Top 7 Pentesting Tools: Features, Pricing & Comparison ['25]

AIMultiple vetted the top pentesting tools in the market based on their features, price, focus and popularity. See the links below for our reasoning.

Software		For
1.	Invicti	Web Application Scanning
2.	PortSwigger Burp Suite	Manual Pentesting
3.	OWASP Zap	Web application security testing, Intercepting proxy
4.	Nmap	Open source port scanning
5.	Tenable Nessus Professional	Network scanning and security
Show More (2)
6.	Metasploit by InsightVM	Network scanning and discovery
7.	SolarWinds Port Scanner	Port Scanning

1.

Invicti

Web Application Scanning

2.

PortSwigger Burp Suite

Manual Pentesting

3.

OWASP Zap

Web application security testing, Intercepting proxy

4.

Nmap

Open source port scanning

5.

Tenable Nessus Professional

Network scanning and security

Show More (2)

6.

Metasploit by InsightVM

Network scanning and discovery

7.

SolarWinds Port Scanner

Port Scanning

Pentesting tools are software applications used to evaluate the security of computer systems, networks, or web applications by simulating an attack from malicious outsiders. When choosing a pentesting tool, users often consider the tools’:

Discover the top 7 pentesting tools, along with their features and pricing to find the best ones for your needs.

Pentesting tools’ reviews

*Ratings are based on B2B review platforms such as G2 and Capterra. Vendors are ranked according to their rankings except Invicti who is the sponsor of this article.

Selection Criteria

• We focused on companies with over 100 employees.
• We chose software with an average rating of 4/5 across various review platforms.
• The software options we included have diverse pricing structures, with their prices listed publicly in the table.

Pricing and Free Trial Availability

Differentiating features of top pentesting tools

To see the importance of the features, see the section.

Key factors for buyers

• Specific Needs: Automated scanning vs. manual penetration testing prioritization.
• Budget: Commercial products vs. open-source alternatives.
• Integration: Compatibility with existing tools and workflows in your organization.
• Skill Level: Some tools require more technical expertise than others and are suitable for professionals.
• Regulatory Compliance: Certain tools might help in meeting specific industry compliance standards more effectively.

You can see how different tools deliver in these dimensions in their explanations below.

Top pentesting software analyzed

Invicti

Invicti emphasizes the automation of web application security by providing dynamic and interactive application security testing (DAST and IAST). A standout feature of Invicti is its Proof-Based Scanning™ technology, which automatically verifies detected vulnerabilities to reduce false positives and provides proof of exploitability, especially for vulnerabilities related to REST, SOAP, and GraphQL APIs. 

It is designed for large enterprises and is scalable enough to handle extensive web applications and APIs across different environments. Users emphasize Invicti’s convenient features, especially its ability to verify access and SSL injection vulnerabilities and its compatibility with various security tools. ¹

Pros

• Invicti enables web application vulnerability scans and has a straightforward user interface.
• Invicti provides detailed remediation guidance for vulnerabilities and supports complex web application architectures.
• The tool features low false positive/negative rates, script injection per request, and supportive customer service.

Cons

• Invicti’s licensing process tied to URLs is strict, making it difficult to retrieve licenses in case of errors.
• The software lacks support for 2FA or MFA applications and can slow down during web scanning processes for larger applications.
• Invicti’s high resource consumption can lead to system slowdowns.

Choose Invicti for Comprehensive Web Application Scanning

Portswigger Burp Suite Professional

Burp Suite Professional offers a combination of manual and automated testing tools, making it popular among security professionals who appreciate hands-on control over security testing.

It features an intercepting proxy that allows users to monitor and manipulate network traffic between the browser and the internet. Many reviewers have noted the solution’s simple setup, highlighting its easy and straightforward installation process. ²

Pros

• Burp Suite is recognized for its utility in security testing, with features like request interception, response manipulation, and extension installation.
• The tool is commended for its specific features such as Intruder and Repeater, which allow for repeated requests and an automatic scan feature that provides detailed reports with fewer false positives.
• Users appreciate the tool’s numerous extensions, easy setup and installation, proactive proxy mechanism, and the functionality of its active scan feature.

