Penetration testing as a service · November 2026 Edition
Astra Security vs NetSPI
Two of fourteen models named Astra Security first on the direct prompt; one named NetSPI. Astra Security was named by twelve of the fourteen models and NetSPI by twelve and Astra Security carries 24 labels and NetSPI 22, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in three categories this edition.
Named in two categories this edition.
First-choice share16%4%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate0%9%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#2#5A position in a field of 12; printed, not drawn.
Labels2422A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, Astra Security reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.Cobalt was named alongside these two in thirteen of the fourteen direct answers. Cobalt vs Astra Security · Cobalt vs NetSPI · Astra Security vs BreachLock
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 penetration testing as a service page.
By framing
How many of the fourteen models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
Astra SecurityFirst choices, of fourteen modelsNetSPI
Direct21
Paraphrase312 against NetSPI
Comparative42
Budget-constrained30
Scale-constrained00
Negative00
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.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where Astra Security and NetSPI stood in it.
| Model | Direct | Paraphrase | Comparative | Budget-constrained | Scale-constrained | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | | | |
Astra Security NetSPI first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Astra Security on the left and NetSPI on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where Astra Security and NetSPI stood in it.
Astra Security first, NetSPI not the choice
2 of 14 modelsNetSPI was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.GLM 4.7 FlashXAstra Security alternatives: Blaze InfoSec, Cobalt, SecurityMetrics
MiniMax M2.5Astra Security alternatives: BreachLock, Cobalt, Intruder, Stingrai
NetSPI first, Astra Security not the choice
1 of 14 modelsAstra Security was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.GPT-5.4 miniNetSPI alternatives: Appsecco, Cobalt, HackerOne PTaaS, Packetlabs
Neither was the first choice, one was named
5 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.Gemini 3.5 FlashCobalt alternatives: BreachLock, NetSPI, Synack
Perplexity SonarCobalt alternatives: Coalfire, NetSPI, Raxis, Stingrai
Mistral SmallCobalt alternatives: BreachLock, NetSPI, Stingrai
GPT-6 LunaCobalt alternatives: Bishop Fox, NetSPI
Muse Glimmer 30BCobalt alternatives: BreachLock, Bugcrowd PTaaS, HackerOne PTaaS, NetSPI, Rapid7, Stingrai, Synack
Neither was named
6 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.Claude Haiku 4.5no first choice
Grok 4.20BreachLock alternatives: Cobalt, Rapid7
DeepSeek V4 FlashBreachLock, Cobalt alternatives: Baker Tilly, Cherry Bekaert, RSM, Rapid7, Sprocket Security, Stingrai
Llama 4 MaverickCobalt
Qwen 3.7 FlashBishop Fox, Cobalt alternatives: HackerOne PTaaS, Lattice Security, NCC Group, Secureworks, TrustedSec
Kimi K2BreachLock, Cobalt alternatives: Stingrai
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
Astra Security leads by seventeen points.
Astra Security17%#2 of 8NetSPI0%#– of 8Mid-marketThe figures above
Astra Security leads by twelve points.
Astra Security16%#2 of 12NetSPI4%#5 of 12Enterprise
The order flips: NetSPI leads at enterprise.
NetSPI30%#1 of 12Astra Security2%#– of 12What the models said about Astra Security
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Three of four in this category shown.
“the strongest general recommendation for a mid-sized B2B company is Astra Security or Cobalt.io” Qwen 3.7 Flash · paraphrase prompt · first choice
“Astra Security or Cobalt.io would be the best starting points for most mid-sized B2B companies” MiniMax M2.5 · paraphrase prompt · first choice
“Known for its all-in-one platform, ideal for modern engineering teams and DevSecOps integration.” Mistral Small · comparative prompt · first choice
What the models said about NetSPI
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Five of six in this category shown.
“Better for complex, high-risk environments, but likely more than a typical mid-sized company needs initially” Perplexity Sonar · paraphrase prompt · soft negative
“traditional firms like Rapid7 or NetSPI might feel less "as-a-service" for ongoing needs” Grok 4.20 · paraphrase prompt · soft negative
“I'd generally recommend NetSPI if you want the safest "default" choice for a mature PTaaS program” GPT-5.4 mini · paraphrase prompt · first choice
“Choose Astra or NetSPI if you need a rigorous, manual audit that satisfies strict auditors” Qwen 3.7 Flash · comparative prompt · first choice
“NetSPI is a strong default choice for mid-market-to-enterprise buyers” GPT-5.4 mini · direct prompt · first choice
Also compared
Cobalt vs Astra SecurityCobalt vs NetSPIAstra Security vs BreachLockAstra Security vs StingraiAstra Security vs Bishop FoxAstra Security vs IntruderAstra Security vs RaxisBreachLock vs NetSPIStingrai vs NetSPINetSPI vs Bishop FoxNetSPI vs IntruderNetSPI vs RaxisAll twenty-eight head-to-head pages and the full ptaas standing
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.