head to head · open source
thc-hydra vs osv-scanner
thc-hydra has 12,289 GitHub stars, 2,668 forks, 50 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. osv-scanner has 11,068 stars, 794 forks, 113 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. thc-hydra leads on adoption by 11% (12,289 vs 11,068 stars). thc-hydra is written in C under AGPL-3.0; osv-scanner is written in Go under Apache-2.0. thc-hydra has attracted 22% as many forks as stars, osv-scanner 7%. osv-scanner 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
| thc-hydra | osv-scanner | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 12K | ★ 11K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | C | Go |
| Last push | 2026-07-30 | 2026-09-20 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.7K | ⑂ 794 |
| 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 osv-scanner if
- You want the osv-scanner feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and osv-scanner 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 osv-scanner
OSV Scanner is an Apache 2.0 licensed vulnerability scanner written in Go that connects a project's list of dependencies with the vulnerabilities affecting them, using data from the open OSV.dev database, and it is aimed at developers, maintainers, and security teams who need to find known vulnerabilities in the dependencies they already ship.
read the full osv-scanner overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is thc-hydra or osv-scanner more popular?
thc-hydra has 12,289 GitHub stars and osv-scanner has 11,068. thc-hydra has the larger community by that measure.
Are thc-hydra and osv-scanner free?
Both are open source. thc-hydra is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and osv-scanner under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between thc-hydra and osv-scanner?
thc-hydra is written in C and osv-scanner in Go. 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 osv-scanner?
Choose thc-hydra if you want the larger community (12,289 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose osv-scanner if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.