Dradis vs PwnDoc (2026)

PwnDoc gets you out of Word. It does not get you out of the manual-finding-entry loop for every scanner that is not Nmap or Nessus, the template ceiling when your client wants charts or cross-references, or the single-maintainer risk when your team depends on the tool daily.

If you found PwnDoc in a GitHub search and you are comparing it against Dradis before committing, this page lays out exactly where each tool wins, where each hits its limits, and when it matters.

Key Takeaways

  • PwnDoc is a legitimate open-source pentest reporting tool with 2,800+ GitHub stars, MIT license, and active maintenance, and it covers the core reporting workflow well for solo practitioners or two-person teams.
  • PwnDoc imports Nmap and Nessus port scan data only; Dradis integrates with 47 security tools including Burp Suite, full Nessus vulnerability data, OpenVAS, Qualys, and Nexpose.
  • PwnDoc's Word template engine is string substitution with looping; Dradis's reporting engine generates native charts, filter-driven severity sections, cross-reference links, and host-centric appendices from a single template.
  • PwnDoc's vulnerability database stores flat descriptions; Dradis's Issue Library adds per-entry states, revision history, custom tags, and Rules Engine integration that automatically substitutes your team's approved write-ups when scanners detect matching findings.
  • PwnDoc has no methodology system; Dradis ships OWASP, PTES, and HIPAA methodology templates with Kanban views, task assignment, and exportable compliance evidence.
  • PwnDoc is maintained by a solo developer with a community fork (pwndoc-ng) on a separate trajectory; Dradis has a unified roadmap backed by 19 years of continuous development under Security Roots.

Side-by-side summary

  Dradis PwnDoc
License Open-source core (GPLv2) + commercial Pro MIT
Deployment Self-hosted (on-prem, private cloud, air-gapped) Self-hosted (Docker Compose)
Scanner integrations 47 tools Nmap + Nessus port scan only
Reporting engine Purpose-built: charts, filters, cross-refs, multi-format Docx string substitution
Finding repository Issue Library with states, history, tags, Rules Engine Flat vulnerability database
Methodology support OWASP, PTES, HIPAA, custom; Kanban + export None
AI Echo (local Ollama, no external API, scoped permissions) None (third-party MCP server exists)
Multilingual findings Through Liquid fields Yes
Collaboration Multi-user with activity feed, comments, review workflow Multi-user (same-section editing not collision-safe)
Roadmap Unified direction under Security Roots, 19 years, commercial backing Solo maintainer + community fork (pwndoc-ng) on separate trajectory
Pricing (as of May 2026) CE: free; Pro: from $79/user/month Free

What PwnDoc does well

PwnDoc covers the core workflow: multi-user collaborative editing on audits, a shared vulnerability database for reusable finding descriptions, custom Docx template generation, CVSS scoring, and Nmap/Nessus port scan import. It runs as three Docker containers (Node.js backend, Vue.js frontend, MongoDB), installs with docker-compose up -d --build, and costs nothing.

Its multilingual support is a genuine differentiator. Vulnerability descriptions can be stored in multiple languages and rendered per-audit language setting. For European consultancies or teams working across language regions, this is a real capability that Dradis does not match natively.

For a solo practitioner or a two-person team doing occasional consultancy work without complex scanner requirements, PwnDoc gets the job done at zero cost with minimal setup burden.

Where the comparison changes: scanner integrations

PwnDoc imports Nmap and Nessus port scan data. That is its complete scanner integration surface.

Dradis integrates with 47 security tools: Burp Suite, Nessus (full vulnerability data, not just ports), OpenVAS, Qualys, Tenable, Nexpose, and dozens more. The Rules Engine can automatically merge, deduplicate, and replace scanner boilerplate with your team's approved write-ups from the Issue Library.

The practical consequence: if your team runs Burp Suite, Qualys, or any scanner besides Nmap and Nessus, PwnDoc means manual finding transcription for every one of those tools. For a solo practitioner running Nmap against a handful of hosts, this does not matter. For a team running a mixed scanner workflow across web app, infrastructure, and cloud assessments, it is the difference between automated import and copy-paste.

The reporting engine gap

This is the comparison that matters most in practice, because it is the hardest to see from a feature list and the most noticeable when you try to build a real client deliverable.

PwnDoc's templating works like most Docx generators: custom tags ({% raw %},vuln.title}}{% endraw %}, {% raw %}{{vuln.description}}{% endraw %}`) in a Word file, filled in at export. It is string substitution with looping. For a basic findings list, it works.

