Maigret vs Sherlock
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
Searches for a username across thousands of websites to gather public account info.
Open source · MIT
Command-line tool that checks many social networks for a given username.
The short answer
Choose Maigret if you need…
- Investigators and analysts doing OSINT research on a username
- Security researchers mapping where a handle is used online
- Developers who want to embed username lookups in Python projects
- People who want a web UI or HTML/PDF report from a username search
Choose Sherlock if you need…
- Security researchers doing authorized open-source intelligence work
- Penetration testers checking username exposure during an approved engagement
- Developers comfortable running Python command-line tools
- People checking whether their own usernames are used across sites
Side-by-side
| Maigret | Sherlock | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | App | CLI |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 39.6k | 95.4k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Clone and build from source |
| Main language | Python | Python |
| Last code update | 4 days ago | 4 days ago |
What each one is
Maigret
Maigret takes a username and checks whether accounts with that name exist on a large list of websites, then collects whatever public information it can from those profile pages. It produces reports in several formats and can also run from Python code. Its main use is open-source intelligence (OSINT) research into a person's online footprint.
Sherlock
Sherlock is a command-line program written in Python that searches a list of social media and websites to see whether a particular username is registered on each one. It reports which sites have a matching account so you can find someone's public profiles quickly. The project is popular in open-source security and investigation circles, and its topics describe it as an OSINT (open-source intelligence) tool.
Best for
Maigret
- Investigators and analysts doing OSINT research on a username
- Security researchers mapping where a handle is used online
- Developers who want to embed username lookups in Python projects
- People who want a web UI or HTML/PDF report from a username search
Sherlock
- Security researchers doing authorized open-source intelligence work
- Penetration testers checking username exposure during an approved engagement
- Developers comfortable running Python command-line tools
- People checking whether their own usernames are used across sites
Strengths
Maigret
- Covers a very large number of sites (README cites 5,900)
- No API keys required, according to the README
- Offers CLI, Python library, web interface, and Windows standalone options
Sherlock
- Free and MIT-licensed, so it can be used and modified freely
- Simple command-line interface built on Python
- Very widely starred and actively maintained, with a recent push to the repository
Not ideal for
Maigret
- Anyone wanting to look up someone without a legitimate purpose, since it is built to profile people by username
- Users needing guaranteed complete results, because a default run checks only the 500 highest-ranked sites
- People who cannot install Python or run a command line, unless they use the Windows exe or a web option
Sherlock
- Anyone wanting to track or profile a person without their consent, since the tool exists to surface accounts tied to a username
- Non-technical users, because it is run from a terminal and the README gave no graphical interface
- Users needing guaranteed accurate results, since username matches can belong to different people
Trade-offs
Maigret
- Results depend on site availability and blocking, and the README says bypass is only partial
- Using it to profile people raises privacy and ethical concerns that users must consider themselves
- Some features like AI analysis and the auto-updated database depend on network access
Sherlock
- Results depend on the site list and can include false positives or missed sites
- Only checks usernames, not full identities, so matches need manual verification
- Requires a terminal and some Python setup
Getting started
Maigret
Install from PyPI
pip install maigretRun a search
maigret YOUR_USERNAMESherlock
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/sherlock-project/sherlock.gitFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Maigret and Sherlock?
Maigret: Searches for a username across thousands of websites to gather public account info. Sherlock: Command-line tool that checks many social networks for a given username. Maigret suits investigators and analysts doing osint research on a username, while Sherlock suits security researchers doing authorized open-source intelligence work.
Are Maigret and Sherlock free?
Maigret: Free and open source. Sherlock: Free and open source.
Is Maigret or Sherlock more popular?
Sherlock has more GitHub stars (95.4k) than Maigret (39.6k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to Maigret and Sherlock?
Other options people compare them with include SpiderFoot, subfinder, httpx.
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.