Metasploit vs ZAP:Which is searched more?
In September 2026, ZAP had more branded searches than Metasploit among penetration testing platforms worldwide. ZAP had about 51,900 branded searches, while Metasploit had 40,500. ZAP made up 5.1% of all penetration testing platform searches we track, and Metasploit accounted for 4%. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.
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Is Metasploit or ZAP more popular in search?
Compare services and tools used to test business systems for exploitable security weaknesses. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.
Share of searches by month for ZAP, Metasploit. 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 Metasploit and ZAP comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- The lead changed hands 3 times in the 12 months ending September 2026: ZAP took it in March 2026, Metasploit took it in May 2026, ZAP took it in June 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Metasploit’s share of searches among penetration testing platforms worldwide moved from 5% to 4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 60.5K to 40.5K.
- 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.
Metasploit’s share of searches among penetration testing platforms worldwide has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 4.7% to 4% in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
3 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Metasploit’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.
Metasploit
1 branded search term
- metasploit
ZAP
2 branded search terms
- owasp zap
- zap proxy
Other head-to-heads among penetration testing platforms
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