Review and comparison of the top AppSpider alternatives to suggest the best AppSpider competitors available in the application security tester market:
When it comes to application security testing, one can argue that none share the pedigree that Rapid 7’s AppSpider brings to the table. AppSpider is a powerful and advanced web application security tester that can accurately scan APIs, SPAs, and mobile applications without any hassle.
The app constantly gathers information, and that indeed makes it considerably effective in testing ever-evolving apps for vulnerabilities. AppSpider’s utilization of dynamic application security testing makes it capable of crawling even through the most complex and modern apps.
It can easily identify risks affecting these apps and provide you with the insights required to remediate them immediately. AppSpider can detect and remediate risks in the early stages of a software’s development lifecycle.
Despite its impressive functionality, AppSpider has received a lot of flak for its complex UI. The UI can make the tool difficult to operate and navigate. Fortunately, AppSpider isn’t the only web application security testing tool out there.
Table of Contents:
Most Popular AppSpider Alternatives
With the strides we’ve made in recent years, it is not hard to find an online application scanner that can do what AppSpider does, albeit with a more comprehensive UI and dashboard. In this tutorial, we will be looking at 10 such tools that we believe are some of the best alternatives we have to AppSpider.
Pro-Tip:
- When it comes to looking for an online application security scanner, a user-friendly UI should be non-negotiable. The tool should have a visual dashboard that makes operating it a hassle-free experience.
- The scanner should verify the vulnerabilities it detects before reporting them. Verification helps to reduce false positives.
- The testing tool should generate detailed reports that pinpoint the location of the vulnerability and explain how severe a detected vulnerability is in the threat.
- The ability to schedule scans at specified dates and times is a huge plus.
- 24/7 responsive customer support is essential to qualify as a good alternative to AppSpider.
- Go for a tool that is reasonably priced.
Fact-Check:
As you can see from the graph below, the application security testing type has seen the fastest market growth since 2019. If current reports are to be believed, then it is expected to generate a revenue of $6751 million by 2027.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q #1) What Does AppSpider Do?
Answer: AppSpider utilizes dynamic application security testing to scan mobile apps, APIs, SPAs, etc. for risks and also provides insights to help security teams remediate the threat.
The platform is constantly evolving and is capable of identifying weaknesses in both modern and complex applications without any hassle. Its black-box testing capabilities also help AppSpider detect issues in the early stages of the SDLC.
Q #2) Is AppSpider Free?
Answer: AppSpider is a powerful application testing product from the house of Rapid 7. Just like every other security testing product from Rapid 7, AppSpider isn’t free. AppSpider can be very expensive. As such, only large enterprises are recommended to use the platform.
However, AppSpider does offer a free trial to its clients wherein you can test the features and automation of the tool at no cost for a limited period.
Q #3) What is the Principal Difference between DAST and SAST?
Answer: SAST and DAST differ in two key areas of security testing. Both find different types of vulnerabilities and are most effective at different stages of the SDLC. SAST is known as a white box method of testing. It analyzes code to find flaws in the software. SAST is always performed early on all types of files that contain the source code.
DAST, on the other hand, is a black-box testing method that analyzes a running application to find weaknesses that an attacker could potentially exploit. This type of testing mimics the approach of a hacker to find vulnerabilities.
Q #4) What is Broken Session Management?
Answer: Broken Session Management is a critical security vulnerability that allows an online attacker to forge session data or steal a user’s login data to gain unauthorized access to websites. This security threat is listed in the OWASP Top 10 list of common vulnerabilities. As such, it should be taken seriously.
Q #5) What are the Best Alternatives to AppSpider?
