Compare
HackZero vs.
XBOW.
XBOW has the best public track record in AI penetration testing, and we will not pretend otherwise: it was the first autonomous system to top HackerOne's US leaderboard. The real question is not who is smarter. It is whether you buy testing per project or continuously, and what it costs when you ship every week.
First year, testing only
$2,990
HackZero
12 months paid annually, a pentest every month
$8,000
XBOW
Two tests at the $4,000 rate
XBOW publishes $4,000 for a lightweight application and $8,000 for a complex one. We are $299 a month under 10 people, $499 above.
Side by side
| XBOW | HackZero | |
|---|---|---|
| 104-challenge benchmark | 85% (creator-run, condition unstated) | 93% no hints, 100% with source (self-reported, not independently verified) |
| Public third-party proof | #1 on HackerOne's US leaderboard, 1,000+ validated reports | Credited advisories in velocity.js, JSONPath-Plus and tough-cookie |
| How you buy it | Per test: $4,000 lightweight, $8,000 complex | Subscription: $299 a month under 10 people, $499 above |
| Cadence | A test when you order one, report in up to 5 business days | Continuous, and a fresh pentest every month at any tier |
| First-year cost, testing only | $8,000 to $16,000 for two tests a year | Paid annually: $2,990 under 10 people, $4,990 above |
| Compliance attestation | Not part of the product | SOC 2 controls plus an independent CPA who attests them, billed to you directly |
| Funding and scale | $237M raised, $1B+ valuation, enterprise sales motion | Seed stage, founder-led, no enterprise minimum |
| Best for | Enterprises that want the most public track record in AI pentesting | Teams that ship monthly and need an auditor to accept the result |
On the benchmark row, read the qualifiers rather than the numbers. XBOW's 85% is on its own open-sourced 104-challenge set and it does not publish the box condition or how hints were handled. Our figures are self-reported on the same set and have not been independently verified. Two numbers measured under undeclared conditions are not a ranking, and anyone who presents them as one is selling.
Which one
A project, or
a cadence.
Pick XBOW when
- You want the most publicly verified track record in this category. Topping HackerOne's US leaderboard is real evidence, and nobody else has it.
- You buy penetration testing as a discrete project with a purchase order, not as a subscription.
- You are an enterprise and want a vendor with $237M behind it and a dedicated enterprise sales team.
- You need one deep test on one complex application, and $8,000 for it is inside your budget.
Pick HackZero when
- You ship every week, so a test twice a year tells you about a codebase you no longer run.
- You need the SOC 2 attestation too, not just the test. We fold in the controls and connect you with an independent CPA.
- Your team is under 10 people and $8,000 a test is not a real option. We are $299 a month, $499 at 10 people or more.
- You want the same findings every month rather than a report that ages out the moment you merge.
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