--- title: "PentestGPT vs awesome-hacking-lists" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/greydgl-pentestgpt-vs-taielab-awesome-hacking-lists" tools: ["greydgl-pentestgpt", "taielab-awesome-hacking-lists"] --- # PentestGPT vs awesome-hacking-lists *GraphCanon updated Aug 17, 2026* ## Verdict Pick PentestGPT if pentestGPT specializes in automating parts of the penetration testing process through large language models, offering a unique approach to AI-assisted security assessments; pick awesome-hacking-lists if awesome-hacking-lists is a curated collection targeting penetration testers and bug bounty hunters with emphasis on AI tool entries in its compilation of utilities. [PentestGPT](https://github.com/GreyDGL/PentestGPT) reports 15k GitHub stars, 2.6k forks, and 65 open issues, last pushed Jul 14, 2026. [awesome-hacking-lists](https://github.com/taielab/awesome-hacking-lists) has 1.4k stars, 264 forks, and 4 open issues, last pushed Dec 4, 2025. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [PentestGPT's repository](https://github.com/GreyDGL/PentestGPT) and [awesome-hacking-lists's repository](https://github.com/taielab/awesome-hacking-lists). | | [PentestGPT](/tools/greydgl-pentestgpt.md) | [awesome-hacking-lists](/tools/taielab-awesome-hacking-lists.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Automated Penetration Testing Agentic Framework Powered by Large Language Models | A curated collection of penetration testing tools and productivity utilities | | Stars | 14,900 | 1,366 | | Forks | 2,604 | 264 | | Open issues | 65 | 4 | | Language | Python | - | | Adopt for | PentestGPT specializes in automating parts of the penetration testing process through large language models, offering a unique approach to AI-assisted security assessments. | awesome-hacking-lists is a curated collection targeting penetration testers and bug bounty hunters with emphasis on AI tool entries in its compilation of utilities. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | MIT License, which allows for free use, modification, and distribution provided that attribution is maintained and any warranties or liabilities are disclaimed. | - | | Categories | AI Agents, LLM Frameworks | AI Agents, LLM Frameworks | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [PentestGPT](/tools/greydgl-pentestgpt.md) | [awesome-hacking-lists](/tools/taielab-awesome-hacking-lists.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Steady (60%) | Slowing (36%) | | Days since push | 33d | 233d | | Open issues (now) | 65 | 4 | | Stars delta | +597 (30d) | Unknown | | Open issues delta | +3 (30d) | Unknown | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/greydgl-pentestgpt/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/taielab-awesome-hacking-lists/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: PentestGPT - **Requirements:** - Python environment; - Access to large language models as stipulated by PentestGPT's operational requirements - **Adopt for:** PentestGPT specializes in automating parts of the penetration testing process through large language models, offering a unique approach to AI-assisted security assessments. - **License detail:** MIT License, which allows for free use, modification, and distribution provided that attribution is maintained and any warranties or liabilities are disclaimed. ## Decision facts: awesome-hacking-lists - **Pricing:** unknown - (unknown) - **Adopt for:** awesome-hacking-lists is a curated collection targeting penetration testers and bug bounty hunters with emphasis on AI tool entries in its compilation of utilities. ## Choose when ### Choose PentestGPT if… - Requirements: - Python environment; - Access to large language models as stipulated by PentestGPT's operational requirements. - Tags unique to PentestGPT: large language models, llm, penetration-testing, python. - PentestGPT ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment. - - When you need an automated framework for certain tasks within penetration testing that can be handled by large language models. ### Choose awesome-hacking-lists if… - Pricing: (unknown). - Tags unique to awesome-hacking-lists: aiagents, bugbounty, llminference, pentesting. - Use awesome-hacking-lists when you have an interest or need for specifically curated penetration testing tools that include AI-enhanced features. ## When NOT to use PentestGPT - - Avoid using PentestGPT if manual, nuanced analysis is required, as its reliance on LLM might not cover all complexities of a security assessment. - - If your organization does not have the legal authority to conduct penetration testing on specific targets, as indicated by its disclaimer for 'educational purposes and authorized security testing'. ## When NOT to use awesome-hacking-lists - Avoid awesome-hacking-lists if your needs are more general and do not align with the specific focus on penetration testing or AI-integrated security tools. - This is not suitable when looking for comprehensive AI development frameworks without a specialized security perspective, as it's tailored towards hacking utilities. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between PentestGPT and awesome-hacking-lists? PentestGPT: Automated Penetration Testing Agentic Framework Powered by Large Language Models. awesome-hacking-lists: A curated collection of penetration testing tools and productivity utilities. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose PentestGPT over awesome-hacking-lists? Choose PentestGPT over awesome-hacking-lists when Requirements: - Python environment; - Access to large language models as stipulated by PentestGPT's operational requirements; Tags unique to PentestGPT: large language models, llm, penetration-testing, python; PentestGPT ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; - When you need an automated framework for certain tasks within penetration testing that can be handled by large language models. ### When should I choose awesome-hacking-lists over PentestGPT? Choose awesome-hacking-lists over PentestGPT when Pricing: (unknown); Tags unique to awesome-hacking-lists: aiagents, bugbounty, llminference, pentesting; Use awesome-hacking-lists when you have an interest or need for specifically curated penetration testing tools that include AI-enhanced features. ### When should I avoid PentestGPT? - Avoid using PentestGPT if manual, nuanced analysis is required, as its reliance on LLM might not cover all complexities of a security assessment. - If your organization does not have the legal authority to conduct penetration testing on specific targets, as indicated by its disclaimer for 'educational purposes and authorized security testing'. ### When should I avoid awesome-hacking-lists? Avoid awesome-hacking-lists if your needs are more general and do not align with the specific focus on penetration testing or AI-integrated security tools. This is not suitable when looking for comprehensive AI development frameworks without a specialized security perspective, as it's tailored towards hacking utilities. ### Is PentestGPT or awesome-hacking-lists more popular on GitHub? PentestGPT has more GitHub stars (14,900 vs 1,366). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are PentestGPT and awesome-hacking-lists open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub. ### Where can I find alternatives to PentestGPT or awesome-hacking-lists? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [PentestGPT alternatives](/tools/greydgl-pentestgpt/alternatives) and [awesome-hacking-lists alternatives](/tools/taielab-awesome-hacking-lists/alternatives) ([PentestGPT markdown twin](/tools/greydgl-pentestgpt/alternatives.md), [awesome-hacking-lists markdown twin](/tools/taielab-awesome-hacking-lists/alternatives.md)), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes. ### Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison? Yes. The markdown twin at [this comparison](/compare/greydgl-pentestgpt-vs-taielab-awesome-hacking-lists.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, PentestGPT or awesome-hacking-lists? PentestGPT: Steady. awesome-hacking-lists: Slowing. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance. ### Where are the full trust reports for PentestGPT and awesome-hacking-lists? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [PentestGPT trust report](/tools/greydgl-pentestgpt/trust); [awesome-hacking-lists trust report](/tools/taielab-awesome-hacking-lists/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=greydgl-pentestgpt`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=greydgl-pentestgpt) - LLM index: [/llms.txt](/llms.txt) - Full corpus: [/llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt) _GraphCanon - The knowledge graph for AI development. https://www.graphcanon.com/_