Answer:
- Invicti (formerly Netsparker)
- Acunetix
- Veracode
- Detectify
- HCL AppScan
List of Top AppSpider Alternatives
See the list of popular alternatives to AppSpier below:
- Indusface WAS
- Invicti (formerly Netsparker)
- Acunetix
- Intruder
- Veracode
- Detectify
- HCL AppScan
- OWASP ZAP
- Qualys Web Application Scanning
- Tenable.io
- Checkmarx
- Micro Focus Fortify WebInspect
- Beagle Security
Comparing Some of the Best AppSpider Competitors
| Name | Best For | Fees | Ratings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indusface WAS | Dynamic Application Security Testing | Starts at $59/app/month. Free plan also available |  |
| Invicti (formerly Netsparker) | Advanced Crawling and IAST+DAST Scanning Approach | Contact for Quote |  |
| Acunetix | Detect over 7000 vulnerabilities and their variants. | Contact for Quote | |
| Intruder | Continuous vulnerability scanning and attack surface reduction. | Starting at $113/month | |
| Veracode | Web Perimeter Security Testing | Contact for Quote |  |
| Detectify | Deep Scanning and Asset Monitoring | $85/month - Deep Scanning, $420/Month - Asset Monitoring | |
| HCL AppScan | DAST, IAST, and IAST Types of Scanning | Contact for Quote | |
Let us review each AppSpider competitor in detail:
#1) Indusface WAS
Best for Dynamic Application Security Testing.
Indusface WAS is a powerful vulnerability scanning tool that leverages the combined strength of DAST, malware scanning, and pen-testing to get its job done. The tool is exceptional at identifying all classes of vulnerabilities. You can count on it to detect OWASP Top 10, SANS 25, Zero-Day, and WASC classified threats.
Identifying and addressing these threats is made further more convenient with the 24/7 assistance provided by seasoned security experts and manual pen-testers. This assistance assures proper remediation methods are employed before the threats are found and exploited by hackers. The tool is further bolstered by a stunning visual reporting dashboard.
Features:
- Vulnerability Scanning
- Asset Discovery
- Penetration Testing
- Biweekly Automated App Scans
- Scan Behind Authentication Pages
Verdict: With Indusface WAS, you get a robust DAST/Vulnerability scanning tool that can go toe to toe with AppSpider with regards to its features and functionality. Easy to use and effective in detecting vulnerabilities, Indusface is definitely one of the best AppSpider alternatives out there.
Price: The plans for Indusface start at $59/month. It premium annual plan will cost $199/app/month. The tool can also be used for free with limited capabilities.
#2) Invicti (formerly Netsparker)
Best for Advanced Crawling and IAST+DAST Scanning Approach.
Featuring an intuitive visual dashboard and an advanced crawling system, Invicti is a powerful web application security tester. Its dashboard gives you a bird’s eye view of all your scanned activity, detected vulnerability, and status from a single screen.
Its combined interactive and dynamic approach to application testing along with advanced crawling allows you to scan every corner of your web asset. Moreover, its unique signature and behavior-based approach to scanning also allow it to perform tests in a fast and accurate manner.
The platform can scan any type of web application, web service, or API, regardless of what language or program was used to build it. Developers can use a ton of time with Invicti as it reduces false positives by verifying all weaknesses it finds in an open, read-only manner.
You will get detailed documentation on the detected vulnerability. As such, developers can pinpoint the location of the vulnerability and also find out how severe the detected threat is.
It automatically creates and assigns vulnerabilities to security teams for remediation. Invicti integrates seamlessly with most current third-party tools like Jira, GitLab, and Okta.
Features
- Proof Based Scanning
- IAST+DAST Scanning approach
- Detailed report generation
- Seamless integration with third-party tools.
- Advanced Crawling
Verdict: Invicti is the best alternative that we have for AppSpider today when it comes to dynamic application security testing tools.
Similar to AppSpider, Invicti can perform continuous automated scans to detect vulnerabilities in the earlier stages of SDLC. It can scan complex web applications, services, and APIs in a fast and accurate manner.
Price: Contact for quote.
#3) Acunetix
Best for detecting over 7000 vulnerabilities and their variants.
Acunetix is an intuitive web application security scanner that can perform scans on all types of web pages, applications, and APIs. It is also pretty effective while scanning single-page applications that contain lots of HTML5 and JavaScript. Acunetix can detect over 7000 different types of vulnerabilities and their variants.
These include SQL injections, weak passwords, exposed databases, misconfigurations, and more. The platform operates on advanced macro recording technology, which makes it capable of performing scans on password-protected pages of a site and complex multi-level forms.
It verifies a detected vulnerability to make sure no false positives are reported. Acunetix also allows you to schedule full and incremental scans to initiate automated, and continuous scanning. The detected vulnerabilities are immediately classified based on the severity of their threat.
As such, developers can prioritize their response to vulnerabilities that pose a greater or urgent threat. Moreover, Acunetix also generates detailed technical and regulatory reports based on its scans.
