Acunetix and Invicti are two families of web application security products by Invicti Security.
Following the merger of Acunetix and Netsparker under the Invicti umbrella, the Acunetix vulnerability scanner and Invicti (previously Netsparker) web application security solution have retained their original engines and technologies. However, the teams behind both products now work together to share their expertise and develop leading-edge functionality. This enabled the products to grow much faster together than they used to grow separately, both benefitting from the knowledge and experience of twice as many security experts as any other web application security scanner on the market.
Read on to learn about the similarities and differences between the two product families and how to choose the DAST solution that’s right for your organization.
More than just web vulnerability scanners
Both web vulnerability scanners have evolved to become full-fledged solutions for DAST (dynamic application security testing) with added IAST (interactive application security testing) capabilities. When choosing between the Acunetix and Invicti web application security scanners, it’s not a question of whether one product or the other is better in vulnerability detection because both excel in confidently finding SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and other OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities. It’s a question of matching the product to the specific needs of your security and development teams, considering your business size and approach to application development and testing.Similarities between Acunetix and Invicti
- Acunetix and Invicti both use cutting-edge vulnerability scanning engines. The enterprise-focused Invicti Enterprise uses the latest iteration of the original Netsparker scan engine designed with automation and scalability in mind. The SMB/SME-focused Acunetix Premium uses its own Acunetix vulnerability scanning technology developed to cater for smaller business needs.
- Both security solutions can scan modern web apps and cover an extensive range of security vulnerabilities with no significant differences in the scope of major vulnerabilities covered. Crucially, both are capable of finding out-of-band vulnerabilities as well as various web server misconfigurations, and both can automatically confirm many issues (though see below for some differences).
- Invicti and Acunetix both come with built-in vulnerability management and vulnerability assessment functionality. They also work with a myriad of external tools to allow you to easily integrate application scanning into your current environment. Both support extensive automation and offer full-scope RESTful APIs. Both can scan not just web applications but also APIs and web services.
- Several technologies that used to be available in only one tool are now available in both products. For example, the AcuSensor IAST engine in Acunetix has a counterpart in the Invicti Shark IAST engine, while proof-based scanning technology in Invicti (and previously Netsparker) has been the inspiration for the Acunetix proof-of-exploit feature.
Differences between Acunetix and Invicti
- Since Acunetix Premium was developed primarily for small and medium businesses, its focus is on covering more of their cybersecurity needs. Therefore, Acunetix offers several additional technologies and functionalities that might save you buying or integrating external tools. This includes integration with antivirus tools (Microsoft Defender and ClamAV) and an open-source network scanner (OpenVAS). Acunetix Premium is also available on-premises for Windows users as well as in its SaaS version.
- The Acunetix interface is considered one of the most user-friendly in the industry, with additional usability improvements being made all the time. This allows not only dedicated security teams but also IT administrators and staff to get the most out of the tool without having to spend a lot of time and effort on configuration and customization. In most cases, you can start an Acunetix scan in less than 5 minutes and get immediately actionable scan results in a very short time to fix your source code and prevent data breaches.
- While Acunetix provides a lot of integration capabilities (Jira, Jenkins, several web application firewalls), the scope is not as extensive as with Invicti’s enterprise products. In contrast, Invicti Enterprise is intended to operate in the context major enterprise installations that often include other security tools, so its focus is less on being quick and easy for every user and more on working efficiently in every environment. Invicti offers many more out-of-the-box integrations, and provides better support for automated authentication with single sign-on, while its proof-based scanning technology enables scalable automation by showing which vulnerabilities are exploitable and can be automatically assigned because they are definitely not false positives. The focus of Invicti Enterprise is on prioritized, large-scale detection and remediation.
Which application security testing tool is better: Acunetix or Invicti?
The good news when choosing between Acunetix or Invicti is that if your company gets one but later decides the other would be a better fit, you can switch products to best suit your needs far more easily than, for example, if you were migrating from Burp Suite to WebInspect or from AppScan to Qualys. The „bad” news is that it’s a difficult choice because both products lead the DAST market as two of the most accurate and mature web application vulnerability testing solutions out there. All you need to do is pick the one that works best for your unique organization.
We utilize Acunetix to more thoroughly assess internet-facing websites and servers. Acunetix helps us identify vulnerabilities in conjunction with other vulnerability scanning applications. Acunetix has been a more reliable application when discovering / determining different types of malicious code injection vulnerabilities (SQL, HTML, CGI, etc).
Frequently asked questions
When choosing between Acunetix and Invicti products, the important thing is to choose the one that is a better fit for your organization and needs. Both are industry-leading DAST solutions and neither is universally better than the other – they are simply designed for optimum efficiency and usability in differing environments and use cases.
Read how a medium-sized company uses Acunetix to solve its problems.
Some Acunetix features are specifically designed to help small and medium-sized businesses. For example, the Acunetix engine is designed to crawl web applications in a way that delivers the most results early during the scan (SmartScan). Acunetix is also available on more platforms: not just in the cloud and on Windows but also on Linux and macOS.
Read more about the Acunetix engine and its unique features.
Acunetix does provide proof that a vulnerability exists, but the term „proof-based scanning” is used only in Invicti (previously Netsparker). In the Acunetix user interface, proof of vulnerability is labeled a Proof of Exploit. While the technical details differ, both products provide this proof in a safe and reliable way.
The core Acunetix solution is Acunetix Premium, which is designed for small and medium-sized companies. However, there are two other solutions available. Acunetix Standard is the entry-level solution for the smallest businesses and Acunetix 360 is an offering for large organizations with a focus on integration.