head to head · open source
osv-scanner vs Tracecat
osv-scanner has 11,061 GitHub stars, 794 forks, 113 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Tracecat has 3,806 stars, 418 forks, 137 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. osv-scanner leads on adoption by 191% (11,061 vs 3,806 stars). osv-scanner is written in Go under Apache-2.0; Tracecat is written in Python under AGPL-3.0. osv-scanner has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, Tracecat 11%. 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
| osv-scanner | Tracecat | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 11K | ★ 3.8K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Go | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 794 | ⑂ 418 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick osv-scanner if
- You weight community size — 11K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- 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 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 →
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 osv-scanner or Tracecat more popular?
osv-scanner has 11,061 GitHub stars and Tracecat has 3,806. osv-scanner has the larger community by that measure.
Are osv-scanner and Tracecat free?
Both are open source. osv-scanner is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Tracecat under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between osv-scanner and Tracecat?
osv-scanner is written in Go 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, osv-scanner or Tracecat?
Choose osv-scanner if you want the larger community (11,061 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Tracecat if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.