Compare
Automated vs manual penetration testing.
They're not competitors. Automation gives you coverage and frequency; people give you judgement. Here's where each one wins.
Side by side
| Dimension | MyPentestBugSnaps' automated pentest | BugSnaps engagementExpert-led, with MyPentest between tests |
|---|---|---|
| Attack-surface discovery | Crawls the app, reads JavaScript for hidden endpoints, finds OpenAPI, GraphQL and login surfaces. | Manual mapping plus reconnaissance, including forgotten subdomains and exposed services. |
| How findings are validated | Differential probes (baseline vs. probe vs. control), reproduce-before-report for access control, a confidence level on every finding. | Verified by a person, with reproduction steps for each finding. |
| Exploitation | None, by design: harmless canary inputs and read-only access checks. Nothing is changed or deleted. | Controlled, non-destructive exploitation agreed in writing. |
| Signed-in (authenticated) testing | Signs in as test accounts you supply and checks one user can't reach another's data. | Yes, with an authorization matrix across every role. |
| API testing | Tests discovered REST and GraphQL endpoints, including object-level access with test accounts. | Dedicated API testing mapped to the OWASP API Top 10. |
| Business-logic flaws | Flags tampering surfaces (e.g. client-controlled prices or roles) as leads — it can't judge intent. | Yes, including chained attack paths. |
| Reporting | Grouped findings with CVSS 3.1, confidence, evidence, fixes, attack paths and a remediation plan. PDF, HTML, Markdown, JSON, SARIF. | Technical report plus executive summary for customers and auditors, and a walkthrough call. |
| Repeat testing | Re-run any time; keep the DNS record and re-verification is instant. | Retesting of fixes included; MyPentest covers the time between engagements. |
| Speed | Minutes to an hour for a typical small app. | Typically 5–12 testing days, scoped up front. |
| Cost model | Free during launch; paid plans later. | Fixed quote per scope, in writing before work starts. |
| What it can test | Web applications and their APIs on domains you verify. | Web apps, APIs, networks, cloud configuration and code. |
| Developer workflow | SARIF export for code-scanning tools, Markdown per finding for tickets, severity-based fix windows. | Critical issues raised the same day; fix support available. |
Columns describing categories reflect typical tools and engagements; individual products differ. MyPentest and BugSnaps columns describe what we actually ship.
In detail
What automation does well
Automated testing is consistent, fast and cheap to repeat. It's very good at finding exposed secrets and files, misconfigurations, missing controls, known vulnerable components, many injection flaws, and — when it can sign in as test accounts — broken object-level access control.
What needs a person
Business logic: whether a discount can be applied twice, whether a refund can exceed the payment, whether a workflow step can be skipped. Chaining several low-severity issues into a serious one. Judging which data actually matters to your company. These need a tester who understands what the application is for.
How to combine them
Run automated testing on every release and fix what it finds. Schedule a manual test before major launches, for compliance, or when you handle payments or sensitive data — and let the testers spend their time on the parts automation can't reach.
The short version
- Automated (MyPentest) every release, in minutes, free during launch.
- Manual (BugSnaps engagement) before launches, for compliance, and for business logic.
Run a real pentest on your app — free.
Sign in, prove you own the domain, and MyPentest maps and tests it. No credit card.