OpenVAS vs OWASP ZAP

OpenVAS6.3Visit OZOWASP ZAP—Visit

Higher score OpenVAS #5 in Vulnerability Scanner Software 6.3/10 Free plan · 14-day trial Free plan✓ 1 of 3 features Visit OpenVAS

vs

OZ OWASP ZAP #7 in Vulnerability Scanner Software —/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 3 features Visit OWASP ZAP

• OpenVAS fits best

  Teams wanting free, self-hosted network vulnerability scans

• OWASP ZAP fits best

  Developers seeking a free, extensible web scanner

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Side by side

Feature	OpenVAS 6.3/10 Visit ↗	OZOWASP ZAP —/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	6.3	—
Ranking	#5 in Vulnerability Scanner Software	#7 in Vulnerability Scanner Software
Best for	Teams wanting free, self-hosted network vulnerability scans	Developers seeking a free, extensible web scanner
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free
Starting price	Not published	Not published
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted	Self-hosted, Desktop, Browser extension
Platforms	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows, macOS, Linux
Support	Community, Docs	Community, Docs
Integrations	5 integrations	2 integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features OpenVAS 1/3 · OWASP ZAP 0/3
Authenticated scans	Not published	Not published
Continuous scanning	✓ (best)	Not published
Report exports	Not published	Not published
Specs
Scan targets	Not published	Not published
Deployment	Not published	Not published
Asset limit	150 assets	Not published
Our review
Pros	Authenticated and unauthenticated scans across broad infrastructure targets Continuous scanning, daily feed updates and scheduled alerts Open-source deployment with API integrations and distributed sensors	Combines active and passive scanning with several spidering methods Supports authenticated web scans and OpenAPI, Swagger, and GraphQL scanning REST API, YAML automation, Docker scans, and add-ons support extensibility
Cons	The free plan has a 150-asset limit Self-hosted deployment requires infrastructure management Enterprise feeds and advanced automation require paid plans	Self-hosted deployment means teams run the scanner in their own environment Listed integrations are limited to Docker and GitHub Actions Support channels are community and documentation
Our verdict	OpenVAS is an open-source vulnerability scanner from Greenbone for teams assessing network services, servers, applications, endpoints and container images. It supports both unauthenticated and authenticated testing, agent-based scanning,… Read the review →	OWASP ZAP is a free, open-source tool for finding vulnerabilities in web applications. It is aimed at developers, testers, and security specialists who want to inspect traffic and scan web applications, including authenticated applications… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• OpenVAS — where it wins

  • Authenticated and unauthenticated scans across broad infrastructure targets
  • Continuous scanning, daily feed updates and scheduled alerts
  • Open-source deployment with API integrations and distributed sensors

  Where it doesn't

  • The free plan has a 150-asset limit
  • Self-hosted deployment requires infrastructure management
  • Enterprise feeds and advanced automation require paid plans

• OWASP ZAP — where it wins

  • Combines active and passive scanning with several spidering methods
  • Supports authenticated web scans and OpenAPI, Swagger, and GraphQL scanning
  • REST API, YAML automation, Docker scans, and add-ons support extensibility

  Where it doesn't

  • Self-hosted deployment means teams run the scanner in their own environment
  • Listed integrations are limited to Docker and GitHub Actions
  • Support channels are community and documentation

• OpenVAS6.3/10 · Free plan · 14-day trial

  A self-hosted scanner with authenticated testing, continuous scans and a free 150-asset tier.

  Visit OpenVASFull verdict →
• OZOWASP ZAP—/10 · Free plan

  A free, extensible web scanner for developers who can run and automate it themselves.

  Visit OWASP ZAPFull verdict →