Comparison · Vexta
Vexta vs Astra Pentest: an honest comparison.
Astra Security, founded in 2018, runs a continuous pentest platform that combines autonomous AI pentests and certified expert-led pentests with DAST, API and cloud vulnerability scanners, and serves teams from small SaaS companies to enterprises. Vexta is a self-hosted automated scanner you can schedule to run unattended, with proof-of-exploitation checks and optional AI triage using your own LLM API key.
This comparison is based on Astra Pentest's public documentation and our own work with Vexta. We sell Vexta, so read it with that bias in mind, and check Astra Pentest's current plans and features on their site before you decide. No paid placements, no affiliate links.
Pick Vexta if
You want scheduled, unattended scanning on your own infrastructure, with CI/CD output and optional AI triage.
Pick Astra Pentest if
You want pentesting as a service - autonomous AI pentests, certified human pentesters, or both - with compliance-ready pentest reports and a publicly verifiable pentest certificate.
There is no single right answer in a Vexta vs Astra Pentest decision. Both products solve the same surface problem - finding vulnerabilities before an attacker does - but they make different bets about who is operating the tool, how much manual review is acceptable, and what the report has to look like for downstream auditors.
The honest test is this: point both at the same target and compare the findings. Vexta has a free trial; check Astra Pentest's website for its current trial options.
Side-by-side
Vexta vs Astra Pentest: feature comparison
| Feature | Vexta | Astra Pentest |
|---|---|---|
| Automated vulnerability scanning | ✓ | ✓ |
| Manual pentest service included | Available via VITI Cybersec consulting (separate) | Included in Pentest Expert and Enterprise plans |
| Continuous scanning (scheduled, on-push) | ✓ | ✓ |
| CI/CD-native integration | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI-triaged findings + fix guidance Astra offers AI-powered fix assistance, AI auto-fixes in the IDE via MCP, and expert-vetted scans. Vexta's AI triage and fix guidance use your own LLM API key. | ✓ | ✓ |
| OWASP + CVE + SBOM Vexta covers OWASP Top 10 and CVE checks and matches dependency manifests against CVE data, but does not generate an SBOM. Astra lists OWASP Top 10, SANS 25 and CVE checks; SBOM generation is not listed on its site. | ∼ | ∼ |
| Self-host option | ✓ | Enterprise plan (on-premise or private cloud) |
| PCI / HIPAA / ISO 27001 reports Vexta Enterprise exports PCI-DSS v4 and SOC 2 evidence packs and tags findings to HIPAA and ISO 27001 controls. | ∼ | ✓ |
| Free trial | Yes - no card required | See their current offer |
Common questions
Vexta vs Astra - which is right for us?
Both offer continuous automated scanning with CI/CD integrations. Astra's platform centres on pentesting - autonomous AI pentests and certified expert-led pentests with compliance-ready reports - alongside its DAST, API and cloud scanners. Vexta centres on a self-hosted scanner you can schedule to run unattended, with optional AI triage. You can also use both: Vexta as the always-on scanner, and a periodic manual pentest (from Astra or from us) for the deeper audit.
Do you do manual pentests like Astra?
Yes, but as a separate service line - VITI Cybersecurity Consultation. We run manual pentests on infra, web apps, APIs, mobile, and cloud. Vexta is the automated scanner; the pentest service is the human-driven engagement. The two work well together.
How is Vexta priced?
Vexta has a free trial (no card required), then monthly, quarterly or yearly plans published on our pricing page. Astra publishes its plan pricing on its website - check getastra.com/pricing for current figures.
Try Vexta on one target.
No agents to install, no card to enter, no SDR call. Start with the free trial.