccoon?
PentestGPT is written in Python and Raccoon 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 Raccoon?
Choose PentestGPT if you want the larger community (15,534 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Raccoon if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.