Intruder vs Detectify: continuous external scanning for security and IT
Intruder when the weekly gap is IT-friendly continuous exposure management across ports, cloud, Emerging Threat scans, and optional AI pentests. Detectify when the gap is Crowdsource-led Surface Monitoring plus deep Application and API Scanning for AppSec.
Intruder is continuous external exposure management for security and IT teams: ports, cloud checks, Emerging Threat scans, and optional AI pentests on an operator-friendly board.
Detectify is Crowdsource-led Surface Monitoring plus Application and API Scanning for AppSec teams that need payload-based tests on the internet-facing and authenticated app surface.
| Job | Continuous exposure management: external vuln scanning, attack surface monitoring, cloud security, DAST, Emerging Threat Scans, optional AI pentesting | Continuous attack surface discovery with Crowdsource-led Application, API, and Surface Monitoring tests that emphasize proven exploitability |
|---|---|---|
| How a bad day closes | New or changed exposed service is scanned; Emerging Threat checks fire on fresh criticals; prioritized issues and GregAI guidance reach IT or security; optional AI pentest when a release needs depth | New assets enter Surface Monitoring; Crowdsource and Alfred-built tests plus Application or API scans return payload-validated findings with remediation context for AppSec |
| Day-to-day workflow | Open issues by severity and exploit likelihood, new attack-surface changes, Emerging Threat results, cloud misconfigs, optional AI investigation credits | Newly discovered domains and technologies, Surface Monitoring findings, Application and API scan results, Crowdsource/Alfred test coverage |
| Deploy | SaaS; connect targets and cloud accounts; Free plan available; Pro adds agent-based internal scanning | SaaS; add domains and scan profiles; Surface Monitoring, Application Scanning, and API Scanning scoped as modules; internal agents on higher plans |
| License/pricing | Free forever tier; Cloud and Pro as base fee plus per-target licenses (30-day lock); Enterprise quote; AI web app pentests from $3,500 / test (checked 30 Sep 2026) | Platform fees from €0 / €2,500 / €5,000 / €15,000 annually plus additional per-domain and per-target costs for Surface, Application, and API modules (checked 30 Sep 2026) |
| Who operates it | Security, IT, and compliance teams that want one exposure console without a large AppSec research desk | AppSec teams that want continuous surface and DAST coverage powered by Crowdsource research and payload-based testing |
We reviewed Intruder product, pricing, help, GregAI, and AI pentesting pages, Detectify product, pricing, Crowdsource, Alfred, and newsroom pages, and live community search the same day (30 Sep 2026). We did not run either product in a paid tenant, so this is not a hands-on benchmark. Detectify disclosed an Insight Partners majority stake in October 2024; Intruder showed no acquisition during research.
That Oct 2025 note is why continuous external surface coverage earns its keep: unexpected hosts and proxies show up before an auditor does. Between these two, Intruder packages that pain as IT-operable exposure management with Emerging Threat response; Detectify packages it as Crowdsource-led Surface Monitoring plus Application and API Scanning.
Between these two, decide on Emerging Threat response depth and IT-operable exposure packaging versus Crowdsource-led Surface Monitoring plus Application and API Scanning, not on a generic EASM cost complaint.
Intruder
Detectify
Intruder’s recent first-party signal is AI-powered web app pentesting, published 16 July 2026, pairing on-demand white-box depth with continuous scanning. Detectify’s recent product signal is Alfred for AI-built vulnerability assessments, announced 10 March 2025, alongside Crowdsource modules and later Dynamic API Scanning and MCP Server launches still shipping under Detectify after the Insight Partners majority stake in October 2024.
Editions and pricing
Scan cadence differs by named scan type and plan. Intruder’s first-party pricing headline lists weekly scans on Free for the five external infrastructure targets, while the help-center cadence matrix lists monthly network checks on Free, weekly on Cloud/Pro, and daily on Enterprise; Emerging Threat Scans sit on paid tiers. Detectify bills Surface Monitoring, Application Scanning, and API Scanning as continuous asset-scoped coverage rather than a single weekly/monthly network cadence. Confirm the check type on each plan doc before treating weekly vs monthly as a universal split.
The invoice question is whether you buy Intruder’s Free-to-Enterprise target licenses with optional AI pentest runs, or Detectify’s annual platform fee plus separately metered Surface, Application, and API modules.
| Ownership (30 Sep 2026) | Independent Intruder. No acquisition announced during research. First-party materials describe a bootstrapped path. | Insight Partners majority stake announced October 2024; Balderton remains a minority stakeholder. Product still ships as Detectify. |
|---|---|---|
| How you buy it now | Self-serve Free, Cloud, and Pro on Intruder pricing; Enterprise quote; AI pentests sold from $3,500 / test | Sales / platform plans on Detectify pricing; modules add per-domain and per-target fees |
| Public units | Free: 5 external infrastructure targets, weekly scans, 1 cloud account, ports 80/443. Cloud/Pro: base plus per-target licenses locked 30 days. Enterprise: quote. AI web app pentests from $3,500 / test | Starter from €0; Standard from €2,500; Professional from €5,000; Enterprise from €15,000 annual platform fee. Surface Monitoring, Application Scanning, and API Scanning billed as additional asset costs. PCI ASV €500 / year |
| What the invoice covers | Target licenses, plan cadence (monthly/weekly/daily network checks by tier), Emerging Threat Scans on paid tiers, cloud and container checks, GregAI and AI investigation credits, optional AI pentest runs | Platform users and teams, then Surface Monitoring domains, Application Scanning targets, API Scanning targets, optional internal environments and PCI ASV |
If procurement needs a published self-serve start this week, Intruder’s Free plan and public AI pentest floor are usable inputs. Detectify publishes platform fee floors in euros and keeps Surface, Application, and API meters on the quote. Confirm Cloud and Pro base dollars on Intruder’s live pricing checkout; the marketing page emphasizes plan shape more than a fixed public Cloud/Pro rate card.
