SecPortal vs DefectDojo
managed AppSec orchestration vs self-hosted open source
DefectDojo is the well-known open-source application security orchestration platform from the OWASP ecosystem. It is self-hosted, ingest-first, and built for internal AppSec teams that want to run the platform themselves. SecPortal is a managed SaaS platform that includes the scanning, the AI report generation, the branded client portal, and the engagement and invoicing model that delivery teams need on top of the findings database.
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| Feature | SecPortal | DefectDojo |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment model | Managed SaaS | Self-hosted (you run it) |
| Source model | Closed source SaaS | Open source (BSD-3) |
| Built-in vulnerability scanning (33+ modules) | ||
| External domain scanning (16 modules) | ||
| Authenticated web scanning (17 modules) | ||
| Code scanning (SAST/SCA via Semgrep) | ||
| Scanner result import (Nessus, Burp, CSV) | ||
| Findings tracking with CVSS 3.1 vectors | ||
| 300+ finding templates with remediation guidance | DIY | |
| AI-powered report generation (executive, technical, remediation) | ||
| White-labelled client portal on your subdomain | ||
| Engagement management (scope, ROE, deliverables) | Engagement records (no client model) | |
| Retest workflow paired to original finding | Limited | |
| Compliance framework templates (17 frameworks) | Limited | |
| Integrated invoicing and Stripe Connect payments | ||
| Hosting, patching, scaling, backups | Included | Your responsibility |
| Free plan available | Free OSS, infra costs apply | |
| Transparent pricing | Self-hosted infra cost | |
| Setup time | 2 minutes | Hours to days for production install |
| Best fit for | Pentest firms, MSSPs, consultancies, AppSec teams that want managed delivery | Internal AppSec teams that want to self-host an OSS findings hub |
SecPortal vs DefectDojo: managed AppSec delivery versus a self-hosted findings hub
DefectDojo is one of the longest-running open-source projects in the application security orchestration category. It is BSD-3 licensed, lives in the OWASP ecosystem, and is built around scanner result import, deduplication, and finding triage. For an internal AppSec team with the engineering capacity to run their own platform, DefectDojo is a defensible, well-supported choice. The codebase is active, the community is large, and the platform is genuinely free at the software layer.
SecPortal is a different shape of product. SecPortal is a managed SaaS platform for the teams that deliver security work to clients (pentest firms, MSSPs, consultancies, vCISOs) and for in-house AppSec teams that want managed scanning, AI reporting, and a branded client portal without running their own infrastructure. The engagement, the findings, the scanning, the AI report, the client portal, and the invoice all sit inside one workspace. If your evaluation is between self-hosting an OSS findings hub and running a managed delivery platform, this page is the side-by-side. The two can also sit alongside each other for larger programmes.
Where the categories diverge for delivery work
These are not DefectDojo-specific criticisms. They are properties of any self-hosted, ingest-first, internal-AppSec orchestration tool when you compare it to a managed multi-tenant delivery platform.
Self-hosted open source versus managed SaaS
DefectDojo is BSD-3 licensed open source code that you deploy on your own infrastructure. The platform is free to use; the operating cost is the engineering time to install, patch, scale, back up, and harden it. SecPortal is managed SaaS, so the same hours that go into running an OSS findings hub go into testing and reporting instead.
Ingest-first versus scanning included
DefectDojo is built around scanner result import: you bring the scanner, the platform parses and deduplicates the output. SecPortal includes 16 external scan modules, 17 authenticated DAST modules, and Semgrep-based SAST plus dependency auditing inside the same workspace, so the scan and the finding live on one record.
Internal AppSec hub versus client delivery platform
DefectDojo is designed for an internal AppSec team that owns its own findings backlog. There is no concept of an external client, a branded subdomain portal, an engagement scoped to a buyer, or invoicing that closes the loop. SecPortal is multi-tenant by design with a white-labelled portal per client and Stripe Connect invoicing on the same engagement record.
AI report generation built in
DefectDojo produces report exports from finding templates you build and maintain. SecPortal uses Claude to generate executive summaries, technical writeups, and remediation roadmaps from live findings, so quarterly or per-engagement reporting stops being a multi-day copy-paste exercise.
Compliance framework templates ready out of the box
DefectDojo lets you tag findings against frameworks you configure yourself. SecPortal ships pre-built control coverage for OWASP Top 10, OWASP ASVS, ISO 27001, SOC 2, PCI DSS, NIST CSF, NIST 800-53, MITRE ATT&CK, DORA, NIS2, CIS Controls, Cyber Essentials, Cyber Essentials Plus, FedRAMP, CMMC, HIPAA, GDPR, Essential Eight, PTES, CREST, and TIBER-EU.
