Wapiti vs Medusa: Which Kali Linux Tools tool is Best in 2025?

Wapiti, pre-installed in Kali Linux, is an open-source web application vulnerability scanner designed for black-box security testing of web applications. Written in Python, it crawls websites to identify scripts and forms, injecting payloads to detect vulnerabilities such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), file disclosure, command execution, XML external entity (XXE) injection, CRLF injection, and server-side request forgery (SSRF). Wapiti leverages a Nikto database to search for dangerous files and supports authentication, proxies, Tor, and customizable scan scopes (e.g., page, folder, domain). Its lightweight 1.54 MB footprint and modular design make it ideal for penetration testers and security auditors.

Medusa is a powerful open-source password cracker pre-installed in Kali Linux (version 2.3~rc1), crafted for cybersecurity professionals and penetration testers. This parallelized login brute-forcer for security audits targets numerous network services, making it a leading network password-cracking tool for ethical hacking. With an 803 KB footprint and a modular architecture, Medusa streamlines credential attacks, empowering testers to identify weak passwords and secure systems effectively.