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Open source Passware Kit alternatives: 2 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Nov 8, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rank

2 of the 4 Passware Kit alternatives we track are open source. John the Ripper and Hashcat rank highest, with facts last verified Nov 8, 2026.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingVerified priceOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1John the Ripper logoJohn the RipperOpen source—YesWindows, macOS, Linux5 of 568.8
2Hashcat logoHashcatOpen source—YesWindows, macOS, Linux5 of 564.8
  1. John the Ripper logo

    1. John the RipperTop pick

    Best for: Security auditors and admins who need one cracker that handles almost any hash or encrypted file format

    Open sourceWindows, macOS, Linux

    68.8

    score / 100

    Why switch from Passware Kit

    Free and open source with scriptable rules and many hash formats, for those comfortable on the command line.

    Pros

    • Supports hundreds of hash and cipher types, including archives and disk images
    • *2john helper scripts extract hashes from files like ZIP, PDF and SSH keys
    • Free and open source, packaged by most Linux distributions
    • Runs on CPUs, GPUs and many operating systems

    Cons

    • Command-line only, with a learning curve for rules and modes
    • Official binary releases are old; the site recommends building from GitHub
    • Usually slower than Hashcat for GPU-heavy cracking of common hashes
    Visit John the Ripper Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.3100
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is John the Ripper a good Passware Kit alternative?

    Verified facts

    5 of 5 verified
    Open source
    Yes
    Checked Nov 8, 2026openwall.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Hash types
    Hundreds (jumbo)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026openwall.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Commercial edition
    John the Ripper Pro (Linux, macOS)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026openwall.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Cloud
    AWS image available
    Checked Nov 8, 2026openwall.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Development
    Active on GitHub
    Checked Oct 29, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
  2. Hashcat logo

    2. Hashcat

    Best for: Pentesters and forensic teams with GPUs who want the fastest hash cracking available

    Open sourceWindows, macOS, Linux

    64.8

    score / 100

    Why switch from Passware Kit

    Free GPU cracker with a vast list of hash modes, if you can extract hashes yourself.

    Pros

    • Very fast on GPUs across NVIDIA, AMD, Intel and Apple hardware
    • Over 720 hash modes and 10 attack modes, including rules and masks
    • Session restore, benchmarks and multi-device support built in
    • MIT-licensed and free

    Cons

    • Command-line only, with no official GUI
    • Needs vendor GPU drivers and runtimes such as CUDA or ROCm
    • Extracting hashes from files needs separate tools
    Visit Hashcat Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.387
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Hashcat a good Passware Kit alternative?

    Verified facts

    5 of 5 verified
    License
    MIT
    Checked Nov 8, 2026hashcat.net(opens source in a new tab)
    Platforms
    Linux, Windows, macOS
    Checked Nov 8, 2026hashcat.net(opens source in a new tab)
    Hash modes
    Over 720
    Checked Nov 8, 2026hashcat.net(opens source in a new tab)
    GPU backends
    CUDA, HIP, Metal, OpenCL
    Checked Nov 8, 2026hashcat.net(opens source in a new tab)
    Latest version
    8.0.0
    Checked Nov 8, 2026hashcat.net(opens source in a new tab)