15 Best Dynamic Application Security Testing Software [DAST Tools] in 2023

A deep dive into popular Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) software, with their services and key features for you to compare and pick from:

Dynamic Application Security Testing is the process of testing the security of an application in the production stage. A DAST tool can test an application just with the app URL and the credentials to scan behind the logged-in pages.

List of DAST Testing Tools

1. Astra Pentest
2. OWASP Zap
3. W3AF
4. Nikto
5. InsightAppSec
6. Netsparker
7. Appscan
8. Acunetix
9. Indusface WAS
10. Detectify
11. StackHawk
12. Veracode
13. AppKnox
14. Checkmarx
15. WebInspect

Why Astra is the best in pentesting?

• We’re the only company that combines automated & manual pentest to create a one-of-a-kind pentest platform
• Vetted scans ensure zero false positives
• Our intelligent vulnerability scanner emulates hacker behavior & evolves with every pentest
• Astra’s scanner helps you shift left by integrating with your CI/CD
• Our platform helps you uncover, manage & fix vulnerabilities in one place
• Trusted by the brands you trust like Agora, Spicejet, Muthoot, Dream11, etc.

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Factors To Consider Before Buying A DAST Solutions

DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing) tools are automated tools that scan for vulnerabilities in web applications. But not all these tools are the same, and not all of them will be useful to your business. If you’re considering buying an automated Dynamic application security testing tool, there are a few points you should keep in mind before committing.

1. Make sure the Dynamic Application Security Testing tool is easy to keep and can be used by most of your team members.
2. The DAST tool should provide you with an in-depth scan report. 
3. The DAST tool should have human support to help with your queries.
4. Check the market reputation of the external service provider
5. Understand how easily Dynamic Application Security Testing Tools can be integrated with your software development life cycle (SDLC)

These pointers will help you avoid common pitfalls in the buying process and ensure you get the most out of your investment.

15 DAST Tools [Reviewed]

Here’s a list of DAST tools comparison to help you make the right choice. 

1. Astra Pentest

Features

• Scanner Capacity: Web and Mobile Applications, Cloud Infrastructure, API, and Networks
• Manual Pentest: Yes
• Accuracy: Zero False Positives Assured (Vetted Scans)
• Vulnerability Management:  Remediation Assistance, Detailed Reports, POC videos
• Compliance: GDPR, ISO 27001, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, SOC 2
• Price: Starts at $99/month

Astra Pentest is a gem among DAST scanning tools that anyone can use to detect vulnerabilities in their application. It is a cloud-based application that can be accessed anywhere with an internet connection and runs on any platform. 

Additional features of  Astra Pentest include:

Astra Vulnerability Scanner

Astra’s DAST scanner uses NIST and OWASP methodologies to give a brief scan of your system.

The DAST scanner also provides continuous scanning facilities with its comprehensive scanner that is capable of conducting more the 3000 tests to find any and every hidden vulnerability.

It offers deep scans for web applications, APIs, networks, mobile applications, and cloud infrastructure at a cost.

Regular Penetration Tests

Astra Pentest also provides hacker-style automated and manual pentests which are performed by security experts. Continuous penetration tests help identify and exploit the vulnerabilities found through vulnerability scans. This helps organizations gain an in-depth understanding of how an actual hack would affect their systems, network, and data. 

Detailed Reports

Once the vulnerability scanning is completed a report is generated which includes the scope of testing, a list of vulnerabilities found, their details, and possible remediation measures. 

It also mentions its CVSS score and Astra goes a step further by providing customers with an actionable vulnerability risk score based on which critical vulnerabilities can be prioritized.

Intuitive Dashboard (CXO friendly)

Astra Pentest boasts a CXO-friendly dashboard that is super easy to navigate. It displays the vulnerabilities as and when they are found. 

Members of the development team can be added to the dashboard to collaborate with pentesters for quicker vulnerability resolution. 

The dashboard also offers the option to comment under each vulnerability so that the development team can clear queries quickly.

CI/CD Integrations

Astra offers CI/CD integration services for organizations. This helps companies move from DevOps To DevSecOps, thus giving more priority to security within every phase of a project’s development. It offers integrations with Slack, GitHub, and GitLab to name a few. 

Compliance-specific Scans

Astra offers the option to scan for specific compliances required by your organization. It provides a compliance-specific dashboard where you can opt for the specific compliance to scan for. 

Once the scan is complete the results reveal the areas of non-compliance. Compliance-specific scans provided by Astra include PCI-DSS, HIPAA, SOC2, ISO 27001, and GDPR. 

Remediation Support

Once vulnerability scanning with Astra is complete Astra also provides detailed steps for remediation based on risk prioritization. This is done with the aid of POC videos and collaboration within the vulnerability dashboard.