Operational footprint stays with the vendor
A production DefectDojo install means database backups, web server hardening, MFA configuration, vulnerability patching of the platform itself, scaling for findings volume, and an internal SLA for uptime. SecPortal absorbs all of that. MFA enforcement, AES-256-GCM credential encryption at rest, audit trail with CSV export, and security headers are configured by default rather than configured by you.
Who each platform is the right fit for
DefectDojo and SecPortal solve different problems for different buyers. The honest answer is that the right tool depends on whether you want to run infrastructure or want infrastructure run for you, and whether the work is internal-only AppSec triage or client-facing delivery with a branded portal and an invoice attached.
DefectDojo fits internal AppSec teams that want to self-host
If you have engineering capacity dedicated to running internal tooling, you want full control over the database and the deployment, and you mostly need a place to ingest scanner output and triage it inside one team, DefectDojo is a defensible choice. The platform is free; the cost is operational.
SecPortal fits delivery teams and AppSec teams who want managed
If you are a penetration testing firm, an MSSP, a consultancy, a vCISO, or an AppSec team inside engineering that wants the scanning, the AI reports, the branded client portal, and the invoicing in one workspace without running infrastructure, SecPortal is the managed alternative. Multi-tenant client model is built in rather than bolted on.
They can be complementary in larger programmes
A mature programme may run DefectDojo as the internal AppSec backlog and use SecPortal for client-facing engagements (external pentests, retests, vendor security reviews) where a branded portal, an engagement scope, and an invoice are part of the deliverable. The two answer different questions.
The hidden cost of self-hosted findings management
Open source software is free at the software layer. The total cost of running the platform is rarely zero. A production self-hosted findings hub typically carries the following operational footprint, all of which SecPortal absorbs.
- Database provisioning, replication, and backup verification on a schedule that can survive a regional outage.
- Web server hardening, TLS certificate rotation, and HTTP security header configuration that does not drift over time.
- MFA enforcement, role-based access control, and an audit trail that an external auditor will accept as evidence.
- Vulnerability patching of the platform code, the underlying language runtime, the database, and any reverse proxies in front of it.
- Capacity planning as findings volume grows and as more engagements ingest scanner output concurrently.
- On-call rotation when something breaks, including documented runbooks and an internal SLA the team agrees to honour.
Transparent pricing without an infrastructure line item
SecPortal pricing is published on the website and self-service from sign-up. There is no annual contract floor, no per-asset licensing model, and no infrastructure to provision before you can run a real engagement.
SecPortal Free
Free forever
1 user, 3 clients, 2 engagements per client, 3 AI credits, 6 core scan modules. No infrastructure to run.
SecPortal Pro
From $149/month
All 33 scan modules, 100 clients, 25 AI credits/month, branded client portal, invoicing, compliance tracking.
SecPortal Team
From $299/month
Up to 5 users, 75 AI credits/month, team management, activity audit trail, MFA enforcement.
Why delivery teams pick SecPortal over a self-hosted findings hub
- Skip the self-hosted operations work: no database to back up, no platform to patch, no scaling to plan, no MFA to configure
- Run external, authenticated, and code scanning inside the same workspace as your findings rather than wiring scanners up separately
- Generate executive summaries, technical writeups, and remediation roadmaps with Claude from the live findings
- Deliver findings through a white-labelled client portal on your tenant subdomain instead of giving clients DefectDojo logins
- Map findings to 21 compliance frameworks out of the box without configuring framework templates yourself
- Pair every retest to the original finding so the closure record holds up under audit
- Invoice clients directly from the engagement record through Stripe Connect with self-service payment
- Start on the free plan and upgrade to Pro or Team without contract negotiation or infrastructure provisioning
Related reading
If you are evaluating how to run application security delivery rather than self-host an internal findings hub, the pages below cover the workflows and adjacent comparisons that come up most often in this evaluation.
- SecPortal for AppSec teams for the audience-level overview of in-house application security work.
- SecPortal for DevSecOps teams for SAST, SCA, authenticated DAST, and pentest findings on one record.
- Remediation tracking from open finding to verified close with client-side updates.
- DevSecOps scanning for SAST and SCA wired into your Git provider through OAuth.
- Findings management with CVSS 3.1 scoring, deduplication, and 300+ remediation templates.
- Security findings deduplication guide for how to collapse scanner noise without losing signal.
- SecPortal vs Snyk for the developer-first SCA platform comparison.
- SecPortal vs Semgrep for the SAST engine comparison and how SecPortal uses Semgrep.
- SecPortal vs Faraday for the other self-hosted, ingest-first OSS pentest workspace comparison.
Skip the self-hosted ops, keep the AppSec rigor
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