OWASP ZAP vs XBOW
OWASP ZAP
zaproxy.org
XBOW
xbow.comSide by side
| Figure | OWASP ZAP | XBOW |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Spec score · Web Application Security Scanners | 8.5 (#3) | 6.6 (#20) |
| Spec score · Penetration Testing Software | 8.6 (#5) | 6.5 (#31) |
| API | The API and daemon mode provide programmatic control over ZAP, including scanner and spider operations. | The REST API can configure assets, set scope and safety controls, trigger assessments, and retrieve findings; API requests require a bearer token and pinned version. |
Plans
In their own words
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.