head to head · open source
thc-hydra vs Infosec_Reference
thc-hydra has 12,504 GitHub stars, 2,711 forks, 50 open issues and last shipped 6 days ago. Infosec_Reference has 6,042 stars, 1,232 forks, 4 open issues and last shipped 19 days ago. thc-hydra leads on adoption by 107% (12,504 vs 6,042 stars). thc-hydra is written in C under AGPL-3.0; Infosec_Reference is written in CSS under MIT. thc-hydra has attracted 22% as many forks as stars, Infosec_Reference 20%. thc-hydra 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
| thc-hydra | Infosec_Reference | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 13K | ★ 6.0K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Written in | C | CSS |
| Last push | 2026-11-08 | 2026-10-26 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.7K | ⑂ 1.2K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick thc-hydra if
- You weight community size — 13K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Infosec_Reference if
- You want the Infosec_Reference feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches CSS
- You evaluated both and Infosec_Reference fits your workflow better
About thc-hydra
H Y D R A (c) 2001 2023 by van Hauser / THC Many modules were written by David (dot) Maciejak @ gmail (dot) com BFG code by Jan Dlabal Licensed under AGPLv3 (see LICENSE file) Please do not use in military or secret service organizations, or for illegal purposes. (This is the wish of the author and non binding. Many people working in these organizations do not care for laws and ethics anyway. You are not one of the "good" ones if you ignore this.) NOTE: No, this is not meant to be a markdown doc! old school! Hydra in the most current GitHub state can be directly downloaded via Docker: INTRODUCTION Number one of…
read the full thc-hydra overview →
About Infosec_Reference
InfoSec Reference Any communicaitons occuring within the United States should be viewed as compromised and no privacy guaranteed unless E2EE was used and verified(Not new). (New: The US gov now has legal authority to compel recording or monitoring by any citizen within the United States, regardless of their proximity or interaction with the supposed crime being monitored. Among the other issues made possible/enabled through passage of the legislation) I have kept this project non political, but this is absolutely terrible. Full support by Biden and his administration as well shows that this is not some partisan…
read the full Infosec_Reference overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is thc-hydra or Infosec_Reference more popular?
thc-hydra has 12,504 GitHub stars and Infosec_Reference has 6,042. thc-hydra has the larger community by that measure.
Are thc-hydra and Infosec_Reference free?
Both are open source. thc-hydra is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Infosec_Reference under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between thc-hydra and Infosec_Reference?
thc-hydra is written in C and Infosec_Reference in CSS. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, thc-hydra or Infosec_Reference?
Choose thc-hydra if you want the larger community (12,504 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Infosec_Reference if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.