Tools

You have a web app that you want to test. Maybe it is a customer portal, an API, or a full-blown SaaS platform. You know you need a security tool, but the options are overwhelming.

Invicti, Burp Suite, OWASP ZAP. Each one is powerful. Each one is completely different. And the worst mistake you can make is choosing the wrong one for your job.

Let me give you the honest breakdown, no corporate fluff, just what actually works in the real world.

What You Need to Know

The fast answer before I go into detail.

If you are an enterprise security team, or a DevOps organization that is looking for an automated tool that will produce minimum false positive alerts, you should consider Invicti. You have money available to spend on a 3rd party tool, and you want that tool to integrate into your CI/CD pipeline so it has little to no human supervision.

If you are a penetration tester or a security researcher, and want full control of all request and response data, Burp Suite is your product to help get you there. You like to spend a lot of time figuring out chaining vulnerability patterns, and understand how the application works by living in the Proxy tab.

If you are an individual with no money, just starting out, or a need for a basic tool that does a passable job, OWASP ZAP is going to be your tool of choice.

The Three Tools

Invicti (Formerly Netsparker)

Invicti is the polished, enterprise-grade option. It is built for teams that want to push a button and get a reliable report.

What makes Invicti different:
Invicti uses something called proof-based scanning. Instead of just telling you "hey, we found a potential SQL injection," Invicti actually tries to exploit the vulnerability safely to confirm it works. This is a huge deal because it drastically reduces false positives.

Your security team will not waste hours chasing phantom issues. The report you get from Invicti is generally accurate and actionable.

The downside:
It is expensive. This is not a tool for freelancers or small consultancies. The pricing is enterprise-level, and the tool reflects that.

The level of manual control provided by Burp Suite is not comparable with Invicti; Invicti allows interception and modification of requests, yet the automated workflow was configured for automated testing, rather than to allow for detailed manual testing. 

There are three major types of user groups using Invicti: 
1. Companies that employ large numbers of people and have dedicated Application Security staff. 
2. Teams in the DevOps environment who are attempting to build security into their continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) processes. 
3. Organizations that need to provide compliance reports and are trying to minimize their number of false positives.

Burp Suite

Burp Suite is the standard. If you are a penetration tester, you probably already use it. If you do not, you should.

What makes Burp Suite different:
Burp is not really a scanner. It is a toolkit. The heart of Burp is the Proxy, which lets you intercept, view, and modify every single request and response between your browser and the target application. It gives you god-level control.

You can set up complex attack chains, automate tasks with macros, and use the Intruder to brute force parameters and endpoints. The community edition is powerful enough for most people. The Pro version adds features that make testing much faster.

The downside:
Burp Suite itself isn’t a beginner-friendly tool to do automated scans. The automated scanner is built into Burp Suite but it takes a knowledgeable user to gain the full potential from the automated scanner. Clicking “Scan” and leaving it to run will give you results but it’s going to be a lot of “junk” in those results. 
It also has a learning curve and is not very intuitive. 

A good user would have a fundamental knowledge of HTTP, cookies, sessions, and web application functionality in order to utilize this very powerful tool effectively. 

The typical users for Burp Suite are either:
1. Penetration testers (the majority of users).
2. Bug bounty hunters.
3. Security researchers and reverse engineers.
4. Anyone who needs deep, manual control over testing.

OWASP ZAP

ZAP is the free, community-driven alternative to Burp. It is an open-source project backed by OWASP.

What makes ZAP different:
It is free. That alone makes it the most accessible tool for people learning web security.

ZAP is similar to Burp in its functionality: both have proxies, scanners, and many different automation options; in addition, they are both extremely extensible and support numerous add-ons, thanks to the large community who has contributed their scripts and configurations for a wide variety of use cases.

When comparing Burp Pro to ZAP, some of the major differences are:
1. The user interface of ZAP is not as refined as Burp Pro, and feels somewhat clunky when in use.
2. The scanning engine of ZAP is slower than that of Burp Pro, and produces a far greater number of false-positive results.
3. The process of setting up authentication and session handling within ZAP takes a significantly longer period of time to accomplish than it would in Burp Pro.

In limited cases, ZAP may be able to work effectively with complex applications (i.e., SPAs that are built almost entirely upon JavaScript) if you are comparing it to Invicti and Burp. Nevertheless, if you were to use ZAP on these types of web applications, the performance of ZAP will be considerably less than that of Invicti or Burp.

Some of the users of ZAP include:
1. Students and individuals working to expand their knowledge base regarding web application security.
2. Small consulting companies with budget constraints that prevent them from acquiring Burp Pro.
3. Teams that have a requirement to use a free tool for basic scanning as part of their CI/CD delivery process.
4. Individuals who support the concept of open source, and are interested in conducting some form of technology experimentation.

Head-to-Head: The Real-World Differences

Scanning and Automation

If you want to set up a scanner and let it run, Invicti is your best bet. It handles complex authentication, crawls JavaScript-heavy sites, and produces clean reports.

