8 Burp Suite Alternatives and Competitors

What Is Burp Suite?

Burp Suite is a software package designed for web application security testing. Developed by PortSwigger, it provides a range of tools for conducting security assessments, including scanning for vulnerabilities, intercepting traffic, and performing automated attacks.

The platform operates as a proxy server, allowing users to manually inspect and manipulate the traffic entering and leaving their browsers. This setup is useful for identifying security flaws within web applications. Burp Suite is mainly used by experienced security professionals and ethical hackers.

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Burp Suite Limitations

While Burp Suite is widely used, it does have some limitations and challenges, which may prompt some organizations to consider an alternative.

Learning Curve

Burp Suite presents a steep learning curve, especially for those new to the platform. It is a complex tool which may not be immediately intuitive to beginners. New users often find themselves overwhelmed upon first navigating the homepage, struggling to utilize the tool's full capabilities without extensive tutorials.

Performance

Users of Burp Suite have reported occasional performance issues. These problems manifest as crashes and socket connection errors, which can be difficult to diagnose and resolve. Additionally, Burp Suite sometimes fails to support HTTP/2 traffic, which can limit its functionality in certain testing scenarios.

Extension Compatibility

One of the limitations faced by users of Burp Suite is the inconsistent compatibility with various extensions. This inconsistency can undermine the reliability of the tool's automated reporting features. Users often find themselves unable to rely on the tool for comprehensive auto-generated reports due to these compatibility issues.

Manual and Automated Log Separation

Burp Suite cannot separate logs generated from manual testing and automated scanning. This lack of separation results in a significant accumulation of logs, particularly from the scanner, making it cumbersome for users engaged in both manual and automatic analysis to filter through manual logs efficiently.

Top 8 Burp Suite Alternatives

1. Pynt

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Pynt is an innovative API Security Testing platform exposing verified API threats through simulated attacks. We help hundreds of companies such as Telefonica, Sage, Halodoc, and more, to continuously monitor, classify and attack poorly secured APIs, before hackers do.

Pynt's leverages an integrated shift-left approach, and unique hack technology using home-grown attack scenarios, to detect real threats, discover APIs, suggest fixes to verified vulnerabilities, thereby eliminating the API attack surface risk.

Shift left, continuous approach for AppSec - full visibility on all APIs, and real proven threats to easily plug into the API security strategy
Shift left, continuous approach for developers - sync to the CI/CD and get suggested fixes on verified API vulnerabilities
Full API inventory visibility
Integration with task management tools for easy fix automation to vulnerable APIs
Automated API pentest reports in a click
Lightweight and easy to run, generates results in minutes

Learn more about Pynt for API security testing

2. ZAP

Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP) is a penetration testing tool for web applications. Maintained by the Software Security Project (SSP), it is a free and open-source utility.

ZAP acts as a man-in-the-middle proxy, intercepting messages between the browser and web applications to inspect, modify, and forward data packets. ZAP is available for all major operating systems and can also be run as a daemon process.

‍Features of ZAP:

Man-in-the-middle proxy: Sits between the tester's browser and the web application to intercept, inspect, and modify messages, enhancing security testing efficacy.
Cross-platform compatibility: Offers versions for Windows, Linux, macOS, and Docker, ensuring accessibility across different operating systems.
Extensibility through add-ons: A variety of add-ons are available in the ZAP Marketplace, allowing users to extend functionality to meet specialized testing needs.
Session management: Offers options to persist sessions, with data saved in a local database for future access, enhancing testing continuity and efficiency.
Varied scanning capabilities: Supports both passive and active scanning modes to identify vulnerabilities without affecting the target's functionality and security.

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Source: ZAP

Learn more in our detailed guide to Burp Suite vs Zap (coming soon)

3. Acunetix

Acunetix is designed to automate the process of identifying and securing web applications, websites, and APIs. It works by discovering and crawling every aspect of web applications to ensure comprehensive coverage.

It identifies over 7,000 known flaws, such as zero-days, by employing a blend of Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) and Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST). Acunetix is intended to streamline the resolution process, reducing the time involved in fixing security issues by pinpointing the lines of code requiring amendments.

Features of Acunetix:

Discovery and crawling: Automatically creates and updates a list of all websites, applications, and APIs, ensuring no potential vulnerabilities are overlooked.
Diverse scanning capabilities: Capable of scanning Single Page Applications (SPAs), sites rich in scripts, and applications built with modern technologies like HTML5 and JavaScript.
Accurate vulnerability detection: Detects over 7,000 vulnerabilities, including zero-day exploits, with a combination of DAST and IAST scanning.
Efficient resolution of security issues: Reduces false positives and identifies the exact code changes needed, enabling developers to independently resolve issues.
Integration with development tools: Integrates with CI/CD pipelines, issue trackers, and WAFs, enhancing the security posture without disrupting development workflows.

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Source: Acunetix

4. beSECURE

BeSECURE is a vulnerability assessment and management platform that identifies vulnerabilities and utilizes threat intelligence to prioritize them based on risk. It enables pinpointing of the most exploitable weaknesses, allowing teams to focus on high-priority vulnerabilities while minimizing attention on lower-risk issues and false positives.

