Acunetix vs OWASP Zap comparison

Invicti and OWASP are both solutions in the Static Application Security Testing (SAST) category. Invicti is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.4, while OWASP is ranked #10 with an average rating of 8.0. Invicti holds a 3.1% mindshare in SAST, compared to OWASP’s 4.4% mindshare. Additionally, 86% of Invicti users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 88% of OWASP users who would recommend it.

Acunetix

Read 33 Acunetix reviews

5,895 Views
3,832 Comparison Views

86% willing to recommend

OWASP Zap

Read 41 OWASP Zap reviews

7,548 Views
6,944 Comparison Views

88% willing to recommend

Acunetix

OWASP Zap

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 2, 2025

Acunetix and OWASP Zap compete in the web application security tools category. Acunetix seems to have the upper hand due to its automated scanning, fewer false positives, and scalability.

Features: Acunetix offers automated scanning capabilities with low false positives, a user-friendly interface, and in-depth reporting formats such as PDF and HTML. It also provides scalability through integration with various platforms, making it versatile for different environments. OWASP Zap boasts open-source accessibility with a vibrant community, customizable security testing, and flexible integration with other open-source solutions, supporting multiple platforms like Mac, Linux, and Windows.

Room for Improvement: Acunetix could improve pricing and licensing clarity and enhance manual verification and mobile app testing capabilities. Additionally, refining its false-positive rates would be beneficial. OWASP Zap should improve its reporting formats and a more robust scan engine, as well as enhance its mobile application support and vulnerability range.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Acunetix offers flexible deployment options, including on-premises and cloud solutions, with 24/7 technical support, though users report some challenges with licensing clarity. OWASP Zap provides on-premises deployment and relies on community support, offering ticket-based support with reasonable response times.

Pricing and ROI: Acunetix is considered expensive, which may not suit all users but offers significant ROI through improved security. OWASP Zap is free and offers great value, with minimal financial investment required, highlighting its strong community support as a key advantage.

To learn more, read our detailed Acunetix vs. OWASP Zap Report (Updated: November 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Acunetix vs. OWASP Zap

November 2025

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Helped 873,003 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Acunetix

Ranking in Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

9th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Security Tools (14th), Vulnerability Management (25th), DevSecOps (6th)

OWASP Zap

Ranking in Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

10th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2025, in the Static Application Security Testing (SAST) category, the mindshare of Acunetix is 3.1%, down from 3.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of OWASP Zap is 4.4%, down from 4.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Static Application Security Testing (SAST) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Acunetix	3.1%
OWASP Zap	4.4%
Other	92.5%

Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

Featured Reviews

KashifJamil

CEO at Xcelliti

Has enabled teams to improve security testing with smooth integration and high accuracy

Acunetix has a very good ratio of fewer false positives, so users don't need to retest everything. Acunetix operates smoothly with no interruptions required, and it performs at 100% efficiency without issues in scanning anything. The solution is excellent at detecting SQL injection and cross-site scripting vulnerabilities. Acunetix integrates with every type of tool, including CI/CD tools, offering 100% integration in DevOps environments. The main benefit of Acunetix is that at the first level, users can address security issues related to penetration testing, allowing them to expose vulnerabilities and ensure all required testing is completed with very few false positives.

Read full review

Amit Beniwal

Project Manager at Al Hassan LLC

Simplifies vulnerability discovery and has high quality support

There are areas for improvement with OWASP Zap, particularly in the alignment of vulnerabilities concerning CVSS scores. Sometimes, a vulnerability initially categorized as high severity may be reduced to medium or low over time after security patches are applied. This alignment with the present severity score and CVSS score could be improved.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"Acunetix has an awesome crawler. It gives a referral site map of near targets and also goes really deep to find all the inputs without issues. This was valuable because it helped me find some files or directories, like web admin panels without authentication, which were hidden."

"There is a lot of documentation on their website which makes setting it up and using it quite simple."

"The most important feature is that it's a web-based graphical user interface. That is a great addition. Also, the ability to schedule scans is great."

"I haven't seen reporting of that level in any other tool."

"The solution is excellent at detecting SQL injection and cross-site scripting vulnerabilities."

"It's very user-friendly for the testing teams. It's very easy for them to understand things and to fix vulnerabilities."

"One of the features that I feel is groundbreaking, that I would like to see expanded on, is the IAS feature: The Interactive Application Security Testing module that gets loaded onto an application on a server, for more in-depth, granular findings. I think that is really neat. I haven't seen a lot of competitors doing that."

"For us, the most valuable aspect of the solution is the log-sequence feature."

More Acunetix pros

"One valuable feature of OWASP Zap is that it is simple to use."

"It can be used effectively for internal auditing."

"The solution is scalable."

"It updates repositories and libraries quickly."

"Automatic scanning is a valuable feature and very easy to use."

"The scalability of this product is very good."

"The reporting is quite intuitive, which gives you a clear indication of what kind of vulnerability you have that you can drill down on to gather more information."

"The HUD is a good feature that provides on-site testing and saves a lot of time."

More OWASP Zap pros

Cons

"The solution's pricing could be better."

"In terms of what needs improvement, the way the licensing model is currently is not very convenient for us because initially, when we bought it, the licensing model was very flexible, but now it restricts us."

"There was an issue related to updates from the internet."

"The solution is generally stable, however, there might be room for improvement regarding glitches or bugs."

"There are some versions of the solution that are not as stable as others."

"Acunetix needs to be dynamic with JavaScript code, unlike Netsparker which can scan complex agents."

"Acunetix should improve by further reducing false positives and providing more customized reports, plus better integration with newer tools such as GitHub and Azure DevOps."

