Halo Security Application Scanning vs Paros: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)
Features, pricing, ratings, and pros & cons — compared head-to-head.
Halo Security Application Scanning is a commercial dynamic application security testing tool by Halo Security. Paros is a free dynamic application security testing tool. Compare features, ratings, integrations, and community reviews side by side to find the best dynamic application security testing fit for your security stack.
CST VerdictBased on our analysis of NIST CSF 2.0 coverage, core features, integrations, company size fit, here is our conclusion:
Halo Security Application Scanning
Startups and mid-market teams running lean AppSec programs should start here if you need DAST without the operational overhead. Halo Security Application Scanning detects OWASP Top 10 and SANS CWE Top 25 vulnerabilities in production-safe conditions, agentless, with scheduled scanning and real-time alerts that route to Slack or email; it covers the detection half of the NIST CSF 2.0 picture thoroughly but doesn't touch remediation workflows or threat intelligence integration. Skip this if you're already running a mature AppSec pipeline with tight CI/CD integration requirements or need SAST coverage alongside dynamic testing.
Development teams and pentesters evaluating web application security on a zero budget should pilot Paros; its Java-based proxy architecture handles manual and semi-automated vulnerability discovery without licensing friction, making it ideal for teams building testing workflows before committing to commercial DAST. The tool has been actively maintained for nearly two decades and integrates cleanly with CI/CD pipelines for teams willing to script around its GUI. Skip Paros if you need automated scanning at scale, machine-learning-driven payload generation, or support for modern API authentication schemes; it's a manual-heavy framework that demands operator expertise to extract full value.
