Cybersecurity · head to head
OWASP ZAP vs Terragrunt
OWASP ZAP
Cybersecurity
Free, open-source web application scanner and intercepting proxy, now governed by the Software Security Project.
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Terragrunt
Cloud
The Open Source IaC Orchestrator Platform Teams Trust
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: 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.; Terragrunt additional complexity layer on top of Terraform
- They diverge on capability: OWASP ZAP covers Intercepting proxy, Terragrunt covers Infrastructure orchestration.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which OWASP ZAP and Terragrunt actually diverge.
| Attribute | OWASP ZAP | Terragrunt |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | free | Unknown |
| Platforms | Desktop, Cli, Api | AWS, Azure, GCP |
| Category | Cybersecurity | Cloud |
| Founded | 2001 | Unknown |
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 OWASP ZAP
- Intercepting proxy
- Passive scanner
- Active scanner
- AJAX spider
- Automation Framework
- Headless daemon and REST API
- Docker images
- Add-on marketplace
Only in Terragrunt
- Infrastructure orchestration
- Run Queue
- DRY configuration
- Automated hooks
- Infrastructure catalog
- Least-privilege access
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
OWASP ZAP
- Adding a baseline security scan to every application's pipeline where per-target commercial licensing would limit coverage to a handfulnot Terragrunt
- Manual penetration testing that needs an intercepting proxy, request replay and fuzzing without a paid licence per testernot Terragrunt
- Teaching developers what an attack against their own endpoint looks like, using a tool they can install themselvesnot Terragrunt
- Pre-release regression scanning of an internal application that would never justify a commercial DAST subscriptionnot Terragrunt
Terragrunt
- Organizing Terraform code across multiple environmentsnot OWASP ZAP
- Automating infrastructure deployment workflowsnot OWASP ZAP
- Implementing infrastructure as code templates for developer self-servicenot OWASP ZAP
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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.
Terragrunt
- Additional complexity layer on top of Terraform
- Requires understanding of Terraform concepts
- Paid tier pricing not clearly published
Pricing, plan by plan
OWASP ZAP
Free- Free & Open SourceFree
- Full functionality
- Active & passive scanning
- Spider
Terragrunt
Free- Open SourceFree
- Terragrunt CLI - completely free
- Community support
- Terragrunt Scale FreeFree
- Free CI/CD pipeline
- Unlimited runs and resources
- For up to 25 infrastructure units
- Terragrunt Scale Paid$undefined/custom
- Volume pricing for more than 25 infrastructure units
- Enterprise support
Which should you pick?
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.
Choose Terragrunt if
- You need infrastructure orchestration.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on AWS, Azure, GCP.
- You also want run queue.
Questions people ask
- Is OWASP ZAP or Terragrunt better?
- Neither clearly leads. OWASP ZAP starts at Free and Terragrunt at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, OWASP ZAP or Terragrunt?
- OWASP ZAP starts at Free and Terragrunt at Free.
- Does OWASP ZAP or Terragrunt run on more platforms?
- OWASP ZAP runs on Desktop, Cli, Api. Terragrunt runs on AWS, Azure, GCP.
- Can I use OWASP ZAP for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is OWASP ZAP best used for?
- OWASP ZAP is most often used for adding a baseline security scan to every application's pipeline where per-target commercial licensing would limit coverage to a handful, manual penetration testing that needs an intercepting proxy, request replay and fuzzing without a paid licence per tester, teaching developers what an attack against their own endpoint looks like, using a tool they can install themselves, pre-release regression scanning of an internal application that would never justify a commercial dast subscription. Of those, adding a baseline security scan to every application's pipeline where per-target commercial licensing would limit coverage to a handful and manual penetration testing that needs an intercepting proxy, request replay and fuzzing without a paid licence per tester are not what Terragrunt is typically brought in for.
- What can OWASP ZAP do that Terragrunt cannot?
- OWASP ZAP covers Intercepting proxy, Passive scanner, Active scanner, AJAX spider. Terragrunt covers Infrastructure orchestration, Run Queue, DRY configuration, Automated hooks.
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.
Terragrunt: Is Terragrunt free?
Yes, the Terragrunt CLI is completely free and open source. Terragrunt Scale offers a free tier for up to 25 infrastructure units.
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.
Terragrunt: What is the difference between Terragrunt and Terraform?
Terragrunt is an orchestration layer on top of Terraform that handles state management, DRY principles, and deployment automation without replacing Terraform itself.
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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