10 Best Veracode Alternatives for Application Security Testing

As an application security leader in large enterprises building software-centric products, recommending the right application security testing tool is top priority to me. Veracode has been a popular choice for its combination of static (SAST), dynamic (DAST), interactive (IAST) analyzers and rigorous standards compliance reporting.

However our security engineers have identified several key issues that merit evaluating alternatives:

  1. High false positive rates: Veracode tends to flag many legitimate flows as potential vulnerabilities necessitating lengthy manual verification.

  2. Cost escalations: Licensing based on number of scans makes Veracode overall total cost of ownership disproportionately high.

  3. Limited integration: Veracode tightly couples its analysis to recommendation workflows frustrating teams wanting more custom integrations with in-house tools.

Through over a year of extensive evaluation, I have curated a list of top notch alternatives well-suited for any organization – small startups to large enterprises.

Let‘s dig deeper into the evaluation criteria and top recommendations:

Comparison of Veracode with Leading Competitors

Veracode Invicti Acunetix Checkmarx Contrast Security
Supported Test Types SAST, DAST, IAST DAST, IAST, SCA DAST SAST IAST
Accuracy & False Positives Moderate, tend high Excellent, uses Proof-based Scanning Excellent, auto-verifies findings Good, some manual verification needed Very good, verifies findings through attacks
Code Language Support Good – Java, .NET, JavaScript, Python etc. Very good Very good Excellent – optimized for major languages Good
Developer Workflows IDE plugins for automated scanning Command line, CI/CD integrations Command line, CI/CD integrations Deep IDE integrations with guided remediation Embeddable sensors, in-IDE capabilities
Licensing Model Usage based Annual subscription Annual subscription Annual subscription Annual subscription
Overall Rating 3.5/5 4.5/5 4/5 4/5 4/5

Why Veracode Alternatives Meet Application Security Needs Better

  1. Higher accuracy cuts down verification overhead: According to Gartner, security analysts spend 21% of time manually verifying vulnerabilities versus 13% for best tools. Superior accuracy from alternatives reduce such costly overhead.

  2. Native integration into DevOps pipelines: Solutions tailored for DevOps like Invicti seamlessly embed into CI/CD pipelines bringing security earlier into SDLC than traditional tools like Veracode.

  3. Risk-based and actionable reporting: Leading competitors provide contextual prioritization and guided remediation flows significantly improving remediation throughput over Veracode.

  4. Usage based licensing avoids cost overruns: Subscription model aligns spend directly with consumption rather than expenditures ballooning with growth.

Let‘s look at the key considerations when evaluating various Veracode alternatives:

Critical Capabilities Needed from Veracode Alternatives

1. Comprehensive Testing Methods

Combining SAST, DAST and IAST provides complementary protection covering risks missed by any single method. Evaluate breadth across testing types.

2. High Accuracy for Low False Positives

Accuracy rate and false positives indicate product maturity. Mature tools automatically verify findings minimizing false alerts.

3. Integration with SDLC workflows

Natively embedding into developer IDEs, CI/CD pipelines and Git workflows improves adoption over bolted on alternatives.

4. Prioritized and Actionable Reporting

Relevant data presented clearly accelerates remediation velocity over verbose reports leaving next steps ambiguous.

5. Usage Based Licensing

Subscription pricing aligned with value delivered prevents Kostenberg anti-pattern of shelfware bloat.

Now let us explore top alternatives excelling across above considerations.

Top 10 Veracode Alternatives

1. Invicti

Invicti delivers highly accurate DAST reinforced by its patented Proof-Based Scanning.

Key Highlights

  • Very high accuracy and lowest false positives via Proof-Based Scanning
  • Combines DAST, IAST and SCA for comprehensive testing
  • Easy to deploy into CI/CD pipelines through command line and APIs
  • Clear visualization of risks helps prioritize remediation

Ideal For
High assurance DAST scanning complementing a legacy Veracode deployment focused on SAST and IAST analysis. Would not fully replace Veracode capabilities.

2. Checkmarx

Checkmarx provides developer-centric SAST enhancing security of custom code early in SDLC.

Key Highlights

  • Accurate real-time feedback on code vulnerabilities within IDE during development
  • Broad language analysis including major frameworks like Spring and Struts
  • Detailed technical and compliance reports
  • Integrates with popular IDEs, CI/CD tools and repositories

Ideal For
Boosting security of custom code robustness through early developer testing beyond dependency scanning. Complements DAST testing.

3. Contrast Security

Contrast Security specializes in runtime IAST embedded into software through sensors.

Key Highlights

  • Detects vulnerabilities missed by static or dynamic testing
  • Continuous runtime analysis as code progresses from development to production
  • Testing consistency regardless of environment
  • Easy for developers to remediate issues detected

Ideal For
Organizations seeking embedded instrumentation approach over traditional scanning. Works for complex systems.

