Cybersecurity · head to head
OWASP ZAP vs Veracode
OWASP ZAP
Cybersecurity
Free, open-source web application scanner and intercepting proxy, now governed by the Software Security Project.
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Veracode
Cybersecurity
Application risk management platform for finding and fixing software vulnerabilities.
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only OWASP ZAP has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- 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.; Veracode no public pricing; customers must request a demo and custom quote.
- They diverge on capability: OWASP ZAP covers Intercepting proxy, Veracode covers Static analysis (SAST).
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which OWASP ZAP and Veracode actually diverge.
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 OWASP ZAP
- Intercepting proxy
- Passive scanner
- Active scanner
- AJAX spider
- Automation Framework
- Headless daemon and REST API
- Docker images
- Add-on marketplace
Only in Veracode
- Static analysis (SAST)
- Dynamic analysis (DAST)
- Software composition analysis
- AI-driven code remediation
- Container security
- Risk Manager (ASPM)
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 Veracode
- Manual penetration testing that needs an intercepting proxy, request replay and fuzzing without a paid licence per testernot Veracode
- Teaching developers what an attack against their own endpoint looks like, using a tool they can install themselvesnot Veracode
- Pre-release regression scanning of an internal application that would never justify a commercial DAST subscriptionnot Veracode
Veracode
- Scanning applications for vulnerabilities across the SDLCnot OWASP ZAP
- Automating remediation of flagged security flaws with AInot OWASP ZAP
- Securing containerized workloads before deploymentnot OWASP ZAP
- Running penetration tests as a managed servicenot OWASP ZAP
- Enforcing security policy governance across many applicationsnot 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.
Veracode
- No public pricing; customers must request a demo and custom quote.
- Full platform capability spans many modules, which can require significant onboarding.
- Package Firewall and PTaaS are separate add-ons rather than included by default.
- Primarily built for enterprise scale, less suited to small individual projects.
Pricing, plan by plan
OWASP ZAP
Free- Free & Open SourceFree
- Full functionality
- Active & passive scanning
- Spider
Veracode
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Veracode review.
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 Veracode if
- You need static analysis (sast).
- You work on web, api.
- You also want dynamic analysis (dast).
Questions people ask
- Is OWASP ZAP or Veracode better?
- Neither clearly leads. OWASP ZAP starts at Free and Veracode at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, OWASP ZAP or Veracode?
- OWASP ZAP has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for OWASP ZAP and On request for Veracode.
- Does OWASP ZAP or Veracode run on more platforms?
- OWASP ZAP runs on Desktop, Cli, Api. Veracode runs on web, api.
- Can I use OWASP ZAP for free?
- Yes. OWASP ZAP has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Veracode starts at On request.
- 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 Veracode is typically brought in for.
- What can OWASP ZAP do that Veracode cannot?
- OWASP ZAP covers Intercepting proxy, Passive scanner, Active scanner, AJAX spider. Veracode covers Static analysis (SAST), Dynamic analysis (DAST), Software composition analysis, AI-driven code remediation.
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.
Veracode: How does Veracode pricing work?
Veracode does not publish pricing on their website. Organizations must request a personalized demo or contact sales to receive quotes tailored to their specific needs and usage volume.
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.
Veracode: Does Veracode offer a free trial or free version?
No information about free trials or free versions is provided on Veracode's public website. Organizations must contact sales to discuss trial options.
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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