Pros

• Continuous proactive security testing
• CI/CD integration
• Collaborative remediation with in-call assistance from security experts
• Scan behind logged-in pages
• Zero false positives
• Optimized pentest for single-page apps

Cons

• No free trial
• Minimal numbers of integration

2. OWASP Zap

Features: 

• Scanner Capacity: Web application security testing, network ports, and API testing
• Manual Pentest: Yes (Used by experts to carry it out)
• Accuracy: False positives possible
• Scan Behind Logins: Yes
• Vulnerability Management:  No
• Compliance: OWASP
• Price: Open-Source

One of the best open-source DAST tools is OWASP ZAP. This is an OWASP project that acts as a web application security testing tool. It is an open-source tool that provides a scanner and an integrated development environment (IDE) to find many application security risks. 

This free DAST tool is used to scan any application hosted locally or on a web server. It can be used by anyone interested in finding the security loopholes in a web application. The scanner is coded in Java, and it is a tool that can be used in any operating system.

They provide authenticated scans, have add-ons for API testing, and also provided dynamic application scanning. 

Pros

• Open source software
• Large community with lots of contributors.
• Wide range of security testing features
• Reporting features are customizable

Cons

• Automated scanning comes with limitations
• Can be complicated for beginners
• Outdated user interface. 

3. W3AF

Features: 

• Scanner Capacity: Web applications
• Manual Pentest: No
• Accuracy: False positives possible
• Scan Behind Logins: Yes
• Vulnerability Management:  No
• Compliance: Not Provided
• Price: Open-Source

W3AF is an open-source DAST tool and is a Web Application Attack and Audit Framework. The framework is extensible with modules designed to be easy to configure and extend. 

The framework can either be used in a manual or automated way by using the API in the Python language.

Key features include ease of expansion, Cookie handling and Proxy support. 

Pros 

• Easy-to-use for beginners
• Available freely.

Cons

• False positives are a possibility.
• GUI can be difficult to navigate.

4. Nikto

Features: 

• Scanner Capacity: Web server scans
• Manual Pentest: No
• Accuracy: False positives possible
• Scan Behind Logins: Yes
• Vulnerability Management:  No
• Compliance: No
• Price: Open-Source

Another winner among free DAST tools is Nikto an open-source web server scanner that performs comprehensive tests against web servers for multiple items. 

This includes over 6700 potentially dangerous files/programs, checks for outdated server versions, and version-specific problems on over 270 server versions. 

 Server versions like Apache, MySQL, FTP, ProFTPd, Courier, Netscape, iPlanet, Lotus, BIND, MyDoom, and more. 

Key features include scans for 6000+ vulnerabilities and the detection of version-specific problems. 

Pros

• Checks for 6000+ vulnerabilities
• Detects version-specific problems

Cons

• False positives are present.
• The tool is resource intensive and can result in slow scans
• Limited reporting capacities. 

5. InsightAppSec

Features: 

• Scanner Capacity: Web applications
• Manual Pentest: No
• Accuracy: False Positives Possible
• Scan Behind Logins: Yes
• Vulnerability Management: Yes  
• Compliance: No
• Cost: $175/month

InsightAppSec is a dynamic application security testing (DAST) solution by Rapid7. It provides customers with a modern approach to application security.

 Automatic assessment of modern web apps is carried out to find vulnerabilities and comes with fewer false positives. 

InsightAppSec tests for more than 95 attacks, including the OWASP Top Ten and other major security vulnerabilities.

Key features include testing for more than 95 attacks, minimal false positives, and coverage of OWASP top 10. 

Pros

• Great scanning abilities that help meet compliance requirements.
• Their services are easy to use and deploy.
• The services are scalable based on customer requirements.

Cons

• Scanned devices can only be removed manually. 
• Inadequate customer satisfaction. 

6. Netsparker (Invicti)

Features: 

• Scanner Capacity: Web applications and APIs
• Manual Pentest: No
• Accuracy: False Positives Possible
• Scan Behind Logins: No
• Vulnerability Management: Yes  
• Compliance: PCI-DSS, HIPAA, OWASP, ISO 27001
• Price: Quote on Request

Next on the list of DAST tools is Netsparker or Invicti. Netsparker is a powerful, highly accurate, automated web application security scanner. It is the de-facto standard for detecting, locating, and reporting application security risks. 

It is used by developers, auditors, and security professionals to improve the security of web applications.

It is capable of scanning apps regardless of the tech stack and provides automated web app scanning.

