head to head · open source
thc-hydra vs Tracecat
thc-hydra has 12,289 GitHub stars, 2,668 forks, 50 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. Tracecat has 3,806 stars, 418 forks, 137 open issues and last shipped yesterday. thc-hydra leads on adoption by 223% (12,289 vs 3,806 stars). thc-hydra is written in C under AGPL-3.0; Tracecat is written in Python under AGPL-3.0. thc-hydra has attracted 22% as many forks as stars, Tracecat 11%. Tracecat 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 | Tracecat | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 12K | ★ 3.8K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | C | Python |
| Last push | 2026-07-30 | 2026-09-21 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.7K | ⑂ 418 |
| 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 Tracecat if
- You want the Tracecat feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and Tracecat 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 Tracecat
Tracecat is an open source security automation platform for teams and AI agents. It lives in the security operations and incident response ecosystem, combining agents, workflows, lookup tables, and case management in one Python application. The project is licensed under AGPL 3.0, with a separate paid Enterprise Edition directory and feature gates.
read the full Tracecat overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is thc-hydra or Tracecat more popular?
thc-hydra has 12,289 GitHub stars and Tracecat has 3,806. thc-hydra has the larger community by that measure.
Are thc-hydra and Tracecat free?
Both are open source. thc-hydra is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Tracecat under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between thc-hydra and Tracecat?
thc-hydra is written in C and Tracecat in Python. 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 Tracecat?
Choose thc-hydra if you want the larger community (12,289 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Tracecat if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.