How external coverage runs
| Discovery center | Attack surface monitoring of exposed services, technologies, and ports; new assets trigger scans; subdomain discovery on higher plans | Surface Monitoring maps domains, subdomains, IPs, technologies, ports, and protocols; new assets scanned when they appear |
|---|---|---|
| Change and threat cadence | Continuous network checks by plan (monthly Free, weekly Cloud/Pro, daily Enterprise). Emerging Threat Scans aimed at hours after new criticals go public | Always-on Surface Monitoring with Crowdsource modules that can move from researcher to live test quickly; Alfred turns relevant CVE research into scanner tests |
| Cloud and infra adjacent | Agentless AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud checks; container image scanning; secrets detection; internal targets on Pro+ | Infrastructure and technology fingerprinting inside Surface Monitoring; internal scanning on Professional and Enterprise plans |
| What the Monday queue looks like | IT and security clear prioritized external and cloud issues with remediation guidance and GregAI help | AppSec clears payload-validated surface findings and routes deeper Application or API profiles where needed |
Both watch the internet-facing footprint. Between these two, Intruder packages the closer as continuous exposure management with Emerging Threat speed for stretched operators. Detectify packages it as Crowdsource and Alfred research turned into payload-based Surface Monitoring tests.
How app and API testing differ
| DAST center | ZAP-powered authenticated DAST for web apps, SPAs, and APIs (schema upload); CI hooks for GitHub, GitLab, Jira, and Azure DevOps | Application Scanning with advanced crawling and dynamic fuzzing; API Scanning for REST and GraphQL with rotating payloads |
|---|---|---|
| Research model | Continuous scanner plus Emerging Threat response; GregAI for prioritization and remediation advice; AI pentesting for issue investigation and full white-box web app tests via GitHub or GitLab | Crowdsource ethical hackers build reusable detection modules; Alfred AI builds CVE tests; Detectify states most findings it reports lack a CVE |
| Depth add-on | AI web app pentests from $3,500 / test with same-day style reporting for major releases | Deeper Application and API profiles on the same platform as Surface Monitoring; MCP Server for agent workflows announced May 2026 |
| Who writes the next step | IT or security triages Intruder issues; launches AI pentest when a release or audit needs deeper proof | AppSec owns surface and DAST findings; engineering remediates from payload-backed evidence and integrations |
If the open work is still ports, cloud, and critical CVE response for a lean IT security team, Intruder’s exposure packaging matches the pain. If it is proving exploitable app, API, and subdomain issues with Crowdsource-grade tests, Detectify’s AppSec center matches better.
Where they overlap
Both sell continuous external vulnerability coverage with attack-surface discovery and dynamic application testing. Both talk AI-assisted research or investigation (GregAI and AI pentesting on Intruder; Alfred, Crowdsource, and MCP on Detectify). An RFP that only says “continuous external vulnerability scanner” or “ASM-ish DAST” will get adjacent demos. The remaining split is an IT-operable exposure platform with Emerging Threat and optional AI pentests versus Crowdsource-led Surface Monitoring plus Application and API Scanning for AppSec.
Detectify against Probely-lineage DAST is Detectify vs Probely. Broader dynamic testing shortlists sit on DAST tools.
When to use both
Running Intruder and Detectify as two full replacements for each other is usually waste. The narrow split that shows up is Intruder as the continuous exposure and Emerging Threat layer for security and IT hygiene, with Detectify owned by AppSec for Crowdsource Surface Monitoring and deep Application or API Scanning on critical apps. If one team owns both queues, pick the workflow whose inventory and authenticated profiles you already staff.
Choose Intruder when you need continuous exposure management with Emerging Threat response and optional AI pentests a stretched security or IT team can run. Choose Detectify when you need Crowdsource-powered Surface Monitoring plus Application and API Scanning for AppSec.
FAQs
Was Intruder or Detectify acquired?
Intruder showed no acquisition during research on 30 Sep 2026 and remains independent. Detectify announced that Insight Partners acquired a majority stake in October 2024; Balderton remains a minority stakeholder. Confirm ownership language on the quote if diligence requires it.
Is this the same job as Detectify vs Probely?
No. Detectify vs Probely compares Detectify’s continuous DAST and surface path with Probely’s lineage as Snyk API & Web. Intruder vs Detectify is the continuous external vulnerability scanning / ASM-ish DAST hire for security and IT versus Crowdsource-led AppSec surface testing.
Does Intruder replace Detectify’s Crowdsource DAST?
Not by default. Between these two, Intruder centers continuous exposure management with ZAP-powered DAST and optional AI pentests. Detectify centers Crowdsource and Alfred research in Surface Monitoring, Application Scanning, and API Scanning. Teams that need payload-based AppSec depth should compare that explicitly in the PoC.
Does Detectify replace Emerging Threat infrastructure scanning?
Detectify Surface Monitoring continuously tests the external footprint with Crowdsource modules and Alfred-built CVE tests. Intruder packages Emerging Threat Scans, cloud CSPM-style checks, and IT-friendly remediation as a primary operator story. If the weekly failure is cloud and critical CVE response for IT, compare that workflow on Intruder.
What public prices should buyers note?
Intruder lists a Free plan, Cloud/Pro/Enterprise packaging with per-target licenses, and AI web app pentests from $3,500 / test on Intruder pricing (checked 30 Sep 2026). Detectify lists platform fees from €0, €2,500, €5,000, and €15,000 annually, plus additional Surface, Application, and API asset costs (checked 30 Sep 2026).
