PenScan vs Detectify: Security Scanner Comparison

PenScan

7 open-source scanners in one run
Self-serve — 2 free credits, no demo
Verifiable trust certificate & badge
From $35 per scan

Detectify

EASM platform powered by crowdsourced hacker research

External attack surface management with continuously updated signatures contributed by 400+ ethical security researchers

Feature comparison

PenScan vs Detectify: Side by Side

Based on publicly available product information. Capability availability may vary by plan.

Capability	PenScan	Detectify
Web application (DAST) scanning	true	true
External attack surface management	Asset & subdomain discovery	true
Subdomain takeover detection	Discovered via CT log enumeration	true
Network and port scanning	true	Surface-level, not deep port scan
TLS/SSL certificate analysis	true	true
Advanced XSS testing	true	true
CVE-based template checks	true	true
Crowdsourced novel signatures	false	true
Continuous surface monitoring	Scheduled scans on Growth+	true
Severity-ranked report	true	true
PDF export	true	true
Trust certificate & embeddable badge	true	false
Cross-scanner deduplication	true	Single-engine, deduplication varies
Self-serve signup	true	false
Pay-per-scan pricing	true	false
Team RBAC	true	true

✓ = Available · ✓ amber = Partially / plan-dependent · — = Not available · Last reviewed August 2026

Where PenScan stands out

Transparent stack of seven named scanners

Every PenScan report tells you exactly which tool found which issue — OWASP ZAP, Nuclei, Wapiti, Nikto, SSLyze, Nmap, and Dalfox. Engineers can reproduce findings, look up scanner documentation, and understand the methodology. Detectify runs its own proprietary engine alongside crowdsourced checks; the underlying methodology is less transparent.

Start scanning without a sales call

PenScan accounts include 2 free scan credits on signup — no demo request, no sales conversation. The first scan can run within minutes of creating an account. Detectify requires a demo booking before access, reflecting its enterprise positioning.

Verifiable trust certificate after a clean scan

Once a scan passes, PenScan issues a cryptographically signed trust certificate with a unique ID and an embeddable live badge. These are used as evidence of a recent pentest for customers, procurement teams, and auditors. Detectify doesn't offer an equivalent shareable credential.

Deep XSS and injection testing in every scan

Dalfox — a purpose-built XSS fuzzer — runs as one of PenScan's seven engines, alongside Wapiti's SQL injection and CSRF checks, and ZAP's broader OWASP coverage. The combined approach tests injection attack classes with a level of depth designed to catch issues that single-engine DAST may miss.

Where Detectify stands out

Crowdsourced signatures beyond standard CVE feeds

Detectify's private researcher community contributes signatures for novel misconfigurations and vulnerabilities that haven't yet appeared in public CVE databases or open-source tool templates. This gives Detectify a coverage advantage for recently disclosed and less-catalogued issues.

Continuous surface discovery at scale

Detectify continuously monitors your attack surface and alerts on newly discovered assets or newly vulnerable ones — without manual intervention. The platform is designed to keep pace with rapidly expanding cloud infrastructure.

EASM breadth

Detectify's External Attack Surface Management capabilities go beyond scanning individual targets — the platform maps your full external exposure and tracks it over time. PenScan's asset discovery covers subdomain and connected asset enumeration but doesn't replicate the continuous EASM workflow.

Security community credibility

Detectify is well-regarded in the security research community, partly because it compensates and credits the hackers who contribute signatures. That model tends to attract security-savvy buyers who value community-sourced intelligence.

Decision guide

Which platform is right for your team?

Neither platform is universally better. The right choice depends on your team's size, workflow, and primary security goals.

Choose PenScan if…

You want to know exactly which open-source tools are scanning your systems — full toolchain transparency
You need a self-serve entry point with no demo or sales conversation
A shareable trust certificate or live security badge is a requirement
Port scanning, TLS analysis, and advanced XSS fuzzing are specific priorities
Pay-per-scan or month-to-month pricing works better than an annual enterprise contract

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Consider Detectify if…

Continuous surface monitoring — automatically flagging new exposure without manual scans — is a core requirement
You want coverage of novel, recently discovered vulnerabilities beyond standard CVE databases
Your team is running a mature external attack surface management programme
You're comfortable with an enterprise procurement process in exchange for broader EASM capabilities

See all comparisons

Pricing

How the costs compare

PenScan

PenScan: Starter at $35 per scan (2 free credits on signup). Growth at $99/month billed annually — 50 scans/year, 3 domains, 3 seats. Enterprise on request.

View full pricing

Detectify

Detectify is an enterprise-oriented platform. Pricing is available by contacting their sales team or booking a demo on their website. No self-serve pricing tiers are publicly listed.

See current pricing on the Detectify website.

FAQ

PenScan vs Detectify: Common Questions

The two products address overlapping but distinct problems. PenScan focuses on deep, multi-scanner automated penetration testing — running seven tools concurrently against a target and producing a single ranked report. Detectify's primary offering is External Attack Surface Management with continuously updated crowdsourced signatures. Teams that need an accessible, structured pentest output tend to find PenScan more suitable; teams that need continuous surface monitoring with novel signature coverage find Detectify more relevant.

Detectify's researchers contribute tests for vulnerabilities they discover — including novel misconfigurations not yet in public CVE databases. PenScan's Nuclei engine draws from the publicly maintained community template library, which is large but relies on publicly disclosed vulnerabilities. For bleeding-edge or niche application-framework issues, Detectify's crowdsourced approach may surface findings earlier. For broad coverage across well-known vulnerability classes, PenScan's seven-scanner approach provides comparable depth.

PenScan performs passive asset and subdomain discovery automatically the moment you add a domain, at no cost. Scheduled recurring scans are available on the Growth plan. However, Detectify's continuous monitoring model — which proactively re-scans as new signatures are added — is a different operational model to PenScan's on-demand and scheduled scans.

Yes. PenScan accounts include two free scan credits on signup, with no credit card required and no demo booking. Detectify is primarily an enterprise product and routes new users through a demo request before platform access.

It depends on what the team needs most. If the goal is a structured, repeatable pentest output with a certificate to share with enterprise customers, PenScan is a more direct fit. If the goal is continuous surface monitoring that tracks your exposure as your infrastructure changes, Detectify's EASM approach is more relevant. Some teams use both for complementary coverage.

Get started

Try PenScan with two free scans

No credit card required. No demo call. Run a full seven-scanner combined pentest on your domain today and get a prioritised vulnerability report in under 30 minutes.

Run my first free scan See pricing

2 free scan credits included No credit card required Results in under 30 minutes

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