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Cybersecurity · head to head

ESET NOD32 Antivirus vs OWASP ZAP

ESET NOD32 Antivirus logo

ESET NOD32 Antivirus

Cybersecurity

Essential antivirus protection

From
$39.99/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
OWASP ZAP logo

OWASP ZAP

Cybersecurity

Free, open-source web application scanner and intercepting proxy, now governed by the Software Security Project.

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only OWASP ZAP has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: ESET NOD32 Antivirus the advertised price applies to the first term only, and renewal reverts to the official list price; 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.
  • They diverge on capability: ESET NOD32 Antivirus covers Antivirus & Antispyware, OWASP ZAP covers Intercepting proxy.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ESET NOD32 Antivirus and OWASP ZAP actually diverge.

Attributes where ESET NOD32 Antivirus and OWASP ZAP differ
AttributeESET NOD32 AntivirusOWASP ZAP
Starting price$39.99/yearFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsDesktopDesktop, Cli, Api
Founded19922001

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Cybersecurity).

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 ESET NOD32 Antivirus

  • Antivirus & Antispyware
  • Exploit Blocker
  • Advanced Machine Learning
  • Anti-Phishing
  • UEFI Scanner
  • Script-Based Attack Protection
  • Ransomware Shield
  • Gamer Mode

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.

ESET NOD32 Antivirus

  • Antivirus and anti malware protection for home Windows, macOS and Android devicesnot OWASP ZAP
  • Blocking phishing and ransomware on personal computersnot 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 ESET NOD32 Antivirus
  • Manual penetration testing that needs an intercepting proxy, request replay and fuzzing without a paid licence per testernot ESET NOD32 Antivirus
  • Teaching developers what an attack against their own endpoint looks like, using a tool they can install themselvesnot ESET NOD32 Antivirus
  • Pre-release regression scanning of an internal application that would never justify a commercial DAST subscriptionnot ESET NOD32 Antivirus

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

ESET NOD32 Antivirus

  • The advertised price applies to the first term only, and renewal reverts to the official list price
  • Any saving shown is the difference between the introductory price and that list price rather than an ongoing discount
  • Device coverage is chosen at purchase and priced accordingly, so protecting another machine means changing the licence

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

ESET NOD32 Antivirus

$39.99/year
  • NOD32 Antivirus$39.99/year
    • 1 Device
    • Antivirus & Antispyware
    • Anti-Phishing
  • Internet Security$49.99/year
    • 1 Device
    • All NOD32 features
    • Firewall
  • Smart Security Premium$59.99/year
    • 1 Device
    • All Internet Security features
    • Password Manager

OWASP ZAP

Free
  • Free & Open SourceFree
    • Full functionality
    • Active & passive scanning
    • Spider

Which should you pick?

Choose ESET NOD32 Antivirus if

  • You need antivirus & antispyware.
  • You work on Desktop.
  • You also want exploit blocker.
ESET NOD32 Antivirus review

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.
OWASP ZAP review

Questions people ask

Is ESET NOD32 Antivirus or OWASP ZAP better?
Neither clearly leads. ESET NOD32 Antivirus starts at $39.99/year and OWASP ZAP at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ESET NOD32 Antivirus or OWASP ZAP?
OWASP ZAP has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $39.99/year for ESET NOD32 Antivirus and Free for OWASP ZAP.
Does ESET NOD32 Antivirus or OWASP ZAP run on more platforms?
ESET NOD32 Antivirus runs on Desktop. OWASP ZAP runs on Desktop, Cli, Api.
Can I use OWASP ZAP for free?
Yes. OWASP ZAP has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. ESET NOD32 Antivirus starts at $39.99/year.
What is ESET NOD32 Antivirus best used for?
ESET NOD32 Antivirus is most often used for antivirus and anti malware protection for home windows, macos and android devices, blocking phishing and ransomware on personal computers. Of those, antivirus and anti malware protection for home windows, macos and android devices and blocking phishing and ransomware on personal computers are not what OWASP ZAP is typically brought in for.
What can ESET NOD32 Antivirus do that OWASP ZAP cannot?
ESET NOD32 Antivirus covers Antivirus & Antispyware, Exploit Blocker, Advanced Machine Learning, Anti-Phishing. OWASP ZAP covers Intercepting proxy, Passive scanner, Active scanner, AJAX spider.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

ESET NOD32 Antivirus: Does ESET offer a free trial, and what do I get access to?

ESET offers a free 30-day trial with no credit card required. The trial includes full access to all features in the tier you choose before you commit to a paid subscription.

Source
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.

ESET NOD32 Antivirus: What subscription contract lengths are available?

ESET offers subscription terms ranging from 1 to 10 years depending on the tier. Home Security Essential and Premium plans support 1-10 years, while Ultimate requires 5-10 years. Business plans also support multi-year terms.

Source
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.

ESET NOD32 Antivirus: Will my renewal price change after the first year?

ESET states that the advertised price is valid for the first term only. They send advance notification via email before renewal price increases occur, allowing you to decide whether to continue.

Source
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.

ESET NOD32 Antivirus: How many devices can I protect on a single subscription?

You can customize the number of protected devices from 1-10 on most plans. Premium and Ultimate tiers include VPN access that varies by device count: Essential/Premium include 3-5 VPN devices, while Ultimate covers 10-25 VPN devices depending on total plan size.

Source
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.

ESET NOD32 Antivirus: Is there an extra charge to protect Android devices?

Android protection is available as an optional add-on at $5 per year per device, in addition to your main subscription cost.

Source
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.

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