Top 10 Security Testing Tools

Aikido is a code-to-cloud security testing platform for engineering teams that want SAST, DAST, SCA, cloud posture management, and IaC scanning in one place. The pitch is consolidation: fewer tools, one dashboard, less context-switching.

One Platform for the Whole Attack Surface

Aikido pulls together static analysis, dynamic testing, software composition analysis, and cloud configuration checks under a single pane. We found the DAST capability particularly well-developed: it scans web apps and APIs daily, covers OWASP Top 10, auto-discovers REST and GraphQL endpoints, and supports authenticated testing without requiring code access.

Aikido assigns each finding a score out of 100, with a plain-language summary and fix guidance attached. Critical issues surface first. Your teams work through the highest-risk items without manual triage.

What Customers Are Saying

Customers say the signal-to-noise ratio is one of Aikido’s real strengths. Teams flag that it surfaces actionable findings rather than flooding queues with false positives. The free tier earns consistent praise for delivering real value, not just a demo.

Users have flagged that advanced customization and reporting options are limited for larger or highly regulated environments. Granular policy tuning and historical trend analysis are areas where the platform has room to grow.

Right-Sized for Agile Teams

We think Aikido is a strong fit for SMB and mid-market teams that need code-to-cloud coverage without the overhead of enterprise toolchains. If your security program is maturing and you want unified visibility, this is worth a close look.

For large enterprises with complex compliance requirements or deep policy tuning needs, weigh the reporting limitations carefully. For everyone else, the consolidation story is compelling.

SonarQube is a SAST-first code security and quality platform built to run inside your CI/CD pipeline. With over 7 million developers across on-prem and cloud deployments, it’s the default choice for static analysis in DevSecOps programs.

Quality Gates That Block Bad Code at the Source

SonarQube’s Quality Gate is where the real value lives. It integrates with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and Azure DevOps, blocking deployments automatically when critical issues surface. We saw the dependency-aware SAST (taint analysis) flag vulnerabilities that standard SAST misses, tracking data flows across your application code and third-party libraries.

The AI CodeFix feature generates one-click remediation suggestions directly against flagged findings. SonarQube also flags and assures AI-generated code against your quality standards, which matters if your developers are regularly shipping code they didn’t fully write themselves.

What Customers Are Saying

Customers say the Quality Gate model becomes load-bearing over time. Teams with years of use describe it as infrastructure, not just tooling. The actionable fix guidance earns consistent praise: developers understand what to fix, not just that something is broken.

Users have flagged that first scans on legacy codebases surface an overwhelming volume of findings. Rule tuning takes real time, and false positives require manual suppression. Customers also note that scan performance slows on large projects with many active rules enabled.

The Default Call for DevSecOps Teams

We think SonarQube is the right call for teams that need enforced quality gates, strong SAST, and compliance reporting across OWASP, NIST, and CWE. A free Community Build covers the basics; your enterprise teams will need paid tiers for SSO, audit logs, and branch analysis.

If your environment is primarily legacy code, plan for a phased rollout. Once tuned, it delivers strong, consistent signal.

Astra’s Pentest Platform combines automated scanning with manual penetration testing, targeting web apps, APIs, PWAs, and SPAs. It sits in the middle of the market: more guided than a pure scanner, lighter than a full red team engagement.

8,000 Tests, Authenticated Scanning, and Compliance Coverage

The scanner runs over 8,000 tests and covers authenticated surfaces via a browser extension that records login flows. We found this approach practical for teams worried about vulnerabilities hidden behind login screens. Compliance checks for ISO 27001, HIPAA, SOC2, and GDPR run alongside standard scanning, reducing the need for separate audit tooling.

Astra builds in PWA and SPA coverage. For teams shipping modern JavaScript-heavy apps where vulnerabilities hide in client-side rendering, that distinction matters.