Cons

• Users find Burp Suite’s interface complex and challenging to master, requiring substantial study to understand all functionalities.
• The community version restricts certain features, nudges users to upgrade to the pro version, and excludes some basic features.
• Users report dissatisfaction with the reporting feature, issues with log separation, constant configuration changes for certain browsers, and a high number of false positives.

OWASP ZAP (Zed Attack Proxy)

As an OWASP project, ZAP is open-source and developed by the security community, making it highly accessible and community-driven. It includes an automated scanner that helps find security vulnerabilities in web applications during the development and testing phases. Users cite that OWASP ZAP is user-friendly for beginners.³

Additionally, it supports both active scanning, which attempts to exploit vulnerabilities, and passive scanning, which involves observing network traffic to identify issues.

Pros

• OWASP ZAP is completely free and open-source, making it an accessible tool for both individuals and organizations looking to perform web application security testing without licensing costs.
• The tool is designed with a simple and intuitive GUI, enabling users with varying levels of expertise to effectively identify vulnerabilities in web applications.
• OWASP ZAP benefits from an active community that contributes plugins, tutorials, and regular updates, ensuring the tool stays relevant and versatile.

Cons

• While suitable for small to medium-sized projects, OWASP ZAP may face performance challenges when scanning large, complex web applications.
• The reporting features are basic compared to some commercial alternatives, which may require users to perform additional analysis or formatting for client-facing reports.
• OWASP ZAP occasionally struggles to handle advanced frameworks, dynamic content, or single-page applications (SPAs) built with technologies like React or Angular, leading to incomplete vulnerability detection.

Tenable Nessus

Nessus is primarily known for its vulnerability scanning capabilities. It offers a wide range of plugins that automatically update to address the latest vulnerabilities, providing coverage across various devices and software. Users observe that the tool’s plugins are regularly updated to include the latest vulnerabilities and offer suggestions for remediation.⁴

Additionally, Nessus includes features for configuration auditing, compliance checking, and patch management, enhancing its utility to ensure adherence to industry standards and security best practices. 

Pros

• Nessus is known for its extensive database of plugins, enabling detailed vulnerability assessments across a wide range of systems and devices.
• Supports a wide range of operating systems, devices, and applications, ensuring broad coverage.
• Easily integrates with security information and event management (SIEM) systems and other security tools for enhanced workflows.

Cons

• The Professional version of Nessus can be costly for smaller organizations or individual users.
• Scans can take a significant amount of time or strain network resources in large-scale environments.
• Nessus focuses on detection rather than exploitation, making it less suitable for full-fledged penetration testing.

Metasploit Pro by Rapid7

Metasploit Pro is a tool that prioritizes risks and demonstrates vulnerabilities through a closed-loop validation system. Additionally, it evaluates security awareness by conducting simulated phishing email campaigns. Metasploit specializes in creating and managing payloads that exploit vulnerabilities.

Metasploit Pro and the open-source Metasploit Framework should not be confused, as one is a paid pen-testing tool while the other is a free framework.

Pro Features that are not available in Metasploit Framework:

• Task Chains
• Social Engineering
• Vulnerability Validations
• GUI
• Quick Start Wizards
• Nexpose Integration

Metasploit Pro UI ⁵

Pros

• Metasploit contains a database of user-adjustable exploits and can connect to other security tools, aiding vulnerability testing.
• Metasploit provides pre-installed exploits in Kali Linux, offering accurate results for penetration testing and large scale exploit automation.
• Metasploit supports the creation of custom payloads, making it a versatile tool for penetration testing and vulnerability analysis.

Cons

• Users report Metasploit’s GUI as disappointing and its exploit database feature as sometimes outdated.
• There is a perceived risk of causing system damage or crashes, and some find the tool complex and intimidating.
• Users suggest need for more comprehensive documentation, improved error debugging, and enhanced compatibility with Windows.

Must-Have Features in Pentesting Tools

Vulnerability Scanning

The selected pentesting tools are equipped with vulnerability scanning capabilities.  

Automated and Manual Testing

These tools support both automated and manual testing methodologies. For example, Burp Suite and OWASP ZAP incorporate features that facilitate detailed manual security assessments, such as intercepting proxies. Invicti, on the other hand, focuses more on automation and aims to eliminate the need to check results while still offering the manual option. 