Features of BeSECURE:

Rapid vulnerability identification and prioritization: Uses threat intelligence to accurately identify and rank vulnerabilities by their exploitability and risk.
Intuitive console with filtering: Offers an easy-to-understand dashboard for viewing reports and results, facilitating effective communication of network security status to stakeholders.
Versatile deployment options: Supports cloud-based, on-premise, and hybrid deployment models, making it adaptable to various organizational needs and capable of scanning networks quickly.
Compliance scanning: Integrates scanning for PCI, CIS benchmarks, HIPAA, SOX, and other compliance requirements into a single solution, suitable for organizations with strict cybersecurity compliance and regulatory standards.

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Source: Beyond Security

Tzvika Shneider

CEO, Pynt

Tzvika Shneider is a 20-year software security industry leader with a robust background in product and software management.

Tips from the expert

Choose tools based on team expertise: Select a security tool that aligns with your team’s experience and skill set to maximize its usage and efficacy.
Evaluate automation capabilities: Opt for tools that offer automation features, enabling consistent scanning of your APIs and applications with minimal manual intervention.
Look for CI/CD integration: Ensure that the alternative tool can seamlessly integrate with your CI/CD pipeline, allowing continuous security testing.
Assess the extensibility of the tool: Consider tools that support plugins or extensions, so you can customize and enhance their functionalities as your security needs evolve.
Check support for different API protocols: Make sure the tool supports various API protocols (e.g., REST, GraphQL, SOAP) to comprehensively secure all your API assets.

5. Invicti

Invicti is a security automation tool that integrates into the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). By automating discovery, detection, resolution, integration, and continuous security processes, Invicti aims to reduce the manual workload needed for security testing.

Features of Invicti:

Discovery and scanning: Achieves visibility over web applications, services, and APIs, scanning all web assets to uncover vulnerabilities in first and third-party code, across all technologies, frameworks, and languages.
Combined DAST and IAST scanning: Employs a combined interactive and dynamic scanning approach to detect vulnerabilities that other tools miss, offering more coverage and less risk.
Efficient vulnerability management: Automates the resolution of security issues with Proof-Based Scanning, eliminating manual verification and reducing the security backlog.
Continuous security assurance: Offers 24/7 security with ongoing scanning and real-time notifications for outdated technologies, ensuring applications remain secure in an agile environment.

Source: Invicti

6. Metasploit

The Metasploit Project is tailored for penetration testing and vulnerability research. Owned by Rapid7, this project encompasses the Metasploit Framework, an open-source platform for developing and executing exploit code against remote target systems. This framework is noted for its integration of anti-forensics and evasion tools, with a pre-installed version available on the Kali Linux distribution.

Features of Metasploit:

Open-source framework: Provides customizability and access to source code, enabling users to adapt the framework to their needs and contribute custom modules.
Payload generation: Facilitates the dynamic selection and generation of payloads with the setpayload command and MsfVenom tool, enhancing flexibility in penetration testing scenarios.
Clean exits and persistence: Ensures undetectable exits from target systems and offers various methods for maintaining persistent access.
User-friendly visual interfaces: Features graphical user interfaces like Armitage, simplifying common penetration testing tasks and improving efficiency for vulnerability management.

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Source: Rapid7

7. Tenable Nessus Web App Scanning

Tenable Nessus Web App Scanning is designed for streamlined vulnerability scanning of web applications. This tool is backed by a large vulnerability research team, providing a precise assessment of web application vulnerabilities, from the OWASP Top 10 risks to the most intricate web app components and APIs.

Tenable offers unified visibility into both IT and web application vulnerabilities, enhancing operational efficiency. Its scalable, and automated approach eliminates the need for extensive manual tuning of scans.

Features of Tenable Nessus Web App Scanning:

Simple setup: Enables quick configuration of new web app scans, leveraging familiar workflows.
Unified vulnerability management: Offers a unified view of vulnerabilities across web applications, IT infrastructure, and cloud assets.
Accurate assessments: Delivers precise and detailed web app assessments, minimizing the risk of developers wasting time on false positives.

Source: Tenable

8. IBM Security QRadar

IBM Security QRadar Suite is a threat detection and response platform engineered to augment the efficiency of security teams. By integrating AI and automation across its portfolio, the suite aims to enhance analyst productivity, allowing security teams with limited resources to tackle security threats with greater speed and accuracy.

Features of IBM Security QRadar Suite:

Unified analyst experience: Offers an intuitive interface across its products, with AI capabilities to accelerate investigation and response processes.
Cloud delivery for speed and scale: Hosted on AWS, the QRadar Suite aims enables fast deployment, large-scale data ingestion, rapid analytics, and integration with cloud and SaaS log data.
Open platform with integrations: Built on an open platform, it offers over 900 pre-built integrations for incorporating IBM and third-party products. This integration capability extends to native, pre-integrated features for Log Management, EDR, SIEM, and SOAR.

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Source: IBM

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Choose Your Tools Wisely

While Burp Suite is a popular toolkit for web application security testing, its steep learning curve, performance issues, and extension compatibility issues make it challenging for some users. For organizations and professionals looking for a more comprehensive and user-friendly tool, there are alternatives that can provide more accessible, efficient, or specialized solutions to match their security and development needs.