These reports can be studied by security teams to patch vulnerabilities before an attacker can find them. The tool also integrates seamlessly with current tracking systems like Jira, Azure, and GitLab, among many others.
Features
- Schedule and Prioritize Scans
- Advanced Macro Recording
- Generate detailed technical and regulatory reports.
- Scan new builds automatically
Verdict: Acunetix is a good alternative to AppSpider simply because of its easy-to-use and intuitive nature. No lengthy set-ups are required to run this tool.
Additionally, the platform can perform lightning-fast scans on complex web applications, APIs, and websites without overloading the server. It can detect more than 7000 different vulnerabilities. These include both common and undocumented vulnerabilities.
Price: Contact for quote.
#4) Intruder
Best for Continuous vulnerability scanning and attack surface reduction.
With leading scanning engines under the hood, Intruder’s DAST scanner provides the same level of security enjoyed by banks and government agencies. Trusted by over 2,500 companies worldwide, it has been designed with speed, versatility and simplicity in mind, to make reporting, remediation and compliance as easy as possible.
You can synchronize with your cloud environments and get proactive alerts when exposed ports and services change across your estate, helping you secure your evolving IT environment.
By interpreting the raw data drawn from leading scanning engines, Intruder returns intelligent reports that are easy to interpret, prioritize and action. Each vulnerability is prioritized by context for a holistic view of all vulnerabilities, saving time and reducing the customer’s attack surface.
Features:
- Robust security checks for your critical systems
- Rapid response to emerging threats
- Continuous monitoring of your external perimeter
- Perfect visibility of your cloud systems
Verdict: If you’re looking for an AppSpider alternative that is powerful, yet easy to use, Intruder is a great choice. Intruder has been designed from the start to help modern businesses achieve robust security effortlessly.
Its straightforward and user-friendly UI eliminates the typical challenges that users encounter when first adopting vulnerability management software. With Intruder, initiating your first scan is a hassle-free process, and there’s no steep learning curve to start using the software
Price: Free 14-day trial for Pro plan, transparent and flexible pricing, monthly or annual billing available. The plans are as follows:
- Essential: $113/month
- Pro: $182/month
- Custom plans are also available
#5) Veracode
Best for Web Perimeter Security Testing.
Veracode is a web application scanner that will seamlessly integrate with each phase of your software’s development lifecycle. As such, developers can deploy Veracode to discover, monitor, and secure all types of modern and complex web applications.
Veracode’s efficient use of automation makes it incredibly accurate and fast when detecting weaknesses. The platform performs external security scans to quickly identify and automatically catalog all public-facing web applications.
It appropriately assigns threat-severity levels so developers can prioritize their response to risks that pose a higher security threat. Moreover, Veracode can run authenticated scans on multiple critical applications while consistently monitoring your security portfolio.
Features
- Automated and Continuous Web Perimeter Scanning.
- Identify and catalog all public-facing web applications.
- Assign threat severity levels to detected vulnerability.
- Generate detailed reports on detected weaknesses.
Verdict: Veracode is a web application scanner that simplifies and even improves application security by leveraging unified results and insightful analytics. It is extremely accurate in its ability to detect vulnerabilities and classify them according to the severity of their threat. The reports it generates are equally comprehensive and detailed.
Price: Contact for quote.
Website: Veracode
#6) Detectlfy
Best for Deep Scanning and Asset Monitoring.
Detectify is an automated security testing tool that can scan web applications and detect more than 2000 vulnerabilities. As of today, the platform can detect both – weaknesses listed under the OWASP Top 10 and vulnerabilities that haven’t been documented yet.
Detectify works closely with ethical hackers and uses their expertise and knowledge to perform tests and identify security issues. Its scan settings are fully customizable. Moreover, it features an advanced crawling system that allows it to scan every corner of a website to detect vulnerabilities that are usually hard to find.
The platform integrates seamlessly with your enterprise’s current systems like Jira, GitLab, or GitHub.
Features
- Fully Automated and Continuous Scanning.
- Customizable Scan Settings
- Advanced Crawling URL
- Detailed report generation
Verdict: Detectify is an automated, fully customizable application security scanner that tests all types of applications and detects more than 2000 types of weaknesses. We like its association with ethical hackers in dealing with security issues as it makes the tool really effective as a vulnerability detector.
