# Acunetix vs StackHawk: which do AI models recommend for DAST, October 2026

IT AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, Dynamic application security testing. One of fourteen models named Acunetix first on the direct prompt; three named StackHawk. Page: https://it-ai-index.com/developer/dynamic-application-security-testing/acunetix-vs-stackhawk/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acunetix | 12% | #3 of 11 | 13% | 39 | 13 of 14 |
| StackHawk | 8% | #4 of 11 | 3% | 30 | 13 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- GPT-5.4 mini: acunetix first (first choices: Acunetix, Invicti) (alternatives: Burp Suite)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: stackhawk first (first choices: StackHawk) (alternatives: Escape, Intruder, Invicti)
- Kimi K2: stackhawk first (first choices: Bright Security, StackHawk) (alternatives: Acunetix, Invicti)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: stackhawk first (first choices: StackHawk) (alternatives: OWASP ZAP, Rapid7 InsightAppSec)
- Claude Haiku 4.5: neither first, one named (first choices: Invicti) (alternatives: Acunetix, Intruder, OWASP ZAP, Rapid7 InsightAppSec)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Escape) (alternatives: Astra Security, Invicti, StackHawk)
- Perplexity Sonar: neither first, one named (first choices: Bright Security) (alternatives: Acunetix, Beagle Security, Detectify, Intruder)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: neither first, one named (first choices: Intruder) (alternatives: Acunetix, Astra Security)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Intruder) (alternatives: Acunetix, Aikido Security, Invicti)
- MiniMax M2.5: neither first, one named (first choices: Invicti) (alternatives: Acunetix, Aikido Security, Burp Suite, OWASP ZAP, Rapid7 InsightAppSec)
- GPT-6 Luna: neither first, one named (first choices: Invicti) (alternatives: Burp Suite DAST, StackHawk)
- Muse Glimmer 30B: neither first, one named (first choices: Invicti) (alternatives: Acunetix, Burp Suite, OWASP ZAP)
- Mistral Small: neither named (first choices: Burp Suite Enterprise Edition, Intruder) (alternatives: Aikido Security)
- Llama 4 Maverick: neither named (first choices: Burp Suite Enterprise Edition) (alternatives: Aikido Security, AppCheck, Intruder)

## What the models said about Acunetix

- "excellent for complex web applications with 12,000+ vulnerability types, but has a premium price and potential for false positives" (Claude Haiku 4.5, comparative prompt, soft negative)
- "The Verdict: Use with caution. It is a popular commercial tool, but it is notorious for being "noisy."" (GLM 4.7 FlashX, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "Legacy versions struggle with SPAs, CAPTCHAs, and complex auth, leading to shallow coverage and noise." (Grok 4.1 Fast, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "my recommendation is Acunetix if you want a strong balance of broad web scanning, automation, and mid-market fit" (Perplexity Sonar, paraphrase prompt, first choice)
- "For a B2B company specifically, I'd lean toward Acunetix due to its strong API security testing capabilities" (MiniMax M2.5, paraphrase prompt, first choice)
- "If you want one name: Acunetix by Invicti is the safest recommendation for most mid-market B2B companies." (GPT-5.4 mini, direct prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about StackHawk

- "tools like StackHawk are built on ZAP, but they're not the cheapest option for a tight budget" (GPT-5.4 mini, budget prompt, soft negative)
- "For most mid-market B2B companies, StackHawk offers the best balance of features, pricing, and developer experience." (GLM 4.7 FlashX, direct prompt, first choice)

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category. Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category. Published under CC BY 4.0; the output is the models' output, and nothing here is a recommendation by the index.