CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

Checkmarx vs Promptfoo

Checkmarx sells Checkmarx Developer Assist, which delivers context-aware security guidance directly within a developer's IDE. Promptfoo builds open-source tools for secure, reliable AI applications. CISO Tribune files both under Static 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
  • Promptfoo
Checkmarx vs Promptfoo: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
CheckmarxCheckmarx sells Checkmarx Developer Assist, which delivers context-aware security guidance directly within a developer's IDE.checkmarx.comPromptfooPromptfoo builds open-source tools for secure, reliable AI applications.promptfoo.dev
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.
  • Red Teaming[2][4][5]Simulates real users to uncover application-specific vulnerabilities.
  • Evaluations[2][5]LLM evaluation of prompts and models that can run inside CI workflows.
Categories
Headquarters
Not stated on its pagesSan Francisco, United States[1][3]
Founded
2006[2]2024[1][12]
Ownership and funding
Owned by Hellman & Friedman since 2020[2][4][5]Owned by OpenAI[12]
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]
  • March 9, 2026OpenAI agreed to buy Promptfoo, a startup helping businesses find and fix security issues in AI models during development.[13]
  • March 9, 2026OpenAI announced it has acquired Promptfoo, an AI security startup founded in 2024 to protect LLMs from adversarial attacks.[12]
G2 and Gartner Peer Insights
  • G2: listed, seen November 3, 2026[4]
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
  • G2: Not stated on its pages
  • 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.Not written yet
Last verified
November 2, 2026November 4, 2026

Where they overlap

  • Checkmarx and Promptfoo are both filed under Static application security testing.

Where they differ, field by field

  • Checkmarx's primary category is Static application security testing; Promptfoo's is AI model and agent security.
  • Checkmarx is also filed under Dynamic application security testing, Software composition analysis and Application security posture management. Promptfoo is also filed under AI firewalls and guardrails and Breach simulation and automated pen-testing.
  • Checkmarx lists Checkmarx Developer Assist and Checkmarx MCP Server. Promptfoo lists Red Teaming and Evaluations.
  • Promptfoo is headquartered in San Francisco, United States.
  • Checkmarx was founded in 2006. Promptfoo was founded in 2024.
  • Checkmarx is owned by Hellman & Friedman, since 2020. Promptfoo is owned by OpenAI.

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: Promptfoo

What Red Teaming does[2][4][5]
Promptfoo creates thousands of context-aware attacks tailored to the customer's application. The open-source Community version includes up to 10k probes per month at no charge.
What Evaluations does[2][5]
Promptfoo's LLM evaluation can be integrated into a CircleCI pipeline. Promptfoo can be integrated with test frameworks like Jest and Vitest to evaluate prompts as part of existing testing and CI workflows. Promptfoo provides real-time alerts and automated evaluations to show LLM security status across all projects.

Questions about Checkmarx and Promptfoo

What do Checkmarx and Promptfoo sell?
Checkmarx sells Checkmarx Developer Assist and Checkmarx MCP Server. Promptfoo sells Red Teaming and Evaluations.
Are Checkmarx and Promptfoo in the same category?
They share Static application security testing. Checkmarx's primary category is Static application security testing and Promptfoo's is AI model and agent security.
Where are Checkmarx and Promptfoo headquartered?
Promptfoo is headquartered in San Francisco, United States.
When were Checkmarx and Promptfoo founded?
Checkmarx was founded in 2006. Promptfoo was founded in 2024.
Who owns Checkmarx and Promptfoo?
Checkmarx is owned by Hellman & Friedman, since 2020. Promptfoo is owned by OpenAI.
Who are Checkmarx and Promptfoo sold to?
From its own pages, Checkmarx sells mainly to developers who write code in IDEs and with AI coding agents.
What have Checkmarx and Promptfoo announced recently?
July 28, 2026: Checkmarx announced Checkmarx Fusion, a hybrid scanning approach now available in early access to its customers. March 9, 2026: OpenAI agreed to buy Promptfoo, a startup helping businesses find and fix security issues in AI models during development.

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

Promptfoo full record

  1. [1]PressPromptfoo · promptfoo.dev · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]promptfoo.devPromptfoo · promptfoo.dev · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]About Promptfoo | AI Security Experts | PromptfooPromptfoo · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]Build Secure AI Applications | PromptfooPromptfoo · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Pricing | PromptfooPromptfoo · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Setting up Promptfoo with CircleCI | PromptfooPromptfoo · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Testing prompts with Jest and Vitest | PromptfooPromptfoo · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Finding LLM Jailbreaks with Burp Suite | PromptfooPromptfoo · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]SharePoint Integration | PromptfooPromptfoo · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Langfuse integration | PromptfooPromptfoo · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]AI Security for Real Estate | PromptfooPromptfoo · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]OpenAI acquires Promptfoo to secure its AI agents | TechCrunchTechCrunch · published March 9, 2026 · Tier B
  13. [13]OpenAI Buying AI Security Startup Promptfoo to Safeguard AI Agents - BloombergBloomberg · published March 9, 2026 · Tier B

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