h4cker 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 large curated collection of cybersecurity links, scripts, labs and training notes.
Open source · MIT
A large collection of security testing word lists, such as usernames, passwords, and attack payloads, in one r
The short answer
Choose h4cker if you need…
- Students looking for a structured starting point in cybersecurity
- Security learners who want to find resources by topic
- Certification candidates looking for study references
- Instructors who want curated material to point students to
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
| h4cker | SecLists | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Curated list | Learning resource |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 30k | 74.5k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Beginner |
| How you get it | Clone and build from source | Clone and build from source |
| Main language | Jupyter Notebook | PHP |
| Last code update | 14 days ago | 4 days ago |
What each one is
h4cker
This is a large GitHub repository of cybersecurity references, scripts, tools, labs and training material maintained by Omar Santos. It is organized into folders for topics such as offensive and defensive security, cloud and container security, AI security, and certification study resources. It is described as supplemental material for Santos's books, video courses and live training.
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
h4cker
- Students looking for a structured starting point in cybersecurity
- Security learners who want to find resources by topic
- Certification candidates looking for study references
- Instructors who want curated material to point students to
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
h4cker
- Broad coverage across many security domains in one place
- Organized into folders with a clear directory overview in the README
- Licensed under MIT, so it is free to use and reuse under those terms
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
h4cker
- People who need a single installable tool, since this is a collection rather than software (the README describes it as references, scripts, and labs)
- Readers wanting vetted, up-to-date guidance on every linked item, since the README does not describe a verification process for each resource
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
h4cker
- Its size can make it hard to know where to start without guidance
- The README is truncated here, so specific contents and currency of each item could not be verified
- Being a link collection, it provides no installed functionality of its own
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
h4cker
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/The-Art-of-Hacking/h4ckerSecLists
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
What is the difference between h4cker and SecLists?
h4cker: A large curated collection of cybersecurity links, scripts, labs and training notes. SecLists: A large collection of security testing word lists, such as usernames, passwords, and attack payloads, in one r. h4cker suits students looking for a structured starting point in cybersecurity, while SecLists suits penetration testers who need standard lists for password or directory guessing.
Are h4cker and SecLists free?
h4cker: Free and open source. SecLists: Free and open source.
Is h4cker or SecLists more popular?
SecLists has more GitHub stars (74.5k) than h4cker (30k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to h4cker and SecLists?
Other options people compare them with include Awesome Security, awesome-hacking, PayloadsAllTheThings.
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.