# API security platforms: what AI models recommend, November 2026

Gane Index, November 2026 Edition. Asked as "API security platform" and as "API discovery and protection tool", six framings each, to fourteen models with search on, on behalf of a mid-market B2B company. Added to the November 2026 Edition. Page: https://www.gane.ai/index/it/security/api-security-platforms

**Standing:** Salt Security leads with 16% of first choices; verdict contested. 50 first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts.

## First-choice share

| Rank | Product | Share | Negative rate | Labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [Salt Security](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/vendors/salt-security/index.md) | 16% | 16% | 55 |
| 2 | [Zuplo](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/vendors/zuplo/index.md) | 14% | 0% | 11 |
| 3 | [Wallarm API Security](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/vendors/wallarm-api-security/index.md) | 12% | 0% | 37 |
| 4 | [Cloudflare API Shield](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/vendors/cloudflare-api-shield/index.md) | 10% | 3% | 30 |
| 5 | [OWASP ZAP](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/vendors/owasp-zap/index.md) | 8% | 0% | 16 |
| 7 | [Akamai API Security](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/vendors/akamai-api-security/index.md) | 4% | 22% | 51 |
| 8 | [Traceable API Security Platform](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/vendors/traceable-api-security-platform/index.md) | 4% | 15% | 40 |
| 9 | [Kong Gateway](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/vendors/kong-gateway/index.md) | 4% | 12% | 16 |
| 10 | [Noname Security](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/vendors/noname-security/index.md) | 4% | 21% | 14 |
| 11 | [42Crunch](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/vendors/42crunch/index.md) | 2% | 3% | 36 |
| 12 | [Imperva API Security](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/vendors/imperva-api-security/index.md) | 2% | 25% | 24 |
| 20 | [Cequence Unified API Protection](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/vendors/cequence-unified-api-protection/index.md) | 0% | 5% | 22 |

Rank is by share of first choices among all 113 products named; products with the same share are tied, and the order among them carries no meaning. The table lists those with at least 10 labels.

## Each model's first choice on the direct prompt

- Claude Haiku 4.5: Orca Security; alternatives Check Point CloudGuard WAF, Cloudflare API Shield, Imperva API Security, Invicti API Security
- GPT-5.4 mini: Akamai API Security; alternatives 42Crunch, Akto, Imperva API Security, Salt Security
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: Wallarm API Security; alternatives 42Crunch, Cloudflare API Shield, Salt Security, Traceable API Security Platform
- Perplexity Sonar: Cloudflare API Shield; alternatives 42Crunch, Traceable API Security Platform
- Grok 4.20: Salt Security; alternatives Cequence Unified API Protection, Cloudflare API Shield, Fastly, Traceable API Security Platform
- Mistral Small: Gravitee, Zuplo; alternatives Graylog, Kong Gateway
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: Wallarm API Security; alternatives 42Crunch, Akamai API Security, Cequence Unified API Protection, Cloudflare API Shield
- Llama 4 Maverick: Wallarm API Security; alternatives Aikido Security, Gravitee, OWASP ZAP, Zuplo
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: 42Crunch, Zuplo; alternatives Aikido Security, Salt Security
- Kimi K2: Levo.ai; alternatives 42Crunch, StackHawk, Wallarm API Security
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: Zuplo; alternatives Akamai API Security, Cequence Unified API Protection
- MiniMax M2.5: Salt Security; alternatives Cequence Unified API Protection, Imperva API Security, Noname Security, Traceable API Security Platform
- GPT-6 Luna: Wallarm API Security; alternatives Akamai API Security, Cloudflare API Shield, Salt Security
- Muse Glimmer 30B: Zuplo; alternatives 42Crunch, Akamai API Security, Cloudflare Application Security and Performance, Imperva Application Security Platform

## Sources the answers cite

70 of 84 answers came back with a source list, from 14 of 14 models. Sites named in the most answers:

- g2.com: 31 answers, 45 citations
- radware.com: 29 answers, 39 citations
- akamai.com: 26 answers, 43 citations
- zuplo.com: 26 answers, 35 citations
- ciopages.com: 25 answers, 25 citations
- axis-intelligence.com: 17 answers, 17 citations
- checkmarx.com: 15 answers, 16 citations
- checkpoint.com: 15 answers, 16 citations

Pages named in the most answers:

- https://ciopages.com/buyer-guides/api-security (25 answers)
- https://radware.com/cyberpedia/application-security/choosing-api-security-solutions (24 answers)
- https://zuplo.com/learning-center/best-api-security-tools-2026 (23 answers)
- https://akamai.com/site/en/documents/ebook/2024/api-security-buyers-guide.pdf (18 answers)
- https://axis-intelligence.com/best-api-security-tools-2026-tested-guide (17 answers)
- https://g2.com/categories/api-security (16 answers)
- https://checkmarx.com/learn/api-security/evaluating-api-security-solutions-for-compliance-8-providers-compared (15 answers)
- https://learn.g2.com/best-api-security-tools (12 answers)
- https://treblle.com/blog/top-api-security-tools-2024 (11 answers)
- https://upwind.io/glossary/best-api-security-tools (11 answers)

## Warned against

- Salt Security: 9 of 55 labels negative. "What to Avoid (Unless You Have Enterprise Budget) | Salt Security | ~$50k–$100k+ | Enterprise-only sales; heavy tuning required" (Kimi K2, direct prompt)
- Akamai API Security: 11 of 51 labels negative. "Bundled WAAP complexity; overkill for mid-market" (Kimi K2, direct prompt)
- Traceable API Security Platform: 6 of 40 labels negative. "Enterprise-focused pricing and deployment" (Kimi K2, direct prompt)
- Imperva API Security: 6 of 24 labels negative. "companies like Imperva, F5 (Big-IP), and older iterations of Akamai relied on rule-based Web Application Firewall technology... Why to be cautious" (Qwen 3.7 Flash, negative prompt)

## Movement since October 2026

Floor: 11 points of share, measured on the calibration repeat.
New leader: Aikido Security (12%) to Salt Security (16%). Margin 14 points, beyond the floor.

- Zuplo: 4% to 14%, +10. Inside the floor by 1 point · rank 10 → 2 of 113.
- Salt Security: 8% to 16%, +8. Inside the floor by 3 points · rank 5 → 1 of 113.
- Cloudflare API Shield: 2% to 10%, +8. Inside the floor by 3 points · rank 11 → 4 of 113.
- 42Crunch: 8% to 2%, −6. Inside the floor by 5 points · rank 4 → 11 of 113.
- Kong Gateway: 0% to 4%, +4. Inside the floor by 7 points · rank 26 → 9 of 113.
- StackHawk: 4% to 0%, −4. Inside the floor by 7 points · rank 9 → 21 of 113.
- Wallarm API Security: 10% to 12%, +2. Inside the floor by 9 points · rank 2 → 3 of 113.
- OWASP ZAP: 10% to 8%, −2. Inside the floor by 9 points · rank 3 → 5 of 113.
- Akamai API Security: 6% to 4%, −2. Inside the floor by 9 points · rank 6 → 7 of 113.
- Traceable API Security Platform: 6% to 4%, −2. Inside the floor by 9 points · rank 7 → 8 of 113.
- Noname Security: 6% to 4%, −2. Inside the floor by 9 points · rank 8 → 10 of 113.
- Postman: 2% to 0%, −2. Inside the floor by 9 points · rank 14 → 35 of 113.

## Record

- Method: https://www.gane.ai/index/it/methodology
- License: CC BY 4.0. Cite as Gane Index, November 2026 Edition, www.gane.ai/index/it.