Burp Suite Pro vs Acunetix vs Nessus vs Qualys vs OpenVAS (and Nikto)

1. Burp Suite Professional - The Gold Standard for Web Pentesting

What it is

Burp Suite Pro is an interactive web application penetration testing platform. It is designed primarily for manual testing, with powerful automation assisting-not replacing-the tester.

Why it’s on top

Burp Suite Pro is widely considered the industry standard for serious web application pentesting.

Key strengths:

• Full interception and manipulation of HTTP/S traffic
• Advanced manual testing capabilities
• Excellent crawler and scanner for modern web apps
• Deep support for:
  • Authentication testing
  • Business logic flaws
  • Authorization issues (IDOR)
  • CSRF, XSS, SQLi, SSTI, etc.
• Massive extension ecosystem via BApp Store
• Fine-grained control over every request and response

Burp does not just tell you that something is vulnerable-it helps you understand why and prove exploitability.

Weaknesses

• Requires skill and experience
• Slower than fully automated scanners
• Not designed for large-scale infrastructure scanning

Best use case

Professional web application penetration testing

Burp Suite Pro is the tool you use when accuracy, depth, and real-world exploitability matter.

2. Acunetix - Powerful Automation at a High Price

What it is

Acunetix is a commercial automated web vulnerability scanner focused on speed, coverage, and compliance-style reporting.

Strengths

• Very good automated crawling and scanning
• Strong detection for:
  • SQL Injection
  • XSS
  • Known vulnerabilities
• Handles modern web technologies well
• Polished reports suitable for management and compliance

Downsides

• Expensive, especially for multiple targets
• Less flexibility for advanced manual testing
• Limited insight into business logic issues

Reality check

Acunetix is good, but it often tells you what is wrong without helping you deeply understand how to exploit it.

Best use case

Automated web scanning for enterprises and compliance

Acunetix is excellent when time is limited and coverage matters-but it does not replace a skilled tester with Burp.

3. Nessus - Solid Scanner, Not a Web Pentesting Tool

What it is

Nessus is primarily a network and systems vulnerability scanner with some web-related plugins.

Strengths

• Excellent for:
  • Servers
  • Operating systems
  • Network services
• Large plugin database
• Fast and reliable for infrastructure scanning

Web testing limitations

• Web plugins are basic
• Minimal support for:
  • Session handling
  • Business logic
  • Complex authentication

Verdict

Nessus can detect known web issues, but it is not designed for real web application pentesting.

Best use case

Network, server, and infrastructure security assessments

Use Nessus alongside web tools-not instead of them.

4. Qualys - Powerful Platform, Painful Interface

What it is

Qualys is a cloud-based vulnerability management platform used heavily by large enterprises.

Strengths

• Scales extremely well
• Strong asset management and compliance capabilities
• Continuous monitoring

Major drawbacks

• Confusing and cluttered interface
• Steep learning curve
• Web application testing feels secondary
• Less flexibility for hands-on testing

Reality

Qualys is more about risk management dashboards than offensive web pentesting.

Best use case

Large enterprises needing continuous vulnerability visibility

Great for executives-frustrating for pentesters.

5. OpenVAS - Open Source and Surprisingly Capable

What it is

OpenVAS (Greenbone) is an open-source vulnerability scanner covering both network and some web vulnerabilities.

Strengths

• Free and open source
• Good for:
  • Learning
  • Labs
  • Internal testing
• Active community

Limitations

• Web testing is mostly signature-based
• Less accurate than commercial tools
• Setup and tuning can be painful

Verdict

OpenVAS is a solid open-source option, but it cannot match Burp or Acunetix for web app depth.

Best use case

Budget-conscious testing and learning environments

6. Nikto - Basic, Loud, and Educational

What it is

Nikto is a simple open-source web server scanner.

Strengths

• Free and lightweight
• Detects:
  • Dangerous files
  • Misconfigurations
  • Outdated software

Weaknesses

• Very noisy
• No understanding of modern web apps
• No authentication handling

Verdict

Nikto is not a pentesting tool-it’s a baseline scanner.

Best use case

Quick checks, learning, and basic server audits

Comparison Summary

Final Verdict

• Burp Suite Pro - Best tool for real web application pentesting
• Acunetix - Strong automation, high cost
• Nessus / Qualys - Infrastructure-first, web is secondary
• OpenVAS - Good open-source learning tool
• Nikto - Basic, educational, and limited

The truth: Automated scanners find known problems. Skilled testers find real vulnerabilities.

If you are serious about web pentesting, Burp Suite Pro sits at the center, with other tools used as supporting players-not replacements.

Automated vs Manual Pentesting - Why You Need Both

Over the years, people have always asked the same question:

What is the difference between automated and manual penetration testing?

The short answer is that more coverage is better, and the best results come from combining both approaches.

Manual testing allows you to detect issues that automated scanners simply cannot find, such as:

• Business logic flaws
• Authorization issues (IDOR, privilege escalation)
• Workflow abuse
• Context-dependent vulnerabilities

At the same time, automated scanners are very good at catching things you might miss, especially when dealing with large applications or many endpoints. They can quickly identify:

• Known vulnerabilities
• Misconfigurations
• Common injection patterns

Additionally, many scanners maintain an up-to-date vulnerability database, which makes life much easier during enumeration and initial assessment. Instead of manually tracking every CVE or known issue, scanners help surface them early.

The real takeaway

A proper penetration test should never rely on only one approach.

• Manual testing provides depth and real-world exploitability
• Automated scanning provides breadth, speed, and coverage

When combined, they complement each other. That is why a professional web penetration test should always involve both manual testing and automated tools, not one instead of the other.