Burp Suite DAST vs OWASP ZAP
Burp Suite DAST
portswigger.netOWASP ZAP
zaproxy.orgSide by side
| Figure | Burp Suite DAST | OWASP ZAP |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Spec score · Web Application Security Scanners | 8.6 (#1) | 8.5 (#3) |
| Spec score · Dynamic Application Security Testing Software | 8.6 (#2) | 8.5 (#4) |
| Spec score · Penetration Testing Software | 8.7 (#3) | 8.6 (#5) |
| Spec score · Local Development Proxy Tools | 8.8 (#4) | 8.6 (#8) |
| Spec score · Vulnerability Scanner Software | 8.7 (#5) | 8.5 (#6) |
| API | A GraphQL API can trigger scans, fetch findings, manage sites, and send results to internal tools. | The API and daemon mode provide programmatic control over ZAP, including scanner and spider operations. |
| Deployment | Burp Suite DAST is available as managed cloud service or self-hosted software, including Windows and Linux installers and a Helm deployment for Kubernetes. | ZAP publishes Docker images, including a bare image described as minimal and ideal for CI. |
| Founded | 2008 | 2010 |
| Purpose | Burp Suite DAST is an automated dynamic web vulnerability scanner built on the scanning engine used in Burp Suite Professional. | ZAP is a web application scanner and proxy for security testing. |
Plans
In their own words
Burp Suite DAST
Burp Suite DAST is an automated dynamic scanner for web vulnerabilities, built on the scanning engine used in Burp Suite Professional. Its Chromium-based crawler can handle JavaScript single-page applications, dynamic forms, GraphQL endpoints, and asynchronous loads, while crawling and auditing can run in parallel. Session-aware scans maintain authenticated state using username-password pairs or recorded login sequences. The scanner covers APIs described by Postman Collections, OpenAPI, SOAP, and GraphQL, with native support for several authentication methods. Teams can schedule portfolio scans from a dashboard or run them in CI pipelines, including on pull requests and merges. Deployment options include managed cloud and self-hosted software for Windows and Linux, plus Helm deployment for Kubernetes; self-hosted deployments can operate in air-gapped environments. Access controls include role-based permissions, site groups, audit trails, SAML single sign-on, and group-locked scan policies. Findings include captured requests and confirming responses. Pricing depends on the portfolio and requires contacting PortSwigger; a guided proof-of-concept trial follows a tailored demo and discovery call.
OWASP ZAP
OWASP ZAP is a web application scanner and proxy for security testing. Its tools include active and passive scanning, a spider, alerts, and scan policies. ZAP’s Automation Framework uses YAML plans to coordinate jobs such as scanning, spidering, API imports, and report generation. It can import OpenAPI, GraphQL, SOAP, and Postman definitions through jobs or add-ons. GitHub Actions are available for baseline, full, and API scans via Docker-packaged scans, and the project publishes Docker images, including a minimal image for CI. Add-ons come from an online Marketplace and are generally installed or removed without restarting ZAP. The software is free and open source, with a free plan at free. It supports Linux, macOS, Windows, API use, and self-hosted deployment. Windows and Linux installers require Java 17 or later; the macOS installer includes Java 17. ZAP says it can support only its latest full release, and current releases are unsigned, though checksums are provided.