Dradis's reporting engine is not a Docx template filler. It is a purpose-built document generation engine with content controls that express complex reporting logic directly inside a Word template:

Capability Dradis PwnDoc
Native chart generation (bar, column, pie from live project data) Yes, since v4.3. Define chart visual in Word, data auto-populates from project. Details No. Any chart is static.
Filter and sort engine (AND/OR/NOT expressions with precedence) Yes. Severity-filtered sections, tag-scoped findings, open/closed separation, all from one template. Details No. Findings appear in entry order.
Cross-referencing (summary table links to finding detail sections) Yes, since v4.15. Uses Word's native Bookmark feature. Details No.
Issue / Node / Evidence hierarchy (host-centric or finding-centric reports from same data) Yes. Node control repeats per host; Issue control repeats per finding; Evidence control repeats per finding-host pair. No Node-level reporting.
ContentBlock controls (executive summary, appendices as independent content) Yes. Narrative sections written in Dradis flow into the correct template position. Details No. Narrative sections require manual Docx editing.
Methodology data in reports (task completion status, pass/fail audit trail) Yes. Filterable by list, exportable directly into Word. Details No methodology system.
Output formats Word (full engine), Excel (templated with formulas), CSV, HTML, PDF (via plugin). Excel details Docx only.

A Dradis report template handles a complete professional deliverable in a single export. Cover page populated from document properties, executive summary from ContentBlocks, severity-filtered finding sections, native charts showing finding distribution, summary table with cross-reference links, host-by-host appendix, and methodology compliance evidence. One template, any project.

PwnDoc can produce a findings list. For anything beyond that, the team is editing the Docx manually after export.

Bring your existing template

Dradis includes a sample-to-template guide for converting your current client-facing Word report. Teams do not redesign their deliverable; they instrument it. PwnDoc requires building from their template system.

See Dradis reporting in action — get started

Issue Library vs flat vulnerability database

Both tools have a shared finding repository. The difference is depth.

PwnDoc's vulnerability database stores descriptions that teams pull from. It works as a lookup table.

Dradis's Issue Library adds per-entry states (active, pending), revision history, custom tags, and deep Rules Engine integration. When Nessus detects a finding that matches an Issue Library entry, Dradis can automatically substitute the team's approved write-up, strip scanner boilerplate, and deduplicate across tools.

This is the compounding-knowledge difference made concrete. Two testers, same finding, same severity rating, same remediation language — every time, because they are both pulling from the same Issue Library entry that has been refined across dozens of engagements. PwnDoc's database stores descriptions. Dradis's Issue Library accumulates and enforces institutional knowledge.

Methodology and QA workflow

PwnDoc has no methodology or checklist system.

Dradis ships OWASP, PTES, HIPAA, and custom methodology templates with Kanban views, task assignment, and progress tracking. Methodology task completion status can be exported directly into the Word report, giving clients an audit trail of what was tested and what the result was.

For teams who need to prove methodology compliance to clients or pass audits, this is a gap PwnDoc cannot fill.

AI-assisted reporting

PwnDoc has no AI features. A third-party MCP server shipped in April 2026 (40 GitHub stars) because the community wants AI integration the tool itself does not provide. GitHub issue #640 ("AI-assisted report generation," February 2026) has one comment and no roadmap commitment.

Dradis Echo runs via Ollama on local infrastructure with scoped permissions. Findings never reach an external API, including Dradis's own. For teams evaluating AI-assisted reporting without cloud data exposure, this capability is available natively in Dradis and does not exist in PwnDoc.

Choosing a tool for the long term

When you pick a reporting tool, you are picking a codebase your team will depend on for years. Two things matter here: who maintains it and whether the project has a single direction.

PwnDoc is maintained by a solo developer (yeln4ts) with crypto donation buttons in the README. The maintenance has been consistent — v1.4.6 shipped April 23, 2026 — which is genuinely admirable. But the bus factor is one, and 114 open issues sit without a public roadmap.

The community felt this pressure early enough to fork. pwndoc-ng (452 GitHub stars, 112 forks) split from the main project to push development faster. As of May 2026, pwndoc-ng's last commit was October 2025 — over six months without activity. That leaves practitioners with a real question: which fork do you track? Which one gets the next security fix? Which one will the community consolidate around in two years? Neither project has answered this, and nobody outside the two maintainers can.