Price: $85/month – Deep Scanning, $420/Month – Asset Monitoring.
Website: Detectify
#7) HCL AppScan
Best for DAST, IAST, and IAST Types of Scanning.
HCL AppScan provides a cloud-based application security testing suite that allows you to perform interactive, dynamic, static, and open-source analysis of mobile, web, and desktop applications.
Thanks to this combined approach, the tool provides you with the broadest coverage possible to identify and remediate vulnerabilities in a fast and accurate manner.
HCL AppScan is also known for its risk-based approach to security management. The platform quickly categorizes all detected applications based on their importance to your business and also suggests remediation actions to patch them. As such, you can focus on weaknesses that pose a greater threat.
Features
- Fully Automated and Customizable
- Identify and Catalog applications automatically.
- Detect vulnerability early in SDLC
- Enhanced Insights
Verdict: HCL AppScan, with its combined interactive, dynamic, static, and open source testing, provides you with the broadest security coverage possible. This makes the tool accurate and fast when detecting vulnerabilities. Its risk-based approach to testing also makes the prospect of remediating vulnerabilities easier.
Price: Contact for quote.
Website: HCL AppScan
#8) OWASP ZAP
Best for Open Source and Free.
OWASP Zap is an open-source and free-to-use web application scanner. Apart from being free to use, it is also easy to deploy and operate. The platform is capable of detecting different types of known and undocumented vulnerabilities in an application.
It performs continuous scans to make sure no vulnerability goes unaddressed. It also generates relevant reports and analyzes of its performed tests, thus informing developers about the strength of their application’s security and what they need to do to fix it.
Features
- Continuous Automated Scanning
- Traditional and AJAX Web Crawlers
- Intercepting Proxy Server
- It also runs on DAEMON Mode Available.
Verdict: If you want to perform simple and quick scans to find weaknesses in your mobile, web, or desktop application, then OWASP ZAP will suffice. It is free to use and easy to deploy. For most small businesses, that is more than enough.
Price: Free
Website: OWASP ZAP
Suggested Read => An Exclusive Review of OWASP ZAP
#9) Qualsys Web Application Scanner
Best for Deep Scanning and Malware Detection.
Qualsys Web Application Scanner is a cloud-based application security scanner. It can quickly find and catalog all types of new and unknown applications due to its comprehensive crawling abilities.
It also features a dynamic deep scanning system that allows you to cover all apps on the perimeter whether in the internal environment or under development. It can instantly detect vulnerabilities like SQL injections and XSS with detailed reports highlighting how severe they are as a threat to your security.
It supports authenticated, progressive and complex scans, which makes Qualsys a fast and accurate scanner. The tool is also effective in detecting infections like Zero-Day vulnerabilities via behavioral analysis.
Features
- Comprehensive Application Discovery
- Automatic Application Cataloging
- Supports Authentic, Progressive, and Complex Scans.
- Detect Malware Infections
Verdict: Qualsys Web Application Scanner grants you full visibility of your IT network’s entire portfolio. As such, the tool can identify and catalog all types of applications and scan them for vulnerabilities. Apart from application scanning, Qualsys is also good at testing IoT services and APIs employed by mobile apps.
Price: Contact for quote.
Website: Qualsys Web Application Scanner
#10) Tenable
Best for Risk-Based Vulnerability Assessment.
Tenable gives you a risk-based view of your entire attack surface. As such, it can easily detect and monitor known and unknown assets to find vulnerabilities.
Tenable performs fast scans that easily unearth vulnerabilities with detailed documentation on them. Developers get the opportunity to thoroughly investigate a detected vulnerability and remediate it in the best possible manner.
Its visual dashboard makes good use of stats and analytics that present a holistic snapshot of your scan activity, detected vulnerability, and identified assets. The tool intuitively categorizes vulnerabilities on the basis of their threat level. So developers know which detected vulnerabilities they should prioritize.
Features
- Detect over 60000 vulnerabilities.
- Centralized Visual Dashboard
- Vulnerability Priority Reporting.
- Seamless CMDB Integrations
Verdict: With the ability to detect over 60000 vulnerabilities, Tenable is one of the most powerful vulnerability management tools we have today. It combines features such as passive and active scanning, CMDB integration, and cloud connectors to continuously monitor known and unknown assets for weaknesses.
