# OWASP ZAP vs Burp Suite: which do AI models recommend for DAST, October 2026

IT AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, Dynamic application security testing. Zero of fourteen models named OWASP ZAP first on the direct prompt; zero named Burp Suite. Page: https://it-ai-index.com/developer/dynamic-application-security-testing/owasp-zap-vs-burp-suite/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OWASP ZAP | 29% | #1 of 11 | 30% | 54 | 14 of 14 |
| Burp Suite | 2% | #7 of 11 | 18% | 45 | 13 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

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

## What the models said about OWASP ZAP

- "The Verdict: Avoid for CI/CD pipelines. Use only if you have dedicated in-house pentesters." (GLM 4.7 FlashX, negative prompt, hard negative)
- "High false positive rates require significant manual tuning and expertise... Avoid if: You're new to security testing or need low-maintenance automation." (Grok 4.1 Fast, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "While OWASP ZAP is excellent and free, mid-sized B2B companies typically: Lack dedicated security teams to tune and manage false positives" (Kimi K2, paraphrase prompt, soft negative)
- "For most small to medium-sized companies just starting with DAST, OWASP ZAP is typically the best choice due to its zero cost, robust features, and strong community support." (Claude Haiku 4.5, budget prompt, first choice)
- "the best DAST tool is usually OWASP ZAP because it is free, open-source, extensible, and widely recommended as the default starting point" (Perplexity Sonar, budget prompt, first choice)
- "OWASP ZAP (Zed Attack Proxy) is widely considered the best Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) tool available." (Qwen 3.7 Flash, budget prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about Burp Suite

- "The Verdict: Avoid for automated scanning. Use only for manual penetration testing." (GLM 4.7 FlashX, negative prompt, hard negative)
- "Burp Suite Enterprise has complex setup and configuration requirements that often need dedicated security expertise" (Claude Haiku 4.5, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "Extremely manual and limited automation in the free version; Pro is better but still developer/pentester-focused." (Grok 4.1 Fast, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "commercial tools like Burp Suite Professional and Invicti catch more vulnerability types than open-source alternatives, with Burp Suite achieving ~29% coverage of critical vulnerabilities" (MiniMax M2.5, comparative prompt, first choice)
- "I'd generally recommend Burp Suite Professional if you want the best balance of capability, usability, and web-app-focused coverage" (GPT-5.4 mini, paraphrase prompt, first choice)
- "Burp Suite Professional (PortSwigger): Best for manual testing + automated scanning hybrid. Excellent SPA support." (Qwen 3.7 Flash, negative 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.