head to head · open source
thc-hydra vs inql
thc-hydra has 12,312 GitHub stars, 2,673 forks, 50 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. inql has 1,811 stars, 188 forks, 29 open issues and last shipped 18 days ago. thc-hydra leads on adoption by 580% (12,312 vs 1,811 stars). thc-hydra is written in C under AGPL-3.0; inql is written in Kotlin under Apache-2.0. thc-hydra has attracted 22% as many forks as stars, inql 10%. inql 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 | inql | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 12K | ★ 1.8K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | C | Kotlin |
| Last push | 2026-07-30 | 2026-09-09 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.7K | ⑂ 188 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick thc-hydra if
- You weight community size — 12K 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 inql if
- You want the inql feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Kotlin
- You evaluated both and inql fits your workflow better
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 →
About inql
InQL is an open source Burp Suite extension for advanced GraphQL testing, built by Doyensec for penetration testers, bug bounty hunters, and security teams who need to analyse GraphQL endpoints from inside the Burp proxy they already use.
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Frequently asked questions
Is thc-hydra or inql more popular?
thc-hydra has 12,312 GitHub stars and inql has 1,811. thc-hydra has the larger community by that measure.
Are thc-hydra and inql free?
Both are open source. thc-hydra is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and inql under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between thc-hydra and inql?
thc-hydra is written in C and inql in Kotlin. 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 inql?
Choose thc-hydra if you want the larger community (12,312 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose inql if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.