Ghost Security Exorcist vs password_compat: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)
Features, pricing, ratings, and pros & cons — compared head-to-head.
Ghost Security Exorcist is a commercial static application security testing tool by Ghost Security. password_compat is a free static application security testing tool. Compare features, ratings, integrations, and community reviews side by side to find the best static 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:
Development teams shipping APIs without visibility into their own endpoints will find Ghost Security Exorcist's automated discovery and inventory actually useful, particularly for catching undocumented or shadow APIs before they become vulnerabilities. The AI-driven BOLA and deserialization detection works across five languages with line-level remediation guidance, and daily differential scanning in CI/CD means you're not waiting for quarterly assessments. Skip this if you need a platform covering infrastructure scanning or runtime protection; Exorcist is narrowly focused on code and API risk, which is exactly why it works well for teams that have that specific problem.
PHP developers maintaining legacy applications need password_compat to backport modern password hashing functions to older PHP versions without rewriting authentication logic. With 2,135 GitHub stars and active maintenance, it's the standard for teams running PHP 5.3–5.4 that can't upgrade immediately but must implement bcrypt or argon2 hashing. Skip this if you're on PHP 5.5 or later; the native password functions are built in and don't require a compatibility layer.
