APVISO vs StackHawk: AI Pentesting vs Developer-First DAST

Developer-First vs Security-First

StackHawk is built for developers, not security teams. It integrates DAST scanning directly into CI/CD pipelines, presents findings in developer-friendly terms, and runs scans that developers can configure and trigger themselves. APVISO is built for anyone who needs penetration testing — from developers to security teams to CTOs — with AI agents that handle the complexity of security testing autonomously.

Both tools aim to shift security left in the development process. StackHawk does this by giving developers a familiar tooling experience. APVISO does this by making expert-level pentesting accessible to everyone.

Configuration Model

StackHawk uses a YAML configuration file (stackhawk.yml) that lives in your repository. Developers define the application URL, authentication details, scan policies, and custom test configurations. This gives teams full control but requires understanding DAST configuration concepts.

APVISO's configuration is minimal: provide a target URL and verify ownership. The AI agents handle the rest — discovering endpoints, understanding authentication, and determining what to test. For teams that want fine-grained control over scan configuration, StackHawk offers more customization. For teams that want intelligent testing without configuration overhead, APVISO is simpler.

CI/CD Integration

StackHawk's CI/CD integration is exceptional. It was designed pipeline-first and supports GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins, Azure Pipelines, and CircleCI with first-class plugins. Scans run as pipeline steps with configurable gates that can fail builds based on vulnerability severity.

APVISO integrates with CI/CD pipelines through its API, triggering scans on deployment events. While the integration works well, it wasn't the starting point for the product design. StackHawk has a more polished pipeline experience. APVISO provides deeper testing when the scan runs.

Testing Depth

StackHawk is a DAST scanner that runs predefined security checks against your application. It supports custom test scripts and authenticated scanning, covering OWASP Top 10 and common web vulnerabilities. However, like all traditional DAST tools, it's limited to pattern-based detection.

APVISO's AI agents perform genuine penetration testing — reasoning about application architecture, testing business logic, discovering attack chains, and verifying exploitation. This depth difference means APVISO finds complex vulnerabilities that StackHawk's scanning engine doesn't detect: authorization flaws, multi-step attack scenarios, and application-specific logic issues.

Scan Speed

StackHawk scans are designed to be fast enough to run in CI pipelines — typically completing in minutes for small to medium applications. This speed is possible because StackHawk runs focused, predefined checks. APVISO scans take longer (typically hours) because AI agents perform comprehensive reconnaissance, test more thoroughly, and verify findings through exploitation. The trade-off is speed vs depth.

For teams that want fast feedback in every pipeline run, StackHawk's speed is an advantage. For thorough security assessment, APVISO's depth is more valuable. Some teams use StackHawk for quick CI checks and APVISO for periodic deep testing.

Authentication Support

Both tools support authenticated scanning, but the approach differs. StackHawk requires configuring authentication in the YAML file — specifying login endpoints, credentials, and token handling. APVISO's AI agents can navigate authentication flows, handle multi-factor authentication, and maintain sessions across testing scenarios.

Open Source Foundation

StackHawk is built on top of ZAP (OWASP Zed Attack Proxy), the popular open-source web security scanner. This means its core scanning engine is well-understood and community-tested. APVISO's testing engine is built from scratch around AI agents, representing a different architectural approach.

Pricing

StackHawk offers a free tier for a single application with limited features. Paid plans start at approximately $300/month for the Pro plan. APVISO starts at $49/month for the Starter plan. For basic DAST scanning, StackHawk's free tier is hard to beat. For penetration testing depth, APVISO's Starter plan provides more value than StackHawk's Pro plan.