CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

Checkmarx vs Contrast Security

Checkmarx sells Checkmarx Developer Assist, which delivers context-aware security guidance directly within a developer's IDE. Contrast Security sells an Application and API Security platform built to detect and stop live application-layer attacks. CISO Tribune files both under Dynamic application security testing. This page sets the two records side by side: what each sells, where it is based, who owns and funds it, the customers it names and its recent news, each fact numbered to its source.

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Up to four companies side by side.

  • Checkmarx
  • Contrast Security
Checkmarx vs Contrast Security: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
CheckmarxCheckmarx sells Checkmarx Developer Assist, which delivers context-aware security guidance directly within a developer's IDE.checkmarx.comContrast SecurityContrast Security sells an Application and API Security platform built to detect and stop live application-layer attacks.contrastsecurity.com
What it sells
  • Checkmarx Developer Assist[5]Delivers context-aware security guidance within the IDE. It combines realtime scanning with agentic AI remediation.
  • Checkmarx MCP Server[5]A secure gateway that bridges AI-powered development assistants with the Checkmarx security platform.
  • Contrast One[8]A managed Application Security service from Contrast Security.
Categories
Headquarters
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Founded
2006[2]2014[2]
Ownership and funding
Owned by Hellman & Friedman since 2020[2][4][5]Not stated on its pages
Named customers
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Recent news
  • July 28, 2026Checkmarx announced Checkmarx Fusion, a hybrid scanning approach now available in early access to its customers.[6]
  • April 27, 2026Checkmarx disclosed that its investigation into a supply chain security incident found a cybercriminal group had published company-related data on the dark web.[3]
Not stated on its pages
G2 and Gartner Peer Insights
  • G2: listed, seen November 3, 2026[4]
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
  • G2: listed, seen October 24, 2026[3]
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
Who it fits
From its own pages, Checkmarx sells mainly to developers who write code in IDEs and with AI coding agents. Its documentation describes plugins for several IDEs and for AI coding agents. Checkmarx offers Developer Assist in distinct licensing models, each serving a distinct segment of its customers, including SAST on-premises accounts.From its own pages, Contrast Security sells mainly to security and engineering teams, bringing Dev, AppSec and SecOps around a shared view of what happens inside applications. Its pages say CEOs look to CISOs to solve the problem of application vulnerability breaches, and that more CISOs look to Contrast. The customers it names include a banking platform provider and a financial institution handling sensitive customer data. Contrast One is offered to organizations that lack the resources to build a comprehensive AppSec team.
Last verified
November 2, 2026November 2, 2026

Where they overlap

  • Checkmarx and Contrast Security are both filed under Dynamic application security testing.

Where they differ, field by field

  • Checkmarx's primary category is Static application security testing; Contrast Security's is Application shielding and RASP.
  • Checkmarx is also filed under Software composition analysis and Application security posture management.
  • Checkmarx lists Checkmarx Developer Assist and Checkmarx MCP Server. Contrast Security lists Contrast One.
  • Checkmarx was founded in 2006. Contrast Security was founded in 2014.
  • Checkmarx is owned by Hellman & Friedman, since 2020.

What it sells: Checkmarx

What Checkmarx Developer Assist does[5]
Checkmarx Developer Assist provides real-time detection, remediation and actionable insights as developers write or refine AI-generated and existing code. It comprises two main elements, Realtime Scanning and Agentic-AI Remediation. Plugins exist for IDEs and for AI coding agents.
What Checkmarx MCP Server does[5]
The Checkmarx MCP Server defines the tools and APIs that allow AI agents to interact with Checkmarx cloud services from within the IDE. The MCP Service is installed automatically once the developer authenticates in the IDE.

What it sells: Contrast Security

What Contrast One does[8]
Contrast One is a managed Application Security service. It is available for Application Security Testing and Application Detection and Response.

Questions about Checkmarx and Contrast Security

What do Checkmarx and Contrast Security sell?
Checkmarx sells Checkmarx Developer Assist and Checkmarx MCP Server. Contrast Security sells Contrast One.
Are Checkmarx and Contrast Security in the same category?
They share Dynamic application security testing. Checkmarx's primary category is Static application security testing and Contrast Security's is Application shielding and RASP.
When were Checkmarx and Contrast Security founded?
Checkmarx was founded in 2006. Contrast Security was founded in 2014.
Who owns Checkmarx and Contrast Security?
Checkmarx is owned by Hellman & Friedman, since 2020.
Who are Checkmarx and Contrast Security sold to?
From its own pages, Checkmarx sells mainly to developers who write code in IDEs and with AI coding agents. From its own pages, Contrast Security sells mainly to security and engineering teams, bringing Dev, AppSec and SecOps around a shared view of what happens inside applications.
What have Checkmarx and Contrast Security announced recently?
July 28, 2026: Checkmarx announced Checkmarx Fusion, a hybrid scanning approach now available in early access to its customers.

