Government · head to head
DataSF vs OWASP ZAP

OWASP ZAP
Cybersecurity
Free, open-source web application scanner and intercepting proxy, now governed by the Software Security Project.
- From
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
The short version
- They diverge on capability: DataSF covers Open Datasets, OWASP ZAP covers Intercepting proxy.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which DataSF and OWASP ZAP actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in DataSF
- Open Datasets
- Data API
- Visualizations
- Data Catalog
- Automated Updates
- Socrata
- ArcGIS
- Analysis Tools
Only in OWASP ZAP
- Intercepting proxy
- Passive scanner
- Active scanner
- AJAX spider
- Automation Framework
- Headless daemon and REST API
- Docker images
- Add-on marketplace
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
DataSF
- Citizen Servicesnot OWASP ZAP
- Records Managementnot OWASP ZAP
- Public Safetynot OWASP ZAP
- Civic Engagementnot OWASP ZAP
OWASP ZAP
- Adding a baseline security scan to every application's pipeline where per-target commercial licensing would limit coverage to a handfulnot DataSF
- Manual penetration testing that needs an intercepting proxy, request replay and fuzzing without a paid licence per testernot DataSF
- Teaching developers what an attack against their own endpoint looks like, using a tool they can install themselvesnot DataSF
- Pre-release regression scanning of an internal application that would never justify a commercial DAST subscriptionnot DataSF
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
DataSF
Nothing recorded yet. See the DataSF review.
OWASP ZAP
- Authenticated scanning of modern single-page applications is the hard part and ZAP makes you build it by hand: session handling, token refresh and login scripts are configured per application, and a misconfigured session means the scanner logs itself out and reports a clean result for pages it never reached.
- There is no support contract in the product, so when a scan breaks the day before a release the escalation path is a GitHub issue and a community chat, which is not an answer that satisfies a delivery manager or an auditor who wants a named responsible party.
- Active scanning sends genuine attack traffic, so it can create records, trigger emails, exhaust rate limits or destabilise a fragile environment, and pointing it at production without prior agreement produces an incident rather than a test result.
- Output needs triage: passive rules generate large volumes of low-severity informational findings about headers and cookie flags that bury the few results that matter, and a team without someone tuning the rule set stops reading the report within a few sprints.
- As a dynamic scanner it can only test what it can reach, so authorisation flaws between accounts, business logic abuse and anything behind an undiscovered endpoint go unreported, and a passing ZAP scan is evidence of nothing more than the absence of the classes of bug it looks for.
Pricing, plan by plan
DataSF
Free- Public AccessFree
- Dataset Access
- API Access
- Visualizations
OWASP ZAP
Free- Free & Open SourceFree
- Full functionality
- Active & passive scanning
- Spider
Which should you pick?
Choose DataSF if
- You need open datasets.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want data api.
Choose OWASP ZAP if
- You need intercepting proxy.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Desktop, Cli, Api.
- You also want passive scanner.
Questions people ask
- Is DataSF or OWASP ZAP better?
- Neither clearly leads. DataSF starts at Free and OWASP ZAP at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, DataSF or OWASP ZAP?
- DataSF starts at Free and OWASP ZAP at Free.
- Does DataSF or OWASP ZAP run on more platforms?
- DataSF runs on Web. OWASP ZAP runs on Desktop, Cli, Api.
- Can I use DataSF for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is DataSF best used for?
- DataSF is most often used for citizen services, records management, public safety, civic engagement. Of those, citizen services and records management are not what OWASP ZAP is typically brought in for.
- What can DataSF do that OWASP ZAP cannot?
- DataSF covers Open Datasets, Data API, Visualizations, Data Catalog. OWASP ZAP covers Intercepting proxy, Passive scanner, Active scanner, AJAX spider.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
OWASP ZAP: Is it still called OWASP ZAP?
The project left OWASP in August 2024 and is now governed by the Software Security Project, with core development sponsored by Checkmarx. The tool is now just ZAP, though most existing documentation, courses and search results still use the OWASP name.
OWASP ZAP: Is it free for commercial use?
Yes. It is Apache 2.0 licensed, with no per-application, per-scan or per-user cost, and it can be used and modified commercially without a licence agreement.
OWASP ZAP: Can it replace a penetration test?
No. It automates checks for known vulnerability classes against endpoints it can reach. It does not reason about business logic, chain findings into an attack, or test authorisation between accounts, which is most of what a tester actually does.
OWASP ZAP: Does it run in CI?
Yes, through the official Docker images and the Automation Framework, which defines scan jobs in YAML so configuration lives in the repository. A baseline passive scan is the usual starting point because it is fast and non-intrusive.
OWASP ZAP: How does it compare to Burp Suite?
Burp Suite Professional is the more polished manual testing tool and has a stronger scanner and extension ecosystem, but it is licensed per tester and Burp Suite Enterprise per target. ZAP is the better fit where cost per target is the binding constraint; many teams use both.
Related pages
Other head to heads
- DataSF vs Accela
- DataSF vs CivicPlus
- DataSF vs Granicus
- DataSF vs DocuWare
- DataSF vs Socrata
- DataSF vs VUEWorks
- DataSF vs CKAN
- DataSF vs Trimble Unity Maintain
- DataSF vs CityView
- DataSF vs RecDesk
- DataSF vs NEXGEN Asset Management
- DataSF vs CentralSquare Asset Management
- DataSF vs Citizen
- DataSF vs Clariti
- DataSF vs Google Cloud for Government
- DataSF vs CivicPlus Asset Management
- DataSF vs 1Password
- DataSF vs Bitdefender Total Security
- DataSF vs Norton 360
- DataSF vs LastPass
- DataSF vs Bitwarden
- DataSF vs Burp Suite
- DataSF vs Metasploit
- DataSF vs Wireshark
- DataSF vs authentik
- DataSF vs Authelia
- DataSF vs Infisical
- DataSF vs Trivy
- DataSF vs Feedzai
- DataSF vs Frontegg
- DataSF vs HashiCorp Boundary
- DataSF vs JumpCloud
- DataSF vs McAfee Total Protection
- OWASP ZAP vs Accela
- OWASP ZAP vs CivicPlus
- OWASP ZAP vs Granicus
- OWASP ZAP vs DocuWare
- OWASP ZAP vs Socrata
- OWASP ZAP vs VUEWorks
- OWASP ZAP vs CKAN
- OWASP ZAP vs Trimble Unity Maintain
- OWASP ZAP vs CityView
- OWASP ZAP vs RecDesk
- OWASP ZAP vs NEXGEN Asset Management
- OWASP ZAP vs CentralSquare Asset Management
- OWASP ZAP vs Citizen
- OWASP ZAP vs Clariti
- OWASP ZAP vs Google Cloud for Government
- OWASP ZAP vs CivicPlus Asset Management
- OWASP ZAP vs 1Password
- OWASP ZAP vs Bitdefender Total Security
- OWASP ZAP vs Norton 360
- OWASP ZAP vs LastPass
- OWASP ZAP vs Bitwarden
- OWASP ZAP vs Burp Suite
- OWASP ZAP vs Metasploit
- OWASP ZAP vs Wireshark
- OWASP ZAP vs authentik
- OWASP ZAP vs Authelia
- OWASP ZAP vs Infisical
- OWASP ZAP vs Trivy
- OWASP ZAP vs Feedzai
- OWASP ZAP vs Frontegg
- OWASP ZAP vs HashiCorp Boundary
- OWASP ZAP vs JumpCloud
- OWASP ZAP vs McAfee Total Protection