What Customers Are Saying

Customers say the dashboard makes triage straightforward, and the collaborative remediation approach stands out. The support team earns specific praise for helping harden infrastructure broadly, not just chasing individual ticket closures. That’s a meaningfully different experience from a pure scan-and-report model.

Users have flagged some friction points. Retest scope gets unclear when distinguishing a reopened finding from a new surface. Remediation guidance is text-based, and customers with less experienced teams would benefit from visual walkthroughs. Automated reminders for remediation timelines are missing.

A Practical Option for Teams Preparing for Compliance Certification

We think Astra fits teams that want a structured pentest process with ongoing support, not just a report to file. If your team needs external validation with clear findings ahead of a compliance audit, this is worth evaluating.

Manual retest runs are limited, so plan your scope carefully before kickoff. The automated and manual combination delivers real coverage once configured correctly.

Cobalt Strike is an adversary simulation platform for red team operations and advanced pentesting. It replicates the long-dwell, stealthy behaviors of sophisticated threat actors inside enterprise networks.

Beacon, Shared Operations, and a Customizable Framework

The Beacon payload is the core of Cobalt Strike’s capability. It acts as a post-exploitation agent designed to maintain persistent access while evading detection, giving red teams a realistic simulation of an APT operating inside your environment. We found the shared team server model a strong fit for collaborative engagements where multiple operators need to document and coordinate post-exploitation activity in real time.

The platform supports script customization and community-built extensions via the Community Kit. Teams can tailor built-in capabilities or develop their own, keeping simulations current as threat actor techniques evolve.

What Customers Are Saying

Customer feedback on Cobalt Strike is limited in our dataset. From what we have, Beacon functionality earns consistent praise from red teamers, and the built-in modules cover a full range of post-exploitation scenarios across the attack lifecycle.

Customers say pricing is a significant consideration, particularly for non-US teams. The cost reflects the platform’s enterprise positioning, but it places Cobalt Strike out of reach for smaller security teams or those operating on restricted budgets outside the US market.

Built for Established Red Teams

We think Cobalt Strike is the right call for mature red teams running structured adversary simulation programs. If your organization needs credible APT emulation against enterprise environments, this is built for that purpose.

For teams earlier in their red team program, the cost and operational complexity are harder to justify. The capability is substantial; the question is whether your program is ready to fully use it.

Invicti is a DAST and IAST platform for continuous web application security testing across enterprise environments. It covers web apps, services, and APIs regardless of tech stack, and runs with minimal manual intervention once configured.

Proof-Based Scanning and SDLC-Integrated Continuous Testing

Invicti combines DAST (external-facing scanning) and IAST (testing from inside the running application) to drive higher detection rates than either method delivers alone. We found the Proof-Based Scanning feature a meaningful differentiator: it validates vulnerabilities before surfacing them, cutting the false positive triage that eats developer time.

Invicti automatically assigns confirmed findings to developers with exact location details and fix guidance. Continuous scanning integrates with your SDLC and flags outdated deployed technologies, closing a gap that point-in-time scans miss entirely.

What Customers Are Saying

Customers describe Invicti as a reliable fire and forget DAST tool once configured, with automated reporting pulling results without manual effort. Onboarding earns consistent praise, and scanning accuracy gets specific mention from teams where false positives carry real operational cost.

Support quality is the recurring friction point. Customers say technical optimization calls can feel rushed, with limited follow-up. Teams dealing with complex scan configurations on specific sites have flagged slower resolution times than they expect from an enterprise-tier tool.

Enterprise DAST With One Watch-Out on Support

We think Invicti suits enterprise security teams that need accurate, continuous DAST coverage across a large web application estate. If your team prioritizes low-noise scanning with developer-level automation, the core platform delivers.

Set expectations on support response for complex configuration work going in. Once dialed in, the platform runs reliably and the accuracy holds up.

Burp Suite is the standard tool for manual and partly automated web application penetration testing. Built for professional security testers who need granular control over HTTP traffic, not an automated scanner.

