Detectify vs Acunetix

Acunetix, now Invicti Web + API, confirms findings with proof-based scanning, while Detectify tests your web apps and APIs with payloads built with ethical hackers.

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Last updated 8 October 2026

	Detectify	Acunetix
How tests are built	Payload-based tests, including 1,765+ Crowdsource modules from ethical hackers	Proof-based validation to confirm findings are exploitable. Identifies 7,000+ issues*
Attack surface monitoring	Subdomains, IPs and IP ranges, open ports and technologies, plus subdomain takeover checks every 8 hours	Discovery finds web apps on domains and subdomains matching your account’s domain, plus reverse IP lookup*
Web app scanning	Headless Chrome crawler with full SPA support	Scans single-page and JavaScript-heavy apps with a DOM parser that simulates user actions*
Authenticated scanning	Basic, Recorded Login and Recorded Crawling	Form login, recorded macros, Basic, Digest, NTLM/Kerberos, Negotiate, OAuth2 and header authentication*
API scanning	OpenAPI v2, v3, v3.1 and GraphQL. OAuth, Basic and API key	REST, GraphQL and SOAP. Imports OpenAPI (Swagger), WADL, WSDL, RAML, GraphQL SDL and Postman*
Internal scanning	Internal Scanning, deployed with Terraform (AWS) or Helm. Outbound-only connection	Scan agents installed on your network for internal sites. Windows, Linux or Docker*
Emerging threats	New Crowdsource tests for newly disclosed vulnerabilities	Weekly vulnerability database updates, plus new security checks for emerging threats*
Integrations	Jira (two-way), Slack, Microsoft Teams, PagerDuty, Opsgenie, ServiceNow, Splunk, webhooks, Workato, REST API	Jira (two-way), Azure Boards, GitHub, GitLab, ServiceNow, Slack, Microsoft Teams, PagerDuty, Splunk, Jenkins*
Free trial	2 weeks	Proof of Concept licenses to try it before buying*

SupportedNot supported

* See sources for Acunetix details.

Detectify helps 10,000+ users manage their attack surfaces

Which one fits your team

Detectify

Choose Detectify if

Your biggest risk sits in internet-facing web apps, APIs and subdomains
You want testing that goes beyond known CVEs
You want attack surface monitoring and application testing in one platform

Acunetix

Choose Acunetix if

You need to scan SOAP or WSDL-described services alongside REST and GraphQL APIs
Your apps use NTLM/Kerberos, Digest or Negotiate login methods
You want findings confirmed as exploitable through proof-based scanning

Why teams choose Detectify

1,765+ Crowdsource modules from ethical hackers run against the assets you add

Crowdsource ethical hackers submit payloads for vulnerabilities they find in the wild
1,765+ modules run against the assets you add
New tests ship when a vulnerability is disclosed, as with Log4Shell on the same day

Maps subdomains from certificate transparency logs, DNS enumeration and brute-forcing
Checks your subdomains for takeover every 8 hours, including GCP bucket takeover
DNS connectors pull in assets from AWS, Azure, GCP, Cloudflare and more

Import an OpenAPI spec or GraphQL schema and pick the operations to test
OAuth, Basic Auth and API key authentication
Prompt injection tests for AI and LLM endpoints

Crowdsource from submission to test

Ethical hacker submits a payloadCrowdsource · path traversal

GET /static/..%2f..%2f..%2fetc/passwd

Reviewed, then shipped as a test moduleJoins 1,765+ modules

Finding

trade.go-hack-yourself.netPath traversalHigh

Surface Monitoring subdomain takeover

New subdomain foundCertificate transparency logs

promo.go-hack-yourself.net CNAME deprovisioned cloud resource

Checked for takeoverEvery 8 hours

Finding

promo.go-hack-yourself.netSubdomain takeoverHigh

API Scanning from spec to scan

Import your spec, pick the operationsOpenAPI or GraphQL · auth: OAuth

# openapi.json GET /orders/{id} ✓ POST /orders ✓ POST /assistant/chat ✓

Payloads sent to each operationRotated between runs

Finding

api.go-hack-yourself.net/assistant/chatPrompt injectionHigh

“We wanted something not only automated but had people behind it to continually add the latest vulnerabilities.”

Sonya MoissetSenior Security Engineer, Photobox

FAQs

01Is Detectify an alternative to Acunetix?

Yes, for teams whose main risk is internet-facing web apps, APIs and subdomains. Detectify monitors your external attack surface and tests applications with payload-based tests. Invicti Web + API, formerly Acunetix, is a DAST scanner for web apps and APIs that uses proof-based scanning to confirm which findings are exploitable.

02What's the main difference between Detectify and Acunetix?

How the tests are built. Detectify's tests come from its own research and from Crowdsource, a program of ethical hackers who submit payloads for real vulnerabilities. Invicti Web + API, formerly Acunetix, uses proof-based validation to confirm findings are exploitable.

03Does Detectify scan APIs?

Yes. API Scanning tests the operations you choose in an OpenAPI v2, v3 or v3.1 spec or a GraphQL schema that you import. It supports OAuth, Basic and API key authentication.

04Can Detectify scan internal applications?

Yes. Internal Scanning runs inside your network and connects outbound only. You deploy it with Terraform on AWS or with Helm.

05Does Detectify support authenticated scanning?

Yes. Application Scanning supports Basic authentication, Recorded Login and Recorded Crawling.

06How much does Detectify cost?

Pricing depends on the products you use and how many assets you cover. Surface Monitoring is priced by the number of domains in scope, and Internal Scanning by the number of internal apps. Start a 2-week free trial, or talk to sales for a quote.

07Can I use Detectify and Acunetix together?

Yes. They run independently, so you can point both at the same web apps and APIs.

See Detectify on your own domains

Start a free trial, or book a demo to walk through Detectify with our team.

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