≈62,900★ (usestrix/strix)
Strix
~67× the stars, GitHub-Trending reach, press mindshare, and it owns the exact proof + fix-PR + retest message.
S.01Comparison
Open-source AI pentest tools, compared
A factual, feature-by-feature look at the open source AI pentest tools people evaluate together, and where Darkmoon is a genuine alternative to Strix, XBOW and PentestGPT. Verifiable facts only, with honest credit where competitors lead.
9
tools compared, feature by feature
7
competitors credited where they lead
42/57
remediation PRs demonstrated (Pro)
940★
Darkmoon on GitHub (ASCIT31/Dark-Moon)
DisclaimerThis is Darkmoon's own comparison, compiled from public sources on 2026-09-16.
It is not a third-party endorsement and not an analyst citation, no external study lists Darkmoon. Star counts change over time; treat them as a signal, not a live figure. We do not claim any competitor cheats, we simply state each tool's public conditions.
S.04Feature matrixTool by tool
Scroll horizontally on narrow screens. Every cell is a public, checkable fact.
| Tool | Public traction | License & hosting | Model location | Proof & fix loop | Coverage | Third-party signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darkmoonus | 940★ (ASCIT31/Dark-Moon) | GPL-3.0 · self-hosted | Local (Ollama / llama.cpp) + Privacy Gateway | Proof-of-exploit per finding (open source) + remediation PR loop (Pro, 42/57 demonstrated) | Web, API, AD/identity, K8s, cloud, CI/CD, DB, IoT/firmware, LLM | 1 verified press hit (Help Net Security); open reproducible benchmark |
| Strix | ≈62,900★ (usestrix/strix) | Apache-2.0 · cloud model | Cloud LLM | PoC exploit + one-click autofix → fix PR + retest | Web-application focused | GitHub Trending sprint; security-press coverage; strong analyst mindshare |
| XBOW | Commercial (closed cloud) | Proprietary · SaaS | Cloud (hosted) | Autonomous exploitation; 1,060 vulns / 22 CVEs reported | Web / bug-bounty targets | #1 US HackerOne leaderboard (Jun 2025); mainstream tech press |
| PentAGI | ≈24,600★ (vxcontrol/pentagi) | Open source · self-hosted Docker | Cloud LLM | Fully autonomous; no published remediation benchmark | General autonomous pentest | Large GitHub following; self-host community |
| PentestGPT | ≈15,500★ (GreyDGL/PentestGPT) | Open source | Cloud LLM | Interactive assistant (guides a human; not an autonomous executor) | General guidance | USENIX Security academic paper; 2023 first-mover |
| HexStrike AI | ≈11,900★ (0x4m4/hexstrike-ai) | Open source | Bring-your-own LLM via MCP | MCP server exposing 150+ tools to any LLM | Tool-runner breadth (any tool you wire in) | Security press after real-world abuse on Citrix CVEs; MCP ecosystem |
| VulnHuntr | ≈2,800★ (protectai/vulnhuntr) | Open source | Cloud LLM | Static analysis that finds real 0-days (no exploit execution) | Python source code (SAST-style) | Dark Reading, The Register, The Hacker News; real disclosed CVEs |
| Shannon | Commercial / research (Keygraph) | Proprietary | Cloud, white-box (reads your source) | Reports 96.15% (100/104) on the XBOW white-box validation set | Benchmark-set targets | Headline benchmark score |
| AISLE | Commercial | Proprietary | Not independently confirmed | Positioned as autonomous find-and-fix (public specifics unverified) | Not independently confirmed | Listed for completeness; we could not verify specifics |
S.05Being fairWhere competitors lead today
A comparison that only flatters itself is not worth reading. Here is where the field is genuinely ahead of us.
Commercial (closed cloud)
XBOW
A third-party-verified result (top of a public HackerOne leaderboard) that no self-published number can match.
≈24,600★ (vxcontrol/pentagi)
PentAGI
Far more stars and self-host visibility.
≈15,500★ (GreyDGL/PentestGPT)
PentestGPT
Academic legitimacy (a USENIX paper) and first-mover recognition.
≈11,900★ (0x4m4/hexstrike-ai)
HexStrike
MCP-native distribution and organic news pickup.
≈2,800★ (protectai/vulnhuntr)
VulnHuntr
Editorial reach far beyond its star count, on the back of real disclosed CVEs.
Commercial / research (Keygraph)
Shannon
A higher headline benchmark number (white-box).
S.06The wedgeWhat Darkmoon does that the leaders do not
Not more stars: a different set of guarantees.
The wedge
$darkmoon run --scope identity
→AS-REP roast · 3 accounts
→Kerberoast · svc_sql cracked
→NTLM relay → DCSync
✓Domain Admin, proven
Local-LLM + Privacy Gateway
Darkmoon can run entirely on a local model, and its Privacy Gateway means the model never sees your real IPs, hosts or credentials. Most high-star competitors call a cloud model.
The wedge
Attack surfaceexposure
Breadth in one open tool
Web, API, Active Directory & identity, Kubernetes, cloud, CI/CD, databases, IoT/firmware and LLM endpoints, several competitors specialise in one surface.
The wedge
FindingsCVSS
SQL injection9.8
SSRF to metadata9.1
Broken access control8.7
JWT signature bypass7.5
Path traversal6.9
Honest, reproducible proof
The 42/57 Pro remediation dossier and the black-box offensive benchmark publish their limits and invite you to reproduce or contest them.
The wedge in depth: self-hosted & sovereign environments.
S.07NextReproduce the numbers yourself
Darkmoon is open source. Clone it, point it at a lab you own, and read every line, the benchmarks invite you to contest them.