Intercepting Proxy, Extensions, and OAST Scanning

The intercepting proxy is where most testers spend their time. It sits between your browser and the target, letting you inspect, modify, and replay requests in real time. We found the combination of Repeater for manual payload testing and Intruder for parameter fuzzing particularly effective for mapping application logic flaws.

Burp Suite Professional adds JavaScript-heavy app and API scanning, out-of-band application security testing (OAST, a technique that detects vulnerabilities producing no visible response), and false positive reduction. The BApp extension library and custom extension API let teams build capabilities specific to their testing workflows.

What Customers Are Saying

Customers say Burp Suite is their daily driver for web app manual testing, API testing, and mobile dynamic testing. The extension ecosystem earns consistent praise for expanding core capabilities, and Discord and email support get positive mentions across the board.

Users have flagged two recurring issues. The jump from free to Professional is steep, particularly for individual researchers and small teams, and per user licensing adds up fast. Some customers also flag interface clutter across multiple tabs and a real learning curve for new users.

Near Mandatory for Professional Web App Testers

We think any team running manual web application security testing needs Burp Suite in their toolkit. If your organization has professional pentesters or runs a bug bounty program, the Professional license pays for itself quickly.

For teams expecting automated coverage out of the box, set expectations accordingly. Burp rewards experience and grows with your team over time.

Probely is a cloud-based DAST platform for DevSecOps teams running automated web application and API security testing inside CI/CD pipelines. The platform detects over 30,000 vulnerabilities and is built around a zero false positive approach.

Human-Behavior Scanning for SPAs, APIs, and Authenticated Apps

Probely’s scanner replicates human browsing behavior, clicking through pages, filling forms, and following JavaScript-driven interactions. We found the API coverage particularly broad: it handles RESTful APIs, follows XHR requests in SPAs, and accepts OpenAPI/Swagger schemas or Postman Collections for standalone API scanning.

Authenticated scanning supports SSO and OpenID Connect, so pages behind login screens get the same coverage as public-facing surfaces. Compliance reporting covers PCI-DSS, SOC2, HIPAA, ISO27001, and GDPR, reducing the manual effort of packaging findings for auditors.

What Customers Are Saying

Customers say Probely integrates cleanly into CI/CD pipelines and connects well with Jira and Slack. Implementation earns positive marks when handled by technically proficient users, and scanning accuracy is consistently highlighted across reviews.

Pricing draws the most criticism, with multiple customers flagging it as steep regardless of organization size. Customers also say concurrent scanning is limited to a single scan at a time, creating bottlenecks in larger environments. Scan times on large applications can stretch beyond expectations.

Strong API and DAST Coverage for Technically Confident Teams

We think Probely is a solid fit for DevSecOps teams running modern app stacks with significant API surface area. If your pipeline needs accurate, automated security testing with broad compliance reporting, the platform delivers.

Validate the single concurrent scan limitation against your scanning volume before committing. For teams with focused application estates and API-heavy workflows, it earns its place in the pipeline.

Metasploit is an open source penetration testing framework used by offensive security teams to simulate real-world attacks, validate vulnerabilities, and demonstrate exploitability to stakeholders. It sits among the most widely adopted exploit frameworks in the industry.

Exploit Database, Payload Flexibility, and InsightVM Integration

Metasploit’s core strength is its exploit database, covering a large library of known vulnerabilities that security teams can customize and execute against target environments. We found the payload flexibility broad: teams can generate exploits across multiple formats and tailor them to specific engagement requirements.

The platform surfaces vulnerabilities by impact, keeping teams concentrated on critical areas first. For organizations already running Rapid7’s InsightVM, the integration connects vulnerability discovery directly to exploitation validation, tightening the loop between scanning and proof of impact.

What Customers Are Saying

Customers describe Metasploit as a full toolkit for penetration testing rather than a dedicated scanner. The interface earns specific praise for live demonstration scenarios, where showing a non-technical audience an exploit executing in real time carries more weight than a written report.

