Nikto vs OWASP Nettacker
Nikto
github.comOWASP Nettacker
owasp.github.ioSide by side
| Figure | Nikto | OWASP Nettacker |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Vulnerability Scanning Software | 7.8 (#16) | 7.9 (#12) |
| Install options | The project documents Perl installation, Docker images, and Windows installation. | Documentation describes installation from source with Poetry, from PyPI with pip or pipx, and with Docker. |
| Purpose | Nikto is an open-source web server scanner for security professionals, penetration testers, and system administrators. | Automates information gathering, vulnerability scanning, and penetration testing, including discovery of open ports, services, misconfigurations, default credentials, and subdomains. |
| Support | The project directs users to GitHub or Docker and its documentation for support, and asks users to open GitHub issues for bugs, feature requests, or questions. | The security policy points users to GitHub Issues and the OWASP Slack #project-nettacker channel for general inquiries. |
Plans
In their own words
OWASP Nettacker
OWASP Nettacker is free, open-source software for automating information gathering, vulnerability scanning, and penetration testing. It discovers open ports, services, misconfigurations, default credentials, and subdomains across IPv4 addresses, ranges, CIDR blocks, domains, and HTTP or HTTPS URLs. Users can run it as a command-line utility, Docker container, API, or Web GUI. A modular architecture provides prebuilt and customizable scanning modules. Reports are generated in HTML, TXT, JSON, and CSV, with the latest release listing SARIF and DefectDojo-compatible output; Maltego transforms are supported. Nettacker is written entirely in Python and does not launch external tools. Installation options include Poetry from source, pip or pipx from PyPI, and Docker. Native support covers Linux, macOS, and FreeBSD; Docker serves other operating systems while native Windows support is in progress. The installation guide currently supports Python 3.11–3.12, with later compatibility underway. Security updates cover the latest stable release and current master branch, while older versions may not receive updates. The project directs vulnerability reports through a private GitHub Security Advisory.