Reporting and Analysis

All tools offer sophisticated reporting and analysis features. They generate detailed reports highlighting vulnerabilities, evaluating potential impacts, and proposing mitigation strategies. These reports are crucial for maintaining regulatory compliance and improving an organization’s security posture.

Integration with Development Environments

Integration with development environments is a key feature across these tools. They are designed to integrate into various development workflows, enabling DevSecOps practices. This allows development teams to address security issues during the development process itself, fostering a proactive security culture.

Customization and Extensibility

Customization and extensibility are prominent features. These tools allow users to enhance functionalities through plugins or scripts, making them adaptable to specific needs and enhancing their effectiveness in diverse environments.

Support for Multiple Technologies

Lastly, the tools support a wide array of technologies, extending from traditional web and network environments to modern applications like cloud infrastructure, mobile apps, and IoT devices. This versatility ensures comprehensive security coverage across different segments of an organization’s IT landscape.

XSS Detection

XSS detection features are vital for pentesting tools as they automate the process of identifying vulnerabilities in web applications, enabling security professionals to prioritize and address potential threats efficiently. By detecting XSS vulnerabilities before attackers exploit them, these tools help prevent data breaches and client-side attacks, ultimately bolstering the overall security posture of the targeted systems.

SQL Injection Detection

SQL injection detection is a critical feature for pentesting tools because SQL injection remains one of web applications’ most prevalent and damaging vulnerabilities. These tools automate the identification of SQL injection vulnerabilities, allowing security professionals to pinpoint weaknesses in database queries and mitigate the risk of unauthorized access, data theft, and manipulation.

Why are the differentiating features important for pentesting tools?

Integration with SIEM tools

Integration with SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) tools is crucial for pentesting tools because it enables seamless collaboration between offensive and defensive security measures.
Pentesting tools provide data on vulnerabilities, exploits, and security events to enhance monitoring and response.

By integrating with SIEM systems, this data can be effectively aggregated, correlated, and analyzed alongside other security logs and alerts from across the network. This integration enhances visibility into potential threats, facilitates real-time monitoring, and enables faster incident response by identifying and prioritizing critical security issues.

Additionally, it helps organizations in compliance auditing and improving overall security posture by leveraging insights gained from both offensive and defensive security operations.

Integration with ticketing tools

Integration with ticketing tools is essential for pentesting tools to streamline the remediation process and enhance collaboration between security teams and other stakeholders. Pentesting often uncovers various vulnerabilities and security weaknesses that require remediation efforts.

By integrating with ticketing systems, pentesting tools can automatically generate and assign tickets for identified issues, facilitating efficient tracking and management of remediation tasks. This integration ensures that identified vulnerabilities are promptly addressed, reduces the risk of overlooked issues, and provides a centralized platform for communication and coordination among different teams involved in the remediation process, thereby enhancing the overall effectiveness of security efforts.

Deployment options

Deployment options are crucial for pentesting tools because they ensure flexibility and adaptability to diverse environments and security requirements. Different organizations have varying infrastructures, compliance regulations, and security policies, which necessitate tailored approaches to penetration testing. Offering a range of deployment options, such as on-premises, cloud-based, or hybrid solutions, allows pentesting tools to cater to the specific needs and preferences of each organization.

Moreover, flexible deployment options enable scalability, ease of implementation, and integration with existing systems, empowering organizations to conduct comprehensive security assessments efficiently while adhering to their unique operational constraints.

OAuth 2.0 integration

OAuth 2.0 integration is important for pentesting tools because it allows them to simulate real-world scenarios involving authentication and authorization mechanisms commonly used in modern web applications and APIs.

By supporting OAuth 2.0, pentesting tools can accurately assess the security posture of systems that rely on this protocol for user authentication and access control. This integration enables testers to perform thorough security assessments, including identifying vulnerabilities such as misconfigurations, authorization flaws, or token abuse, which could potentially compromise the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of sensitive data or resources.

Additionally, testing OAuth 2.0 implementations helps organizations proactively address security weaknesses and reinforce their overall security posture in an increasingly interconnected digital landscape.

External Links

• 1. Invicti reviews 2025.
• 2. PortSwigger Burp Suite Professional Reviews and Pricing - page 2.
• 3. ZAP by Checkmarx Reviews 2025: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2.
• 4. Tenable Nessus Reviews 2025: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2.
• 5. Metasploit: Penetration Testing Software - Rapid7.