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Head-to-head · Recon automation

SpiderFoot vs Recon-ng

SpiderFoot runs a scan and correlates for you. Recon-ng gives you a console, modules, and a database, and expects you to drive.

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SpiderFoot and Recon-ng are both open-source recon frameworks with pluggable modules and vendor API keys, which is why they get compared. The feel is very different. SpiderFoot is point-and-scan with a web UI and automatic correlation. Recon-ng is a console framework in the Metasploit style, where you load modules, set options, run them, and query the results database. Automation versus control.

Pick SpiderFoot when you want a wide sweep with correlation and a web UI. Pick Recon-ng when you want a scriptable console you steer module by module.

What each is best for

OSINT platform
SpiderFoot
  • Unattended broad scans with correlation and a graph view
  • Analysts who prefer a web UI
  • Attack-surface and exposure sweeps on a schedule
Open source
Recon-ng
  • Penetration testers used to Metasploit-style consoles
  • Precise, repeatable module runs with a workspace database
  • Scripting recon into larger engagements

SpiderFoot vs Recon-ng, side by side

Structural differences and access models. No invented list prices for either tool.

SpiderFoot vs Recon-ng comparison
 SpiderFootRecon-ng
InterfaceWeb UI and CLI.Interactive console with workspaces.
WorkflowChoose a target and modules, run, read correlated results.Load a module, set options, run, query the database, repeat.
CorrelationBuilt-in correlation rules and a graph view.Relational tables you query and report from.
ModulesOver a hundred, many keyed to vendor APIs.Marketplace of modules, many keyed to vendor APIs.
CostFree to self-host; hosted edition from the vendor.Free and open source.

Where OSINTverse fits

  • Both need you to hold a key with every vendor. SearchIn already holds the relationships and charges per lookup, so one wallet covers Shodan, SecurityTrails, WhoisXML, Whoxy, BuiltWith, and Hunter.io on a domain.
  • The OSINTOne API is a single POST /v1/search to drop into either framework's module model or your own scripts.
  • otinstaller puts both tools on a Linux box by name.
OSINTverse vs SpiderFootOSINTverse vs Recon-ng

More head-to-head comparisons

Maltego vs SpiderFoot
Maltego is a graph you drive by hand, Transform by Transform. SpiderFoot is a scan you point at a target and read afterwards.

FAQ

SpiderFoot vs Recon-ng, answered

Which is easier to learn?

SpiderFoot. The web UI and automatic correlation hide most of the complexity. Recon-ng rewards people already comfortable with a Metasploit-style console.

Do I need both?

Rarely. Choose by working style. Both pull from similar vendor APIs once you add keys, and both can be fed from SearchIn exports.

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