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Hydra vs Kerbrute: catalog facts
Hydra	Kerbrute
Best for: Network logon testing tool that checks credentials across many protocols	Best for: Enumerates Active Directory usernames and tests passwords through Kerberos
Free The software is free under its open-source licence. Hosting, hardware and external services are separate.	Free The software is free under its open-source licence. Hosting, hardware and external services are separate.
macOS, Linux, Command line	Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line
It covers an unusually wide range of services in one tool, from SSH and RDP to database and… Full strengths for Hydra It covers an unusually wide range of services in one tool, from SSH and RDP to database and web form logins, with parallel connections.	Kerberos pre-authentication failures do not raise the usual failed-logon event, and a single UDP frame validates a… Full strengths for Kerbrute Kerberos pre-authentication failures do not raise the usual failed-logon event, and a single UDP frame validates a username, which makes it fast.
Credential testing against systems you do not own is illegal, and its traffic is loud enough to trigger… Full limitations for Hydra Credential testing against systems you do not own is illegal, and its traffic is loud enough to trigger lockouts and alerts.	It is strictly an authorised-testing tool, and password spraying still risks locking out real accounts.
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: AGPL-3.0	License: Apache-2.0
Not stated if an account is needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Hydra github.com/vanhauser-thc/thc-hydra Catalog checked September 22, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Kerbrute github.com/ropnop/kerbrute Catalog checked September 22, 2026

“Not stated” means we have not confirmed it. Features can vary by device and plan.