Intruder vs ZAP:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, ZAP had more branded searches than Intruder among penetration testing platforms worldwide. ZAP had about 51,900 branded searches, while Intruder had 440. ZAP made up 5.1% of all penetration testing platform searches we track, and Intruder accounted for 0.04%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about penetration testing platforms, ZAP appeared in all five answers and Intruder in one. ZAP was mentioned before Intruder in four out of five answers.
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Top penetration testing platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, ZAP appeared in all five answers. Intruder was mentioned in one out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in one of the two Google AI Overviews. ZAP was listed before Intruder in four out of five answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Burp Suite1st
Kali Linux2nd
Metasploit3rd
ZAP4th
Tenable5th
Nmap6th
Horizon3.ai7th
Pentera8th
Intruder9th
Cobalt10th- +1 more
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
Burp Suite5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
ZAP5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Metasploit4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Kali Linux3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Nmap3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Tenable3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Pentera2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Horizon3.ai2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Cobalt1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Intruder1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about penetration testing platforms
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which penetration testing platform should I use?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best penetration testing platforms?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best penetration testing platform for security weaknesses?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“penetration testing software”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“security testing tools”
Not named in any answer:
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.
Is Intruder or ZAP more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Intruder and ZAP by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 11 penetration testing platforms we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for ZAP, Intruder. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Kali Linux | Nmap | Burp Suite | ZAP | Tenable | Metasploit | Pentera | Horizon3.ai | Astra Security | Cobalt | Intruder |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 55.2% | 16.5% | 11.1% | 4.3% | 6.1% | 5% | 1% | 0.41% | 0.24% | 0.2% | 0.06% |
| Nov 2025 | 52.1% | 15.6% | 12.8% | 5% | 7% | 5.7% | 0.96% | 0.39% | 0.27% | 0.18% | 0.05% |
| Dec 2025 | 53.9% | 16.2% | 13.2% | 4.2% | 5.9% | 4.9% | 0.81% | 0.35% | 0.28% | 0.14% | 0.05% |
| Jan 2026 | 53.6% | 16.1% | 13.2% | 4.2% | 5.9% | 4.8% | 1.2% | 0.43% | 0.28% | 0.16% | 0.05% |
| Feb 2026 | 53.8% | 16.1% | 13.2% | 4.2% | 5.9% | 4.8% | 1% | 0.43% | 0.28% | 0.15% | 0.05% |
| Mar 2026 | 51.3% | 18.7% | 12.6% | 4.9% | 5.6% | 4.6% | 1.2% | 0.55% | 0.34% | 0.15% | 0.06% |
| Apr 2026 | 53.2% | 15.9% | 13% | 5% | 5.8% | 4.8% | 1% | 0.64% | 0.35% | 0.17% | 0.05% |
| May 2026 | 48.7% | 17.8% | 14.6% | 4.6% | 6.5% | 5.4% | 1.1% | 0.72% | 0.39% | 0.16% | 0.06% |
| Jun 2026 | 52.3% | 15.7% | 12.8% | 6% | 5.8% | 4.7% | 1.2% | 0.87% | 0.42% | 0.18% | 0.06% |
| Jul 2026 | 51.1% | 18.7% | 12.5% | 4.8% | 5.6% | 4.6% | 1.2% | 0.85% | 0.41% | 0.17% | 0.05% |
| Aug 2026 | 56% | 16.8% | 11.2% | 4.3% | 5% | 4.1% | 1% | 0.88% | 0.37% | 0.15% | 0.04% |
| Sep 2026 | 54.1% | 16.2% | 13.3% | 5.1% | 4.9% | 4% | 1% | 0.92% | 0.35% | 0.16% | 0.04% |
How has the Intruder and ZAP comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- ZAP was ahead of Intruder in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Intruder’s share of searches among penetration testing platforms worldwide moved from 0.06% to 0.04%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 680 to 440.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, ZAP’s share of searches among penetration testing platforms worldwide moved from 4.3% to 5.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 52.4K to 51.9K.
How did search popularity change for penetration testing platforms worldwide in September 2026?
2 changes

In September 2026, ZAP overtook Tenable to rank 4th among penetration testing platforms worldwide, with 5.1% of the searches.

Estimated monthly branded searches for Intruder worldwide fell 35.3% over 12 measured months, from 680 to 440 in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
4 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Intruder’s and ZAP’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
Other head-to-heads among penetration testing platforms

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