This is not a knock on either project. Fork fragmentation is a normal open-source dynamic. But for a tool your team relies on daily — one that holds client data, generates client deliverables, and integrates with your scanner workflow — the question is not "is it good today?" but "will it be maintained and moving in a single direction when I need the next feature or the next security patch?"

Dradis has a unified roadmap under Security Roots, with 19 years of continuous development, 1,171 teams across 75 countries, and a commercial revenue stream that funds sustained development. The open-source Community Edition has been included in Kali Linux, BackBox, and university curricula since 2009. One codebase, one direction, no fork ambiguity.

When PwnDoc is the right choice

Be honest about this: PwnDoc wins in specific situations.

  • Solo practitioner, occasional work, minimal scanner variety. If you run Nmap against a handful of hosts and your deliverable is a findings list in a Word doc, PwnDoc does the job at zero cost.
  • Multilingual reporting requirement. If your team delivers reports in multiple languages and needs finding descriptions stored per-language, PwnDoc has a native edge that Dradis does not match.
  • Budget is the only constraint and team size is 1-2. PwnDoc is free. Dradis CE is also free, but if PwnDoc's workflow fits, there is no reason to switch.

When you will outgrow PwnDoc

  • Your team runs more than Nmap and Nessus. The moment you add Burp Suite, Qualys, OpenVAS, or any other scanner, you are transcribing findings manually. That does not scale past a few engagements.
  • Your client deliverable needs more than a findings list. Severity-filtered sections, charts populated from live data, a summary table that hyperlinks to each finding, host-centric appendices — PwnDoc cannot generate these. You are building them in Word after export.
  • Your team is growing past 2-3 people. Consistency across testers requires more than a shared database. It requires a Rules Engine that enforces your approved write-ups automatically, methodology tracking that proves coverage, and a review workflow with activity feeds and revision history.
  • You need the tool to be there in three years. PwnDoc is a solo-maintainer project with no commercial backing. The community fork (pwndoc-ng) split to push development faster but has been inactive since October 2025. Two codebases, split community, no single roadmap owner. For a tool your team depends on daily, roadmap continuity matters.

Practical next steps

  • If you are evaluating PwnDoc right now: install it, run a test engagement, and see where the template ceiling hits. That is the fastest way to confirm whether the reporting engine gap matters for your workflow.
  • If you are already using PwnDoc and hitting limits: try Dradis Community Edition — it is free, self-hosted, and gives you the full reporting engine and integration depth to compare against.
  • If your team has 3+ testers or runs mixed scanner workflows: get started with Dradis to see how the Issue Library, Rules Engine, and reporting engine handle a real engagement.

Frequently asked questions

Is PwnDoc still actively maintained?

Yes. PwnDoc v1.4.6 shipped on April 23, 2026, and the maintainer has released regular updates. The project has 2,800+ GitHub stars and 504 forks. The maintenance risk is not abandonment — it is bus factor. PwnDoc is maintained by a single developer with no commercial entity behind it, and the community fork (pwndoc-ng) has been inactive since October 2025, leaving the ecosystem split between two codebases with no unified direction.

Can PwnDoc import Burp Suite or Qualys results?

No. PwnDoc imports Nmap and Nessus port scan data only. Burp Suite, Qualys, OpenVAS, Tenable, Nexpose, and other scanner results must be entered manually. Dradis integrates with 47 security tools and can automatically merge, deduplicate, and map scanner output to your team's approved finding descriptions.

Does PwnDoc support charts or cross-references in reports?

No. PwnDoc's report generation is Docx string substitution — it fills custom tags in a Word template. Charts, severity-filtered sections, summary tables with hyperlinks to findings, and host-centric appendices require manual post-export editing. Dradis generates all of these natively from a single template.

Is Dradis Community Edition free like PwnDoc?

Yes. Dradis Community Edition is free, open-source (GPLv2), and self-hosted. It includes the full reporting engine and scanner integrations. The limitation is one project at a time. Dradis Pro, which adds the Issue Library, Rules Engine, methodology tracking, and multi-project support, starts at $79/user/month (as of May 2026).

Can I migrate from PwnDoc to Dradis?

PwnDoc stores data in MongoDB and exports to Docx. There is no direct one-click migration path. However, PwnDoc's vulnerability database descriptions can be exported and reformatted for import into Dradis's Issue Library. Existing Word report templates will need to be rebuilt using Dradis's content control system — the sample-to-template guide walks through converting your existing deliverable format.

Your team runs more than Nmap and Nessus. See how Dradis handles your full scanner workflow. Get started with Dradis.