About Checkmarx

Checkmarx sells Checkmarx Developer Assist, which delivers context-aware security guidance directly within a developer's IDE. Checkmarx Developer Assist helps prevent vulnerabilities before they reach the pipeline. As developers write or refine AI-generated and existing code, Checkmarx Developer Assist provides real-time detection, remediation and actionable insights.

Checkmarx Developer Assist comprises two main elements. The first is Realtime Scanning, which identifies vulnerabilities in realtime during IDE development of both human-generated and AI-generated code. Scanners run in the background whenever a developer edits a relevant file. Checkmarx scanners identify vulnerabilities and unmasked secrets in code. Checkmarx also identifies vulnerable or malicious container images and open source packages used in a project. Results are marked as Problems that are highlighted in the code and annotated with identifying icons.

The second element is Agentic-AI Remediation, in which a developer initiates an Agentic-AI session to receive remediation suggestions. Checkmarx feeds relevant information to the AI agent, which accesses the Model Context Protocol (MCP) server to gather data from proprietary databases and customized AI models. The AI assistant then uses this data to generate remediated code for the project. Developers can accept the suggested changes or chat with the AI agent to learn more about the vulnerability and fine-tune the remediation suggestion.

Checkmarx Developer Assist lets developers mark risks as Ignore, so that the risks are no longer shown in the IDE. A developer can Revive a risk at any time to resume showing that risk. Specialized realtime scanners identify vulnerable open source packages and container images, exposed secrets and IaC risks.

Checkmarx provides dedicated Developer Assist plugins for two types of coding platforms: IDEs (VS Code, Cursor, Kiro, Windsurf, Visual Studio and JetBrains) and AI Coding Agents such as Claude Code. In the coding agent plugin, Developer Assist steps in and remediates the risk as the assistant generates code. The plugin is currently available for Claude Code CLI, Copilot CLI and Cursor CLI.

The Checkmarx MCP Server is a secure gateway that bridges AI-powered development assistants with the Checkmarx security platform. The Checkmarx MCP Server defines the tools and APIs that allow AI agents such as GitHub Copilot, Cursor AI or Windsurf AI to interact with Checkmarx cloud services from within the IDE. Once the developer authenticates in the IDE, the MCP Service is automatically installed. The Checkmarx MCP Server authenticates the developer's IDE session with Checkmarx. The Checkmarx MCP Server exposes available Checkmarx tools and capabilities, such as code scanning, remediation and policy enforcement, as AI-accessible functions.

Checkmarx says the MCP standard lets any IDE-integrated AI assistant access Checkmarx engines and services, including SAST, SCA, IaC and API Security, through a unified interface. Checkmarx selected the MCP standard as the foundation for its agentic architecture. Checkmarx describes MCP as vendor-neutral and supported by a growing ecosystem of AI tools.

Developer Assist is available in three licensing models, each serving a distinct segment of Checkmarx customers.[1]

Checkmarx on the record

Sources

Checkmarx full record

  1. [1]checkmarx.comCheckmarx · checkmarx.com · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Hellman friedman completes acquisition of checkmarxCheckmarx · checkmarx.com · published April 16, 2020 · Tier A
  3. [3]Checkmarx Confirms GitHub Repository Data Posted on Dark Web After March 23 AttackThe Hacker News · published April 27, 2026 · Tier B
  4. [4]Checkmarx Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features - G2G2 · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier C
  5. [5]About Checkmarx Developer AssistCheckmarx · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Checkmarx Fusion: Hybrid Scanning Delivers the Most Complete Vulnerability Detection AvailableGlobeNewswire · published July 28, 2026 · Tier A

Contrast Security full record

  1. [1]contrastsecurity.comContrast Security · contrastsecurity.com · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Contrast security recognized by the 2023 gartner peer insights voice of the customer for application security testing 302008541Contrast Security via PR Newswire · prnewswire.com · published December 7, 2023 · Tier A
  3. [3]Contrast Security Reviews & Product Details - G2G2 · undated page, accessed October 24, 2026 · Tier C
  4. [4]About Us | Get Secure Code Moving | Contrast SecurityContrast Security · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Runtime Application Security for AI-Generated Code | Contrast SecurityContrast Security · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Protect Applications from CVEs | Contrast SecurityContrast Security · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Contrast Security Pricing and Packaging | Application Security Pricing | Contrast SecurityContrast Security · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Managed Application Security Launched by Contrast SecurityContrast Security · published October 23, 2024 · Tier A
  9. [9]Customers | Customer Success Stories | Contrast SecurityContrast Security · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Contrast Security Honored with Inaugural Wiz Integrations (WIN) Partner AwardContrast Security · published July 30, 2025 · Tier A
  11. [11]Trust Center | Security PracticesContrast Security · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]CISO Should Prioritize AppSec | Contrast SecurityContrast Security · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A

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