

Acunetix and Contrast Security Assess are leading tools in the field of application security testing. Acunetix seems to have an edge with its continuous scanning and centralized dashboards, which enhance security assessments efficiently.
Features: Acunetix is known for identifying vulnerabilities, generating comprehensive reports, and detecting cross-site scripting. It integrates well with CI/CD tools and is scalable, making it suitable for large-scale security tasks. Contrast Security Assess offers real-time vulnerability detection and API scanning, providing deep insights at the code level. Its low false positive rate and seamless integration into development processes help developers maintain secure code.
Room for Improvement: Acunetix could improve by offering pricing flexibility, reducing false positives, and enhancing API scanning capabilities. Integration features, particularly with CI/CD tools, also require enhancement. Contrast Security Assess could improve its reporting features, expand support for more technologies, and refine its user interface. Pricing and setup complexity present challenges, especially for small teams.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Both products support on-premises and cloud deployment. Acunetix provides responsive 24/7 technical support and integrates easily into DevSecOps pipelines, whereas Contrast Security Assess also offers prompt support but has a more complex setup due to licensing nuances. Acunetix is noted for being more user-friendly during initial deployment.
Pricing and ROI: Acunetix's pricing is viewed as inflexible, based primarily on domain and application targets, yet it yields a strong ROI by enhancing security and reducing manual testing. Contrast Security Assess uses a tiered licensing model based on application and user counts, which some find restrictive. However, its real-time code vulnerability assessments and low false positives suggest potentially better ROI for large applications.
Contrast has probably saved us a couple hundred hours over the past six years.
The speed of fixing issues is significantly improved due to the vast amount of information provided by Contrast Security Assess, making it quite essential for finding the root cause of problems in the source code.
It saves a significant amount of time by covering attack surfaces.
I have seen a return on investment, as Acunetix helps reduce the man-days and effort needed for scanning bulk applications through automated assessments.
They go out of their way to respond quickly and very knowledgeably.
Customer support is one of the strongest points of Contrast Security Assess, as they are really responsive and answer tickets in less than one hour.
For high-severity issues, they reach out within two to three hours, and for critical issues, a response is received within 15 minutes.
The technical support from Invicti is very good and fast.
Support staff not being familiar with the problem.
It is fairly simple to install the agents for Contrast Security Assess and keep them updated.
Contrast Security Assess's scalability is not an issue at all.
Acunetix can handle increasing workloads and more applications easily.
We opened a ticket to customer support and experienced four weeks of disruption due to the extension malfunctioning in some of the .NET servers running Contrast Security Assess.
Regarding Contrast Security Assess's AI capabilities, I think they are missing a huge opportunity because they could lead the way in automatic testing and AI security testing.
Contrast support has been great in fixing any issues or getting back to us with questions.
Contrast Security Assess can be improved as it checks the code and asks to fix the code that is vulnerable, and in that way, we can prevent potential hacking or attempts for people to inject malicious code.
The main concern is related to false positives; Acunetix needs to work on identifying valid and invalid findings.
I could supply it with maybe a Swagger file or a JSON file, and Acunetix would pick it up, scan all the endpoints according to the OWASP Top Ten, and give me remediation and actionable remediation reports.
Acunetix should have better integration with newer tools such as GitHub and Azure DevOps.
Licensing costs are fairly high compared to other DAST and SAST tools, but it seems to be worth the money.
The pricing cost is affordable for small and mid-sized organizations, and when compared to Checkmarx, it is significantly affordable, as Checkmarx is quite expensive.
We secured a special licensing model for penetration testing companies, which is cost-effective.
The pricing of Acunetix is pretty expensive and could be improved.
The ability to see what is going on and what has been going on in a given application and basically get to see what is coming across it in real time is helpful in finding vulnerabilities to remediate before production deployments.
Instead of fixing each vulnerability reported independently, you can group them and fix them in a single point in the source code, resolving several vulnerabilities at once.
Contrast Security Assess has positively impacted my organization by improving the security features of our application.
Its most valuable role is in enhancing security by identifying potential vulnerabilities efficiently.
The solution is excellent at detecting SQL injection and cross-site scripting vulnerabilities.
The best feature Acunetix offers is the centralized dashboard and the quality of reports it generates, which includes various options for selecting reports and developer options for directly sharing the reports with developers.
| Product | Mindshare (%) |
|---|---|
| Invicti Web + API | 2.4% |
| Contrast Security Assess | 1.7% |
| Other | 95.9% |


| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 3 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 3 |
| Large Enterprise | 11 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 18 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 7 |
| Large Enterprise | 19 |
Contrast Security Assess is an IAST platform known for accurate vulnerability detection. It integrates into development workflows, offering real-time insights into security issues with minimal false positives, supporting legacy applications and enhancing code security visibility.
Designed to integrate seamlessly into DevOps workflows, Contrast Security Assess automates real-time vulnerability detection and reduces false positives through its powerful IAST features. By continuously monitoring vulnerabilities, it provides a robust option for securing legacy applications and identifying vulnerabilities without lengthy scans. This cloud-hosted platform supports numerous programming languages, making it versatile for security testing across enterprise environments. Users benefit from detailed reports that pinpoint exact code locations requiring remediation, enhancing speed and efficiency in addressing security concerns.
What are the key features of Contrast Security Assess?Companies in industries requiring high levels of application security, such as finance and healthcare, implement Contrast Security Assess for its ability to enhance visibility and detect vulnerabilities early in the development lifecycle. Its seamless integration with DevOps processes makes it ideal for environments that prioritize agility while maintaining stringent security standards.
Acunetix is a robust web application security testing tool offering rapid scanning, user-friendly interfaces, and accurate vulnerability detection with minimal false positives. It supports both cloud and on-premises deployment, making it versatile for various security needs.
Acunetix is distinguished by its capability to identify critical vulnerabilities such as cross-site scripting and SQL injection with high precision. It integrates seamlessly with CI/CD tools, supporting continuous scanning and large-scale application management. The centralized dashboard and detailed automated reporting streamline operations. Despite its benefits, users suggest improvements like reducing false positives, flexible pricing, and enhanced API scanning. Better integration with platforms like GitHub and Azure DevOps is sought, alongside more comprehensive customization and faster scanning. Mobile application scanning and improved team collaboration tools are also desired.
What features make Acunetix stand out?Acunetix is widely implemented across industries undertaking web application security assessments, including those requiring penetration testing and vulnerability assessment. It ensures applications meet security protocols and complies with standards while fitting into CI/CD workflows for secure pre-release checks.
We monitor all Application Security Tools reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.