PayloadsAllTheThings vs SecLists
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
A community-maintained collection of web security attack payloads and filter bypass examples, organized by vul
Open source · MIT
A large collection of security testing word lists, such as usernames, passwords, and attack payloads, in one r
Our verdict
PayloadsAllTheThings is a reference of attack examples organized by vulnerability type, read as Markdown, so it suits people studying a specific weakness or looking for alternative payload syntax. SecLists is a downloadable library of raw text lists such as usernames, passwords, and fuzzing payloads, built to be fed into separate testing tools. They overlap on attack payloads but serve different steps: one explains how a vulnerability is exploited, the other supplies bulk input files for tools to use.
Pick PayloadsAllTheThings if you want to learn how a web vulnerability works or need a quick reference of payload variations for one vulnerability class.
Pick SecLists if you need large standard wordlists for password, directory, or fuzzing work and already have a tool that reads them.
| Key difference | PayloadsAllTheThings | SecLists |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Markdown reference documents, one folder per vulnerability topic | Downloadable collection of text files called lists |
| Best at | Explaining how a specific web vulnerability is exploited and bypassed | Supplying many standard wordlists in one place |
| Does it run tests? | No, you read or copy payloads; it is not a scanner | No, it is text files only and needs a separate tool to use them |
| Download size | Text-based collection; no size figure given in the material | Large; README cites about 9 minutes to clone at 50 Mb/s |
| Good for beginners? | Not ideal for beginners; it is a reference, not a course | Learning resource for students, but its value depends on having a tool to use it |
Written with AI from both products' catalogue entries · updated 2026-10-29
Who each one is for
Choose PayloadsAllTheThings if you need…
- Penetration testers who want a quick reference of payload variations for a known vulnerability class
- Students learning how common web vulnerabilities are exploited
- CTF players looking for alternative payload syntax when a standard one is blocked
- Security engineers building test cases for input filters or web application firewalls
Choose SecLists if you need…
- Penetration testers who need standard lists for password or directory guessing
- Security students learning how assessments use wordlists
- Bug bounty hunters setting up a new testing machine
- Anyone running fuzzing tools that read wordlist files
Side-by-side
| PayloadsAllTheThings | SecLists | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Curated list | Learning resource |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 82.3k | 74.5k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Beginner |
| How you get it | Clone and build from source | Clone and build from source |
| Main language | Python | PHP |
| Last code update | 6 days ago | 4 days ago |
What each one is
PayloadsAllTheThings
PayloadsAllTheThings is a large set of Markdown documents, one folder per vulnerability topic, that list example payloads and techniques for bypassing protections in web applications. Each section describes a vulnerability, how it can be exploited, and sample inputs, and some sections include files for Burp Intruder. It is mainly a reference that security testers and learners consult while working on web security tasks.
SecLists
SecLists is a downloadable collection of text files (called lists) that security testers use during assessments. It includes lists of usernames, passwords, URLs, sensitive data patterns, fuzzing payloads, and web shells. The stated goal is that a tester can clone this one repository onto a new machine and have every common list type available.
Best for
PayloadsAllTheThings
- Penetration testers who want a quick reference of payload variations for a known vulnerability class
- Students learning how common web vulnerabilities are exploited
- CTF players looking for alternative payload syntax when a standard one is blocked
- Security engineers building test cases for input filters or web application firewalls
SecLists
- Penetration testers who need standard lists for password or directory guessing
- Security students learning how assessments use wordlists
- Bug bounty hunters setting up a new testing machine
- Anyone running fuzzing tools that read wordlist files
Strengths
PayloadsAllTheThings
- Broad, long-running collection with a consistent per-topic structure of README, Intruder, Images, and Files
- Very popular, with a large contributor base and an active repository
- Free and open source under the MIT license
SecLists
- Many list types gathered in one place, reducing the need to hunt for them separately
- Maintained by several named people and updated over time (latest release 2026.2)
- Licensed under MIT, and installable through Kali Linux and BlackArch packages
Not ideal for
PayloadsAllTheThings
- Complete beginners who need step-by-step guided lessons, since the README is a reference list rather than a course
- Anyone looking for an automated scanner, because the project provides payloads to read or copy, not a tool that runs tests
- People testing systems they do not have permission to test, since the payloads are offensive material
SecLists
- People looking for a program or application to run; this is a set of text files, not a tool (README describes it as lists)
- Anyone who should not store attack payloads on important systems; the README warns that storing these files on a server or important system carries a risk of local file include attacks
- Users who want a single small file; the full repository is large (the README cites roughly 9 minutes to clone at 50 Mb/s)
Trade-offs
PayloadsAllTheThings
- It is a collection of text and files, not software, so it does not test anything on its own and has no release binaries
- Quality and depth vary by section, and the README provided here is truncated so not every section could be assessed
- Payloads are offensive material, so responsible use and authorization are the user's responsibility
SecLists
- Downloading the repository can trigger antivirus false-positive alarms, according to the README
- Large download size, and full history clone takes longer than a shallow clone
- Lists are only useful with a separate tool that reads them; the README does not describe any built-in testing function
Getting started
PayloadsAllTheThings
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/swisskyrepo/PayloadsAllTheThingsSecLists
Shallow git clone (no commit history, faster)
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/danielmiessler/SecLists.gitFull git clone with history
git clone https://github.com/danielmiessler/SecLists.gitFrequently asked questions
Should I use PayloadsAllTheThings or SecLists?
PayloadsAllTheThings is a reference of attack examples organized by vulnerability type, read as Markdown, so it suits people studying a specific weakness or looking for alternative payload syntax. SecLists is a downloadable library of raw text lists such as usernames, passwords, and fuzzing payloads, built to be fed into separate testing tools. They overlap on attack payloads but serve different steps: one explains how a vulnerability is exploited, the other supplies bulk input files for tools to use. Pick PayloadsAllTheThings if you want to learn how a web vulnerability works or need a quick reference of payload variations for one vulnerability class. Pick SecLists if you need large standard wordlists for password, directory, or fuzzing work and already have a tool that reads them.
What is the difference between PayloadsAllTheThings and SecLists?
PayloadsAllTheThings: A community-maintained collection of web security attack payloads and filter bypass examples, organized by vul. SecLists: A large collection of security testing word lists, such as usernames, passwords, and attack payloads, in one r. PayloadsAllTheThings suits penetration testers who want a quick reference of payload variations for a known vulnerability class, while SecLists suits penetration testers who need standard lists for password or directory guessing.
Are PayloadsAllTheThings and SecLists free?
PayloadsAllTheThings: Free and open source. SecLists: Free and open source.
Is PayloadsAllTheThings or SecLists more popular?
PayloadsAllTheThings has more GitHub stars (82.3k) than SecLists (74.5k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.