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Dynamic application security testing · November 2026 Edition

Acunetix vs Veracode DAST

Four of fourteen models named Acunetix first on the direct prompt; zero named Veracode DAST. Acunetix was named by fourteen of the fourteen models and Veracode DAST by nine and Acunetix carries 35 labels and Veracode DAST 17, so the shares are not directly comparable.

Acunetix

accepted challenger

Named in three categories this edition.

Veracode DAST

accepted challenger

Named in one category this edition.

First-choice share13%2%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate6%24%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#3#8A position in a field of 13; printed, not drawn.
Labels3517A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, Acunetix reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.Invicti was named alongside these two in twelve of the fourteen direct answers. Invicti vs Acunetix · Invicti vs Veracode DAST · OWASP ZAP vs Acunetix

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; every quote names the model and the prompt it came from. Both figures come from the dynamic application security testing page.

By framing

How many of the fourteen models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
AcunetixFirst choices, of fourteen modelsVeracode DAST
Direct402 against Veracode DAST
Paraphrase31
Comparative30
Budget-constrained001 against Acunetix · 1 against Veracode DAST
Scale-constrained001 against Veracode DAST
Negative001 against Acunetix
Bars are first choices, 0 to 14 each sideModels that argued againstA model can name both, so the two sides of a row do not sum to fourteen.

Across every category in the November 2026 Edition, Acunetix and Veracode DAST were named in the same answer twenty-two times, of the 104 answers naming Acunetix and the 51 naming Veracode DAST. In those answers Veracode DAST took the first choice zero times and Acunetix zero.

Every model, every framing

The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where Acunetix and Veracode DAST stood in it.
ModelDirectParaphraseComparativeBudget-constrainedScale-constrainedNegative
Claude Haiku 4.5
GPT-5.4 mini
Gemini 3.5 Flash
Perplexity Sonar
Grok 4.20
Mistral Small
DeepSeek V4 Flash
Llama 4 Maverick
Qwen 3.7 Flash
Kimi K2
GLM 4.7 FlashX
MiniMax M2.5
GPT-6 Luna
Muse Glimmer 30B
Acunetix Veracode DAST first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Acunetix on the left and Veracode DAST on the right.

The direct prompt

The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where Acunetix and Veracode DAST stood in it.

Acunetix first, Veracode DAST not the choice

4 of 14 modelsVeracode DAST was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.
Mistral SmallAcunetix, Invicti alternatives: OWASP ZAP, StackHawk
DeepSeek V4 FlashAcunetix alternatives: Invicti, OWASP ZAP, StackHawk
Kimi K2Acunetix, Intruder alternatives: Bright Security, Detectify
MiniMax M2.5Acunetix, Bright Security alternatives: Detectify, Intruder

Neither was the first choice, one was named

4 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.
Claude Haiku 4.5Invicti alternatives: Acunetix, Bright Security, StackHawk
Gemini 3.5 FlashStackHawk alternatives: Acunetix, Bright Security, Escape, Invicti
Qwen 3.7 FlashInvicti alternatives: Acunetix, Apidog, Postman, Veracode DAST
Muse Glimmer 30BInvicti alternatives: Acunetix, StackHawk

Neither was named

6 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.
GPT-5.4 miniStackHawk alternatives: Burp Suite, Invicti
Perplexity SonarInvicti alternatives: Bright Security, Escape, StackHawk
Grok 4.20Invicti alternatives: Escape, Intruder, Probely, StackHawk
Llama 4 MaverickInvicti alternatives: Burp Suite, OWASP ZAP, StackHawk
GLM 4.7 FlashXOWASP ZAP, Probely alternatives: Burp Suite, Invicti, StackHawk
GPT-6 LunaStackHawk alternatives: Burp Suite DAST, Invicti

Bold names in an answer are the products the judge labeled a first choice; a model naming several gives each of them that label. The full answer text for every row is in the record.

By buyer segment

The same question asked on behalf of a different buyer. Each standing is computed within its segment and they are never added together. The figures above are the mid-market standing, which is the one the category orders by.
Small business
Acunetix leads by eight points.
Acunetix8%#4 of 13
Veracode DAST0%#– of 13
The full small business standing →
Mid-marketThe figures above
Acunetix leads by eleven points.
Acunetix13%#3 of 13
Veracode DAST2%#8 of 13
The full mid-market standing →
Enterprise
The order flips: Veracode DAST leads at enterprise.
Veracode DAST2%#9 of 14
Acunetix0%#13 of 14
The full enterprise standing →

What the models said about Acunetix

Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Five of six in this category shown.

“Acunetix notes its heuristic approach and AcuSensor reduces false positives, but still recommends” Muse Glimmer 30B · negative prompt · soft negative
“more enterprise-friendly, but usually much more expensive” GPT-5.4 mini · budget prompt · soft negative
“For most mid-sized B2B companies, Acunetix offers the best balance of cost, ease of use, and sufficient capabilities” Claude Haiku 4.5 · paraphrase prompt · first choice
“A pragmatic mid-sized B2B starting point is Acunetix for a balanced commercial DAST with low false positives” Muse Glimmer 30B · paraphrase prompt · first choice
“For dev teams wanting quick, reliable scans with low false positives: Choose Invicti or Acunetix.” Qwen 3.7 Flash · comparative prompt · first choice

What the models said about Veracode DAST

Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.

“Avoid pure enterprise tools like full Checkmarx or Veracode unless you have dedicated budget.” Grok 4.20 · direct prompt · hard negative
“Avoid for Mid-Market: Heavy legacy enterprise suites (e.g., Veracode DAST, HCL AppScan)” Gemini 3.5 Flash · direct prompt · hard negative
“Enterprise DAST platforms (like Veracode, Rapid7 InsightAppSec, or Fortify) often cost tens of thousands of dollars per year.” Gemini 3.5 Flash · budget prompt · soft negative
“The recommended dynamic web application security scanners for a mid-sized B2B company are: 1. Veracode Dynamic Analysis” Llama 4 Maverick · paraphrase prompt · first choice
“Veracode/Checkmarx offer robust authentication handling, DOM-rendering crawlers, and managed false-positive controls.” Gemini 3.5 Flash · negative prompt · alternative
“Indusface WAS, Detectify, SOOS DAST, Veracode Dynamic Analysis, Checkmarx DAST” Grok 4.20 · negative prompt · alternative
Also compared

Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category, each against each. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.