Paros vs ZAP The Zed Attack Proxy: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)
Features, pricing, ratings, and pros & cons — compared head-to-head.
Paros is a free dynamic application security testing tool. ZAP The Zed Attack Proxy 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 available product data, here is our conclusion:
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.
AppSec teams running continuous integration pipelines and developers who want to shift security left should start with ZAP The Zed Attack Proxy; it's free, integrates natively into CI/CD, and the 14,000+ GitHub stars reflect genuine adoption in resource-constrained shops. You'll catch common OWASP Top 10 issues in automated scans, but expect to pair it with manual testing and API-specific tools for complex authentication flows. Skip this if you need enterprise support contracts, out-of-the-box compliance reporting, or deep JavaScript framework analysis without significant tuning.