Pros:

• Lot of options to select security policies from
• IAST enabled scans
• Zero false positives

Cons:

• No support for 2FA and MFA apps
• Slows down while scanning large applications 

7. Appscan

Features: 

• Scanner Capacity: Web application
• Manual Pentest: No
• Accuracy: False positives possible
• Scan Behind Logins: No
• Vulnerability Management: Yes 
• Compliance: HIPAA, OWASP, PCI-DSS
• Price: On Request

HCL AppScan is a centralized DAST scanner for web applications. It is used to scan and detect the vulnerability of the web application. 

It is one of the best web application vulnerability scanners in the industry. AppScan is currently available in two versions, one for commercial use and one for enterprise use.

It comes with a comprehensive security scanner as well as Dynamic and Interactive application security testing. 

Pros 

• Easy to use DAST tool
• Helps with detailed documentation
• Easy to integrate with CI/CD

Cons

• Could have a better interface
• Scanning takes time
• Difficult to troubleshoot

8. Acunetix

Features:

• Scanner Capacity: Web applications
• Manual Pentests: No
• Accuracy: False positives possible
• Scan Behind Logins: Yes
• Compliance: OWASP, ISO 27001, PCI-DSS, NIST
• Expert Remediation: Yes
• Pricing: $4,495/website

Acunetix, a well-known DAST provider among dynamic application security testing tools, is a commercial product made by Invicti, and it is available in both a desktop version and a cloud version. 

Acunetix is an automated tool that can crawl your site, identify vulnerabilities and allow you to fix them before your site is hacked.

This fully automated web vulnerability scanning tool is capable of detecting over 4500 vulnerabilities which include variants of SQL and  XSS injections.

Pros:

• Provides an inventory of assets. 
• Fully automated vulnerability scanner
• Optimizable for different platforms
• Easy to schedule scans.  
• Scans across environments.  

Cons:

• Difficult to add users
• The interface isn’t fresh
• Vulnerability PoCs are too complex

9. Indusface WAS

Features: 

• Scanner Capacity: Web and mobile applications, APIs
• Manual Pentest: Yes
• Accuracy: Zero false positives 
• Scan Behind Logins: Yes
• Vulnerability Management: Yes 
• Compliance: PCI-DSS, ISO 27001
• Price: $ 199/app/month – yearly

Indusface WAS is one of the popular DAST solutions that comes with an automated vulnerability scanner coupled with manual pentesting capabilities. It offers visibility into OWASP top 10 vulnerabilities as well as business logic errors. 

They promise zero false positives. The scan reports come with remediation guidance so that the developers can implement fixes quickly.

Pros

• Assured zero false positives through zero-day protection. 
• Helps achieve compliance with regulations like PCI-DSS and ISO 27001. 
• Vulnerability detection is not limited to OWASP Top 10. 
• It has an executive dashboard that provides necessary information.

Cons

• Reports are difficult to understand.

10. Detectify

Features: 

• Scanner Capacity: Web application, APIs
• Manual Pentests: No
• Accuracy: False Positives Present
• Scan Behind Logins: No
• Compliance: No Compliance Scanning
• Expert Remediation: No
• Cost: $89/month

Detectify is one of the best among DAST scanners that also provides an automated penetration testing tool that helps you stay on top of threats. This means you can get instant notifications about vulnerabilities and fix them before attackers exploit them. 

They help you with the automatic discovery of threats and give you ways to mitigate the risk.

Detectify’s cloud-based service lets you scan your web applications and APIs in the cloud, where you can also run your tests against your web services, either manually or automatically.

Pros:

• Easy to configure
• Excellent reports
• Chrome extension for login credentials

Cons:

• Expensive option
• Customers have faced issues with the interface
• Performance issues are reported by users

11. StackHawk

Features: 

• Scanner Capacity: APIs, websites
• Manual Pentest: No
• Accuracy: False positives possible
• Scan Behind Logins: Yes
• Vulnerability Management: No 
• Compliance: SOC2, 
• Price: $59/month

StackHawk is a DAST tool specifically designed for automating security testing within the CI/CD pipeline. 

It helps you code securely and protects you from pushing vulnerable code into production.

Other products include developer-centric application security, API security testing, and graphQL security testing. 

Pros

• Great user interface
• Good reporting PDF template
• Easy to integrate into CI/CD pipeline

Cons

• Scans can be time taking
• Set up isn’t easy

12. Veracode

Features: 

• Scanner Capacity: Web applications
• Manual Pentest: Yes
• Accuracy: False positives possible
• Scan Behind Logins: Yes
• Vulnerability Management: Yes
• Compliance: NIST, PCI, OWASP, HIPAA, GDPR
• Price: Quote upon request

Veracode is DAST provider that allows you to scan hundreds of internet-facing assets simultaneously. It promises less than 1% false positives and helps you with the remediation process.

The tool simulates hacker behavior to detect hidden vulnerabilities and can test applications across languages.