4. Acunetix

Acunetix delivers reliable high performance dynamic scanning supporting large scale web environments.

Key Highlights

  • High accuracy and advanced false positive suppression
  • Powerful crawling at scale without overloading target
  • Scheduled or on-demand full scans along with incremental testing
  • Integrates well with SDLC tools through CLI and APIs

Ideal For
Scanning modern complex web applications and APIs where breadth and depth of coverage is vital.

5. Rapid7 InsightAppSec

InsightAppSec provides cloud-based DAST fully managed by security experts.

Key Highlights

  • Black box scanning tests running applications beyond code analysis
  • Easy to launch scans with comprehensive results delivered
  • Scheduled weekly scanning ensures continual coverage
  • Available as self-service or fully managed plan

Ideal For
Testing modern Web 2.0, mobile and API applications where convenience and speed are vital over customization.

6. Micro Focus Fortify

Fortify brings SAST, DAST and IAST together with application security program management.

Key Highlights

  • Unified platform covering all key AppSec testing needs
  • Integrates results into Software Security Center for reporting and tracking
  • Flexible deployment models include on-premise, fully managed service and hybrid
  • Rich compliance reporting

Ideal For
Seeking extensive AppSec capabilities from a single vendor available across various deployment modes.

7. Synopsys Coverity

Coverity provides accurate SAST enhanced by deep analysis algorithms.

Key Highlights

  • Low false positive rate through multivariate analytics
  • Broad language support including embedded code analysis
  • Integration with development testing workflows
  • Scales to tackle large complex codebases
  • Open source and commercial versions available

Ideal For Development teams running secure DevOps programs leveraging SAST testing.

8. IBM Security AppScan

AppScan delivers market leading application security testing capabilities.

Key Highlights

  • Combines SAST, DAST, IAST and mobile testing techniques
  • Testing automation and integration into SDLC
  • Customized dashboards providing operational visibility
  • Compliance reporting mapped to major standards

Ideal For Large enterprises standardizing application security program leveraging breadth across Appsec capabilities spanning standards compliance to leading edge testing techniques.

9. HCL AppScan

HCL AppScan provides comprehensive capabilities covering the entire application security domain.

Key Highlights

  • Unified platform reduces need to stitch various tools
  • Accurate testing leveraging AI based static, dynamic, interactive analysis
  • Automatic CI/CD integration APIs
  • Customized dashboards providing operational visibility
  • Ideal for regulated industries requiring compliance reporting

Ideal For Seeking a unified application security platform that cuts across major facets like risk analysis, testing, attack modeling and application hardening.

10. GitLab

GitLab bakes security intrinsics directly into SDLC allowing security to shift left.

Key Highlights

  • Security testing intrinsic rather than bolted on through commits and merges
  • Testing interwoven through pipeline Security orchestration with issue tracking
  • No need to integrate third-party tools reducing complexity through consolidation
  • Easy to track code securely across repository to running application

Ideal For Teams fully bought into GitLab approach seeking to embed AppSec intrinsic through pipelines rather than treat as separate function.

Key Considerations for Picking the Right Alternative

  1. Clear on business motivations: Reduce mean time to repair, meet compliance standards or boost developer productivity?

  2. Application risk appetite: Are you innovating rapidly requiring agility or building highly sensitive applications necessitating assurance? Balance accordingly.

  3. Skill level: If developer skills are scarce, prioritize simpler tools with guided remediation flows.

  4. Deployment preferences: On-premise scanners allow customization but cloud-delivered usage based options offer convenience.

  5. Maturity stage: Evolving programs need breadth across scanning types unlike mature teams requiring depth in specialty areas like API or mobile testing.

Align your alternative to priorities revealed through above considerations that provide the right security/agility balance for your environment.

Conclusion: Smart Alternatives Elevate Application Security Programs

Migrating from traditional tools like Veracode to modern cloud-based alternatives aligned with DevOps practices can significantly boost application security maturity.

Key benefits delivered include:

  • Finding critical risks early through shift-left testing intrinsic to CI/CD

  • Achieving breadth across API, mobile and web application categories

  • Accelerating return on investment through easy integrations and guided remediations

  • Ongoing compliance maintenance through automated policy scanning

  • Freeing scarce expert resources through automated testing and prioritization

As high profile breaches have shown, application risk deserves C-level visibility rather than being relegated to marginal compliance-centric programs.

Evaluating Veracode alternatives against above considerations will reveal options that canelevate application security to be a true business enabler while delivering robust protection.

Hopefully this guide has provided a framework to assess solutions that can address current program gaps and boost maturity to the next stage aligned to your needs.

Read More Topics