Ghostwriter vs OWASP ZAP
Ghostwriter
github.comOWASP ZAP
zaproxy.orgSide by side
| Figure | Ghostwriter | OWASP ZAP |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Spec score · Penetration Testing Software | 7.7 (#18) | 8.6 (#5) |
| API | A GraphQL API supports custom project management, reporting workflows, and connections to external tools. | The API and daemon mode provide programmatic control over ZAP, including scanner and spider operations. |
| Deployment | Ghostwriter is a Django web app with installation and setup instructions in its documentation. | ZAP publishes Docker images, including a bare image described as minimal and ideal for CI. |
| Purpose | Ghostwriter is an open-source platform for offensive security teams to manage assessments, clients, projects, assets, and reporting. | ZAP is a web application scanner and proxy for security testing. |
Plans
In their own words
Ghostwriter
Ghostwriter has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
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.