It also provides precise remediation information. 

Pros 

• Offers DAST, SAST, and penetration testing services.
• Provides detailed and comprehensive reports.
• Provides automated remediation assistance.

Cons

• Zero false positives are not assured. 
• Could improve its user interface 
• Can be difficult for beginners. 

13. AppKnox

Features: 

• Scanner Capacity: Mobile applications, APIs.
• Manual Pentest: Yes
• Accuracy: False positives possible
• Scan Behind Logins: Yes 
• Vulnerability Management:  No
• Compliance: HIPAA, PCI, GDPR, OWASP
• Price: Quote on request

AppKnox is a DAST tool designed for scanning mobile applications. It is a great tool for API security testing. Overall a great tool for securing internet-facing assets.

This DAST provider also provides manual penetration tests as well as vulnerability assessments.  

Pros 

• Provides App scans, dynamic scans and API scans.
• Covers 130+ test cases
• Quick vulnerability scanning

Cons

• Reporting only available in PDF formats
• False positives possible
• No AWS integration.

14. Checkmarx

Features: 

• Scanner Capacity: Web applications
• Manual Pentest: No
• Accuracy: False positives possible
• Scan Behind Logins: No
• Vulnerability Management: No  
• Compliance: PCI-DSS, ISO27001
• Price: Quote on request

Checkmarx is an enterprise-grade software exposure tool used by over 14000 organizations worldwide including government bodies. 

It is a formidable DAST software that helps you build secure coding practices.

They have put solid research behind the product and has a pool of experienced security and technology professionals backing their services up. 

Besides being one of the best DAST tools, Checkmarx also provides SAST solutions. 

Pros

• Can test for a wide range of security risks.
• Provides detailed well structured reports

Cons

• Scans take time
• False positives possible

15. WebInspect

Features: 

• Scanner Capacity: websites, APIs
• Manual Pentest: No
• Accuracy: False positives possible
• Scan Behind Logins: Yes
• Vulnerability Management: No
• Compliance: No
• Price: Quote on demand

WebInspect is a DAST tool by Microfocus. It is a part of their Fortify on Demand or FoD program. The WebInspect scanner can be used for web app and mobile app scanning.

One of the best DAST tools for DevSecOps, WebInspect also provides excellent remediation support besides its on-demand DAST services. 

Pros

• Highly scalable solution
• Has a centralized dashboard. 

Cons

• Bulky and data consuming DAST solution
• Not very user friendly

Dynamic Application Security Testing And Its Importance

Dynamic application security testing (DAST) is a process of finding security vulnerabilities while the application is in the production phase. DAST is a proactive measure to keep your applications and data safe from hackers. DAST is not just limited to finding security vulnerabilities or coding errors, but it also covers all the aspects of the application, such as data validation, business logic, etc.

Dynamic application security testing is a relatively new testing practice that focuses on assessing the security of software applications at runtime. DAST tools are application security testing tools that can scan an app in the production stage. So what are the benefits?  

1. DAST Tools Works on Real-World Threats: Unlike static application security testing (SAST), which is usually focused on known vulnerabilities, dynamic application security testing (DAST) uses the real-time environment to find vulnerabilities that are not known. 
2. DAST Tools Can Find More Vulnerabilities: DAST solutions can be used to test every feature of an application. Most Dynamic Application Security Testing Tools or scanners come with a set of rules to scan and find security risks.
3. Less False Positives: DAST solutions provide the most accurate and comprehensive coverage for your app. False positives are reduced to a minimum and are determined by DAST scanners rather than discovered during the manual review.

SAST vs DAST – Differences 

This section aims to highlight the differences between SAST and DAST tools. 

Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

• Static Application Security Testing (SAST) is a specialized application testing that analyzes an application’s source code without executing it.
• SAST is also known as code review, source code analysis, or white box testing. 
• The testing is performed on the static source code (hence the term “static”) to ensure that it doesn’t allow for any vulnerabilities.
• The weaknesses can include missing security checks, unsafe usage of cryptographic functions, and poor input validation.

Dynamic Application Security Testing  (DAST)

• Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) involves the inspection of the functionality of an application. 
• DAST evaluates the security of the application, particularly in response to malicious attacks. 
• DAST is used from a black-box perspective, meaning it tests from the outside in, not from the inside out. 
• This allows for a more significant number of vulnerabilities to be detected and more applications to be tested.

Conclusion

This article has mentioned some DAST and SAST tools while predominantly focusing on DAST providers. With so many different types of Dynamic Application Security Testing solutions available, it can be difficult to know what types of solutions are available, what they can do, and which one is the best fit for your organization.

This article and its DAST tools comparison will make it easier for you to make an informed decision.

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