Price: Subscription plan starting at $2990 per year.
Website: Tenable
#11) Checkmarx
Best for Interactive and Static Application Security Testing.
Checkmarx offers a comprehensive security package that combines the best application testing methods to identify and remediate vulnerabilities. Checkmarx facilitates large-scale, multi-page application security testing because of its unique interactive, static, and open-source web scanning capabilities.
It is a great tool for developers as Checkmarx provides valuable insights into vulnerabilities that allow them to code smarter and faster.
The platform also integrates seamlessly with most CI/CD tracking systems, thus accurately detecting critical vulnerabilities in less time. It particularly shines because of its “Best Fix Location” feature because it immediately discloses the exact location of a weakness.
Features
- Static, Interactive, and Open Source Web Scanning.
- Seamless CI/CD Integrations
- Customizable Queries
- Best Fix Location.
Verdict: Checkmarx is one of those tools that combines multiple testing methods to scan applications.
With this tool’s Static, interactive and open-source scanning abilities, it becomes easier for developers to ferret out critical vulnerabilities earlier in a software development lifecycle. This is a great tool for developers to have when they are writing codes.
Price: Contact for quote.
Website: Checkmarx
#12) Fortify WebInspect
Best for Dynamic Application Security Testing.
Fortify WebInspect utilizes automated dynamic application security testing to find and fix the most exploitable vulnerabilities in a web application. The platform provides support for both legacy and modern web applications. The platform is also highly scalable as it supports limitless integrations.
It doesn’t take long for WebInspect to scan basic APIs. To scan advanced APIs, you can try WebInspect’s Postman Integration that facilitates unique workflows, complex authentication, and custom parameter requirements. The tool can also perform incremental scanning to rapidly assess weaknesses in changed areas of the application.
Features
- Automated DAST
- Support legacy and modern applications.
- Integrate seamlessly with a plethora of third-party tools.
- Meet compliance standards with pre-configured policies.
Verdict: Fortify WebInspect makes for a great alternative to AppSpider because of its dynamic application security testing approach. It mimics the behavior of attackers to accurately pinpoint the location of vulnerability. Its support for both modern and legacy applications is of huge merit in strengthening the security of your IT infrastructure.
Price: Contact for quote.
Website: Fortify WebInspect
#13) Beagle Security
Best for User-Friendly Vulnerability Testing.
Beagle Security features a comprehensive list of tools that make identifying and fixing app vulnerabilities very easy. It can detect all the common types of vulnerabilities listed in the OWASP Top 10 list. Moreover, it can detect all SANS 25 vulnerabilities on a website.
It also verifies the identified vulnerability to ensure no false positives are reported. The platform also allows you to schedule your test so scans can be initiated automatically whenever desired. It also enables team collaborations. As such, you can invite your team members and collaborate on fixing the vulnerability together.
Features
- Reduce False Positives
- Detect all OWASP Top 10 and SANS 25 Vulnerabilities.
- Seamless integration with third-party tools
- Scheduled Scanning
Verdict: Beagle Security is a simple, easy-to-deploy website security scanner that can quickly find and fix issues plaguing your applications and websites. It provides a ton of features that are essential to keeping websites secure and protected from hackers with scheduled testing and team collaboration being major highlights.
Price: Free plan available for one test, Starter Plan – $49/month, Standard – $99/month, Professional – $199/month
Website: Beagle Security
Conclusion
When it comes to Dynamic Application Security Testing, not many enjoy the reverence that AppSpider does in the industry.
It can accurately scan APIs, SPAs, mobile applications, etc. at lightning-fast speeds and detect vulnerabilities before an attacker can exploit them. However, it can be quite expensive for some. Moreover, it also features a complex UI.
Fortunately, AppSpider isn’t the only dynamic application security scanner out there. In our honest opinion, the above 11 tools are some of the best alternatives to AppSpider in the market today. They are all easy to use and know how to keep applications safe from potential attacks.
As per our recommendation, we would like to suggest Invicti because of its combined DAST and IAST scanning approach. Acunetix is another tool in which we have no qualms recommending because of how fast and accurate it is in identifying vulnerabilities.
Research Process
- Time Taken To Research And Write This Article: 12 Hours
- Total AppSpider Alternatives Researched: 20
- Total AppSpider Alternatives Shortlisted: 11