head to head · open source
strix vs shannon
strix has 73,376 GitHub stars, 8,266 forks, 383 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. shannon has 50,964 stars, 5,926 forks, 18 open issues and last shipped 7 days ago. strix leads on adoption by 44% (73,376 vs 50,964 stars). strix is written in Python under Apache-2.0; shannon is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. strix has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, shannon 12%. strix was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 4 topic tags (ai-penetration-testing, ai-security, cybersecurity, ethical-hacking), 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
| strix | shannon | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 73K | ★ 51K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-10-30 | 2026-10-27 |
| Forks | ⑂ 8.3K | ⑂ 5.9K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick strix if
- You weight community size — 73K 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 shannon if
- You want the shannon feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and shannon fits your workflow better
About strix
Strix The open source AI pentesting tool. Autonomous AI hackers that find and fix your app’s vulnerabilities. [!TIP] New! Strix integrates seamlessly with GitHub Actions and CI/CD pipelines. Automatically scan for vulnerabilities on every pull request and block insecure code before it reaches production Get started with no setup required. Strix Overview Strix are autonomous AI penetration testing agents that act just like real hackers they run your code dynamically, find vulnerabilities, and validate them through actual proofs of concept. Built for developers and security teams who need fast, accurate security…
read the full strix overview →
About shannon
[!NOTE] Shannon 3.0 is live: deeper security code analysis, more thoroughly vetted findings, a rebuilt CLI, native CI/CD, professional PDF reports, and SARIF. Shannon is an autonomous, AI pentester for web applications and APIs. It analyzes your source code, identifies attack paths, and executes real exploits to prove vulnerabilities before they reach production. No exploit, no report. This repository is Shannon Open Source: the full agent, run locally from your command line. Launch Shannon The interactive launcher will guide you through setup and your first pentest. [!TIP] AI agents and LLMs: start with…
read the full shannon overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is strix or shannon more popular?
strix has 73,376 GitHub stars and shannon has 50,964. strix has the larger community by that measure.
Are strix and shannon free?
Both are open source. strix is licensed under Apache-2.0 and shannon under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between strix and shannon?
strix is written in Python and shannon in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, strix or shannon?
Choose strix if you want the larger community (73,376 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose shannon if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.