"I rate its stability six out of ten."

More Acunetix cons

"The solution is unable to customize reports."

"OWASP should work on reducing false positives by using AI and ML algorithms."

"Zap could improve by providing better reports for security and recommendations for the vulnerabilities."

"There isn't too much information about it online."

"There are areas for improvement with OWASP Zap, particularly in the alignment of vulnerabilities concerning CVSS scores."

"Deployment is somewhat complicated."

"There are too many false positives."

"It would be ideal if I could try some pre-built deployment scenarios so that I don't have to worry about whether the configuration sector team is doing it right or wrong. That would be very helpful."

More OWASP Zap cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing and licensing are reasonable to a point. In order to run multiple scans at a time, we are going to have to purchase a 100 count license, which is an overkill. Though, compared to what we were paying for, the cost seems reasonable."

"The cost is based on two types of licenses, ConsultLite, and ConsultPlus, as well as the number of domains that are scanned."

"Acunetix was around the same price as all the other vendors we looked at, nothing special."

"The costs aren't very expensive. It costs around $3000 or $4000."

"Implementing Acunetix needs a medium or larger business agency, because you need some money to get Acunetix. It is costly, but if you care about your agency's security, then maybe it's a cost that might help you in the future."

"I would say that Acunetix is expensive because there are products on the market with similar features that are equally or better-priced."

"When we looked at all other vendors and what they were asking for, to provide a third of what Acunetix was capable of doing, it was an easy decision... But now that it's coming to a cost where it's line with market value, it becomes more of a competition... Acunetix is raising the cost of licensing. It's 3.5 times what we were initially quoted."

"It is a bit expensive. If you need to check five applications, you have to pay almost 14,000. It is an agreement for two years at 7,000 per year for only five applications. You cannot change the applications in the license. So, you are stuck with the same license for the five applications for one full year."

More Acunetix pricing and cost advice

"The tool is open-source."

"We have used the freeware version. I believe Zap only has freeware."

"It's free and open, currently under the Apache 2 license. If ZAP does what you need it to do, selling a free solution is a very easy."

"It is open source, and we can scan freely."

"It is highly recommended as it is an open source tool."

"It's free. It's good for us because we don't know what the extent of our use will be yet. It's good to start with something free and easy to use."

"The solution’s pricing is high."

"The tool is open source."

More OWASP Zap pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

16%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

University

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

10%

University

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	15
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	14

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	10
Midsize Enterprise	11
Large Enterprise	21

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Acunetix Vulnerability Scanner?

The tool's most valuable feature is scan configurations. We use it for external physical applications. The scanning time depends on the application's code.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Acunetix Vulnerability Scanner?

The primary use case for Acunetix Vulnerability Scanner is automated scanning and detection of security vulnerabilities in web applications, websites, and APIs.

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Acunetix Vulnerability Scanner?

Acunetix supports multi-user environments effectively. Acunetix is targeted for small to mid-size teams in a DevSecOps environment, making it the best choice for small and mid-size companies, offer...

See all answers

Is OWASP Zap better than PortSwigger Burp Suite Pro?

OWASP Zap and PortSwigger Burp Suite Pro have many similar features. OWASP Zap has web application scanning available with basic security vulnerabilities while Burp Suite Pro has it available with ...

See all answers

What do you like most about OWASP Zap?

The best feature is the Zap HUD (Heads Up Display) because the customers can use the website normally. If we scan websites with automatic scanning, and the website has a web application firewall, i...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for OWASP Zap?

OWASP might be cost-effective, however, people prefer to use the free edition available as open source.

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 8% of the time

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Compared 7% of the time

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Compared 7% of the time

SonarQube vs Acunetix

Compared 6% of the time

Veracode vs Acunetix

Compared 5% of the time

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SonarQube vs OWASP Zap

Compared 20% of the time

Checkmarx One vs OWASP Zap

Compared 9% of the time

Veracode vs OWASP Zap

Compared 9% of the time

Qualys Web Application Scanning vs OWASP Zap

Compared 9% of the time

PortSwigger Burp Suite Professional vs OWASP Zap

Compared 5% of the time

More OWASP Zap Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Acunetix

November 2025

Download Acunetix product report

Buyer's Guide

OWASP Zap

October 2025

Download OWASP Zap product report

Also Known As

AcuSensor

No data available

Overview

Acunetix Web Vulnerability Scanner is an automated web application security testing tool that audits your web applications by checking for vulnerabilities like SQL Injection, Cross site scripting, and other exploitable vulnerabilities.

Invicti

OWASP Zap is a free and open-source web application security scanner.

The solution helps developers identify vulnerabilities in their web applications by actively scanning for common security issues.

With its user-friendly interface and powerful features, Zap is a popular choice among developers for ensuring the security of their web applications.

OWASP

Sample Customers

Joomla!, Digicure, Team Random, Credit Suisse, Samsung, Air New Zealand

1. Google 2. Microsoft 3. IBM 4. Amazon 5. Facebook 6. Twitter 7. LinkedIn 8. Netflix 9. Adobe 10. PayPal 11. Salesforce 12. Cisco 13. Oracle 14. Intel 15. HP 16. Dell 17. VMware 18. Symantec 19. McAfee 20. Citrix 21. Red Hat 22. Juniper Networks 23. SAP 24. Accenture 25. Deloitte 26. Ernst & Young 27. PwC 28. KPMG 29. Capgemini 30. Infosys 31. Wipro 32. TCS

Buyer's Guide

Acunetix vs. OWASP Zap

November 2025

Free Report: Acunetix vs. OWASP Zap

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