Users have flagged that installation is complex and the learning curve for beginners is steep. Some offensive security professionals prefer custom tooling, viewing Metasploit as better suited to structured engagements than advanced bespoke red team work. False positives are also noted by some users.

A Foundational Framework for Formal Pentest Programs

We think Metasploit suits security teams running structured penetration testing programs that need a proven, well-documented framework with broad exploit coverage. If your team needs to demonstrate real-world vulnerability impact to business stakeholders, the workflow from exploitation to demonstration is hard to match.

For advanced red team operators who rely on custom tooling, Metasploit may feel constraining. For everyone else, it’s a foundational pentest capability.

Nessus is a vulnerability scanner built for broad modern attack surface coverage, including endpoints, servers, web applications, cloud infrastructure, and internet-connected assets. It’s designed for security teams that need accurate, scalable scanning without heavy setup overhead.

Plugin-Driven Scanning, Live Results, and Built-In Prioritization

Nessus uses dynamically compiled plugins to speed up scan performance and reduce time to initial results. Over 450 pre-configured templates cover a wide range of use cases out of the box. We found the Live Results feature practical: it assesses vulnerabilities offline with every plugin update, without requiring a full rescan.

Nessus groups similar issues automatically for prioritization. The snooze feature sets aside lower-priority findings for defined periods, keeping dashboards focused on what needs immediate attention. Compliance configuration audits and flexible report export formats complete the workflow.

What Customers Are Saying

Customers say Nessus handles large-scale asset scanning quickly and accurately across mixed environments. The remediation tracking capability earns specific mention, particularly the ability to create remediation projects and assign vulnerability ownership to teams.

Customers flag support quality as inconsistent, with responsiveness gaps noted by some users. Dashboard customization carries a learning curve, and some customers say policy changes and predefined compliance values are restricted, limiting configuration flexibility for complex client environments.

The Right Choice for High-Volume Vulnerability Management Programs

We think Nessus suits mature security programs scanning large, diverse asset inventories that need compliance reporting alongside structured vulnerability tracking. If your team manages endpoints and infrastructure at scale, the speed and accuracy hold up.

Build in time to learn the dashboard configuration. Once your team is comfortable, the workflow from scan to remediation assignment runs efficiently.

ZAP is a free, open source web application security scanner built for users across the skill spectrum, from developers running first security scans to experienced penetration testers. It now sits in the Checkmarx portfolio following its transition from OWASP.

Proxy-Based Scanning with Active, Passive, and Customizable Scan Policies

ZAP operates as a manipulator-in-the-middle proxy, intercepting and manipulating HTTP and HTTPS traffic during testing. Active and passive scanning modes address different needs: passive scanning observes traffic without sending attack payloads, while active scanning probes for vulnerabilities directly. We found the scan policy configuration practical for teams running different scenarios against different targets.

The AJAX spider and fuzzing capabilities extend automated coverage to modern JavaScript-heavy apps. An extension marketplace lets teams add capabilities as needed, and scripts can customize behavior and reduce false positive rates.

What Customers Are Saying

Customers consistently highlight zero cost as a major differentiator, alongside easy installation and cross-platform support. Automated scanning features, particularly the AJAX spider, earn strong feedback from users building security testing into development workflows.

Users have flagged false positives as the main operational friction, requiring manual verification and extra configuration to reduce noise. Customers also note ZAP lacks a built-in browser, available in commercial alternatives, and that automated feature depth trails newer paid tools.

A Strong Starting Point for Teams Building AppSec on a Budget

We think ZAP is the right call for teams that need capable web application security testing without commercial tooling costs. If your team is building an AppSec program from scratch or adding pipeline scanning on a tight budget, this is a strong starting point.

For enterprise programs that need advanced automation, fewer false positives, and dedicated vendor support, the open source model has real trade-offs. For everyone else, ZAP delivers real capability at zero cost.