Developer Tools · head to head
Nx Cloud vs OWASP ZAP
Nx Cloud
Developer Tools
Distributed CI and remote caching for monorepo teams
- From
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
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
- Each has a real cost: Nx Cloud requires Nx workspace setup; integration limited to Nx build system; 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: Nx Cloud covers Nx Replay, OWASP ZAP covers Intercepting proxy.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Nx Cloud and OWASP ZAP actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (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 Nx Cloud
- Nx Replay
- Nx Agents
- Remote execution
- Advanced analytics
- Conformance rules
- AI-powered recovery
- Multi-repository visibility
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.
Nx Cloud
- Accelerating monorepo CI pipelines with distributed task executionnot OWASP ZAP
- Reducing build times through remote caching and incremental buildsnot OWASP ZAP
- Scaling development teams across complex multi-package projectsnot OWASP ZAP
- Enforcing consistency and standards across monorepo workspacesnot 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 Nx Cloud
- Manual penetration testing that needs an intercepting proxy, request replay and fuzzing without a paid licence per testernot Nx Cloud
- Teaching developers what an attack against their own endpoint looks like, using a tool they can install themselvesnot Nx Cloud
- Pre-release regression scanning of an internal application that would never justify a commercial DAST subscriptionnot Nx Cloud
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Nx Cloud
- Requires Nx workspace setup; integration limited to Nx build system
- Free tier restricted to 5 contributors; larger teams require paid plans
- Credits system adds complexity to cost prediction vs flat-rate competitors
- Self-hosted Enterprise deployment requires significant operational overhead
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
Nx Cloud
Free- HobbyFree
- 50,000 monthly credits
- 5 contributors
- 10 concurrent CI connections
- Team$29/month
- Usage-based credits ($29 base plus overage)
- Unlimited contributors
- Remote caching
- Enterprise$undefined/custom
- Complete feature access
- Conformance rules
- Cross-repository visibility
OWASP ZAP
Free- Free & Open SourceFree
- Full functionality
- Active & passive scanning
- Spider
Which should you pick?
Choose Nx Cloud if
- You need nx replay.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, CI/CD Systems.
- You also want nx agents.
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 Nx Cloud or OWASP ZAP better?
- Neither clearly leads. Nx Cloud 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, Nx Cloud or OWASP ZAP?
- Nx Cloud starts at Free and OWASP ZAP at Free.
- Does Nx Cloud or OWASP ZAP run on more platforms?
- Nx Cloud runs on Web, CI/CD Systems. OWASP ZAP runs on Desktop, Cli, Api.
- Can I use Nx Cloud for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Nx Cloud best used for?
- Nx Cloud is most often used for accelerating monorepo ci pipelines with distributed task execution, reducing build times through remote caching and incremental builds, scaling development teams across complex multi-package projects, enforcing consistency and standards across monorepo workspaces. Of those, accelerating monorepo ci pipelines with distributed task execution and reducing build times through remote caching and incremental builds are not what OWASP ZAP is typically brought in for.
- What can Nx Cloud do that OWASP ZAP cannot?
- Nx Cloud covers Nx Replay, Nx Agents, Remote execution, Advanced analytics. OWASP ZAP covers Intercepting proxy, Passive scanner, Active scanner, AJAX spider.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Nx Cloud: What is included in the free Hobby plan?
The Hobby plan includes 50,000 monthly credits, support for 5 contributors, 10 concurrent CI connections, and basic analytics at no cost with no credit card required.
SourceOWASP 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.
Nx Cloud: How are overages charged on the Team plan?
The Team plan starts at $29/month with included credits. Additional credits cost $5.50 per 10,000 credits, extra contributors cost $19 each, and additional CI connections cost $2.25 each.
SourceOWASP 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.
Nx Cloud: Can Nx Cloud be self-hosted?
Yes, Enterprise customers can deploy Nx Cloud on-premises or on managed infrastructure to maintain full control over data and infrastructure.
SourceOWASP 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.
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