head to head · open source
ecapture vs thc-hydra
ecapture has 15,490 GitHub stars, 1,647 forks, 4 open issues and last shipped yesterday. thc-hydra has 12,349 stars, 2,679 forks, 50 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. ecapture leads on adoption by 25% (15,490 vs 12,349 stars). ecapture is written in C under Apache-2.0; thc-hydra is written in C under AGPL-3.0. ecapture has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, thc-hydra 22%. ecapture 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.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| ecapture | thc-hydra | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 15K | ★ 12K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | C | C |
| Last push | 2026-10-07 | 2026-07-30 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.6K | ⑂ 2.7K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick ecapture if
- You weight community size — 15K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick thc-hydra if
- You want the thc-hydra feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C
- You evaluated both and thc-hydra fits your workflow better
About ecapture
eCapture (旁观者) is an open source eBPF tool that captures SSL/TLS plaintext, database queries, and shell history on Linux and Android for security auditors, network engineers, and self hosters who need visibility into encrypted traffic without intercepting it.
read the full ecapture overview →
About thc-hydra
Hydra is an AGPL 3.0 licensed, C based login cracker that attacks dozens of network protocols in parallel, built for security researchers and penetration testing consultants who need to demonstrate how easily a remote system can be reached with weak credentials.
read the full thc-hydra overview →
More in Security & Privacy
Related comparisons
More Threat Detection & Response projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Threat Detection & Response field.
Frequently asked questions
Is ecapture or thc-hydra more popular?
ecapture has 15,490 GitHub stars and thc-hydra has 12,349. ecapture has the larger community by that measure.
Are ecapture and thc-hydra free?
Both are open source. ecapture is licensed under Apache-2.0 and thc-hydra under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between ecapture and thc-hydra?
ecapture is written in C and thc-hydra in C. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, ecapture or thc-hydra?
Choose ecapture if you want the larger community (15,490 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose thc-hydra if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.