Burp Suite can scan, but you need to drive it. You need to set up the scope, handle the authentication, and review the results carefully.
ZAP can scan, but it is the slowest and noisiest. You will spend a lot of time filtering out false positives.

Manual Testing

For manual testing, Burp Suite wins without question. It is the most responsive, the most flexible, and the most powerful. If you are doing manual pen testing, you need Burp.

Invicti is not designed for manual testing. It is designed for automation. ZAP is decent for manual testing, but it is slower and clumsier than Burp.

CI/CD Integration

All three tools integrate with CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, GitLab, GitHub Actions). Invicti is the most polished for this use case. It is designed for DevOps.
Burp Pro can be scripted, but it is not as smooth. ZAP is free and has good automation options, but it requires more configuration.
Pricing

It's time to make some hard choices.
1. OWASP ZAP - 100% free!
2. Burp Suite - Approximately $449 annually per user (£350).
3. Burp Suite Enterprise - Quote only (highly priced).
4. Invicti - Quote only (highly priced) and generally begins in the thousands of pounds per annum.

Real-World Scenarios: Which Tool Should You Choose?

Scenario 1: You are a Penetration Tester

You have to do a manual investigation of a complicated web application. This testing will require you to capture requests, change them, brute force the parameters, and assess for chains of vulnerabilities. 

You should definitely select Burp Suite Pro. This is the only tool you should use, as it is the best in the business and the only tool that has the rapid processing and the total number of features you should require. The community version of this tool is FREE; but the Pro Version is certainly worth every cent of its cost if you are interested in saving time and having access to every feature possible. 

Scenario 2: You are a Security Team located in a Large Enterprise

You have numerous applications with several being located in the DevOps pipeline, and your security team is limited in size. You need to automatically scan the applications and receive accurate reports based on those scans.

You should select Invicti. This tool is going to provide you with proof-based scanning that greatly reduces the amount of false-positives your security team will have to deal with. This will enable your team to have more time to concentrate on actual security issues identified in the report; therefore, although it may be expensive, it may actually be cheaper than hiring a person or two to sift through all the false-positive findings you will receive on your applications. 

Scenario 3: You are a Student or a New Security Professional

You want to learn about web-based security and you do not have any funds available to you.

The tool you should select is OWASP ZAP because it is free and has a large amount of information related to it that will assist in getting a good understanding of the basics of web application security concepts. You can always change over to Burp at a later time if you like. 

Scenario 4: Your Consultancy is On a Tight Budget

You need a scanning solution that will identify vulnerabilities within your clients’ applications.

Burp Suite Pro is your starting point. It's cost-effective for professionals and you can use it for limited amounts of manual testing and automated scans under your budget. If you have the budget, look into Invicti for better automation.

Scenario 5: Your DevOps Team is Adopting a Security Lifecycle

You need a scanning solution that fits within your CI/CD pipeline, will authenticate users, and provides VULNERABILITIES REPORTING.

Start with Invicti; it is designed for ZAP (Automating Testing with ZAP). If you do not have a budget, you could also use Burp Pro with integration; however, this requires additional effort.

Summary Table

The Bottom Line

There is no single "best" tool. There is only the right tool for your job.
If you are a penetration tester, buy Burp Suite Pro. If you are a large enterprise, invest in Invicti. If you are learning or have no budget, start with ZAP.

Many professionals actually use two tools. They use ZAP or Burp for manual testing and Invicti for automated scanning. You do not have to choose just one if you have the budget.

The most important thing is to start testing your applications. Whatever tool you choose, use it regularly. Find vulnerabilities before the attackers do.

Quick Links

FAQ Section

Is the OWASP ZAP as powerful as the Burp Suite?

If you're looking for only manual testing, then no. The Burp Suite is much more powerful with considerably faster response times than the OWASP ZAP. If you're looking to perform basic scanning and or learn, then the OWASP ZAP is a great alternative as it is an excellent & free option. The right tool for you to use depends upon your requirements and budget.

Can I use the Invicti for manual testing like the Burp Suite?

It is not ideal. The Invicti was primarily designed for automated scanning; however, there are some features present within Invicti that will allow basic manual testing, whereas the Burp Suite will provide more extensive hands-on manual testing.

Which tool has the least amount of false positives?

The Invicti has the least amount of false positives due to its proof scanning technology. The Invicti will validate vulnerabilities by exploiting them during the scanning process prior to reporting them.

Is it necessary to pay for the Burp Suite?

A free version of the Burp Suite (named Burp Suite Community Edition), provides users the ability to use the proxy and most of the core functionality. The Pro version adds additional functionality, such as an automated scanner, an intruder with unlimited payloads, and an extensibility functionality. Most professionals utilize the Pro version of the Burp Suite.

Which tool is the best for a beginner?

The OWASP ZAP is widely recognized as the best tool for beginners since it's free, has a much larger user base and community around it; therefore, you can learn the fundamentals of web application security testing without spending any money. Once you become more experienced and knowledgeable about the fundamentals, you can decide if you need to utilize the Burp Suite or Invicti.