OSI-licensed only · self-hostable
Maltego is a proprietary OSINT and link-analysis tool: you run "transforms" that pull data about people, domains and infrastructure, then explore the results as a graph. The open-source options split that job into pieces, with automation tools gathering data and a graph tool for exploring it.
Every tool below is under an OSI-approved licence (MIT, Apache-2.0 or GPL-3.0), checked against its repository. theHarvester is a well-known OSINT tool that we left out because its licence was not shown on the repository page we checked. Use these tools only on targets you are authorised to investigate.
Licences checked against each repository on November 7, 2026.
| Tool | Best for | Licence | Runs as |
|---|---|---|---|
| SpiderFoot | Automated OSINT collection | MIT | Desktop + server |
| Recon-ng | Scripted reconnaissance in a console | GPL-3.0 | Desktop app |
| Amass | Attack-surface mapping and asset discovery | Apache-2.0 | Desktop app |
| Maigret | Building a profile from a username | MIT | Desktop app |
| Sherlock | Fast username search across social networks | MIT | Desktop app |
| Gephi | Visualising and exploring link graphs | GPL-3.0 | Desktop app |
| web-check | Quick OSINT on a single website | MIT | Docker |
Best for: Automated OSINT collection
An OSINT automation tool that runs many data-gathering modules against a target and collects the results in one place.
Best for: Scripted reconnaissance in a console
A full-featured reconnaissance framework with a Metasploit-style environment for gathering publicly available web data.
Best for: Attack-surface mapping and asset discovery
Performs network mapping of attack surfaces and external asset discovery using open-source intelligence gathering and active reconnaissance.
Best for: Building a profile from a username
Builds a profile of a person from a username by checking many sites for matching accounts and collecting available information.
Best for: Fast username search across social networks
Hunts down social media accounts by username across 400+ social networks.
Best for: Visualising and exploring link graphs
An open-source platform for visualising and manipulating large graphs. The main source is dual licensed under CDDL 1.0 and GPL v3.
Best for: Quick OSINT on a single website
Comprehensive, on-demand open source intelligence for any website, covering IP details, SSL certificates, DNS records, HTTP headers and detected technologies.
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| If you need… | Start with |
|---|---|
| Automated multi-source OSINT scans | SpiderFoot |
| Metasploit-style recon workflow | Recon-ng |
| Mapping a company's external assets | Amass |
| Tracking a username across the web | Maigret or Sherlock |
| Visualising relationships as a graph | Gephi |
| A quick look at one website | web-check |
Quick answers to common questions
No single project replicates Maltego's integrated graph and transforms. SpiderFoot is the closest for automated collection, and Gephi can handle the graph side.
No. Maltego is proprietary software, although it offers a free Community edition with limits.
Gephi is built for graph visualisation, and you can feed it exported data from collection tools. The collection tools themselves mostly output lists or reports.
Maigret and Sherlock both search sites by username; Maigret also collects information from the profiles it finds.
They query public sources, but legality depends on your target, jurisdiction and purpose. Only investigate targets you are authorised to look into.
List it on TechLogHub and we'll review it for this page.
