CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

Contrast Security vs Escape

Contrast Security sells an Application and API Security platform built to detect and stop live application-layer attacks. Escape sells an offensive security platform that uses AI agents to discover, test and remediate vulnerabilities in engineering workflows. 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.

  • Contrast Security
  • Escape
Contrast Security vs Escape: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
Contrast SecurityContrast Security sells an Application and API Security platform built to detect and stop live application-layer attacks.contrastsecurity.comEscapeEscape sells an offensive security platform that uses AI agents to discover, test and remediate vulnerabilities in engineering workflows.escape.tech
What it sells
  • Contrast One[8]A managed Application Security service from Contrast Security.
  • AI Pentesting[2][4][5][10]Continuous AI-powered pentesting that learns the customer's business and proves exploitability.
Categories
Headquarters
Not stated on its pagesBiarritz, France[3]
Founded
2014[2]2020[1]
Ownership and funding
Not stated on its pagesPrivately held[4][9][11][12]
Named customers
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Recent news
Not stated on its pages
  • March 10, 2026Escape announced an $18 million Series A round led by Balderton Capital, with Uncorrelated Ventures, IRIS and Y Combinator also participating.[8]
G2 and Gartner Peer Insights
  • G2: listed, seen October 24, 2026[3]
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
  • G2: listed, seen November 3, 2026[9]
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
Who it fits
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.From its own pages, Escape sells mainly to security teams that want to replace legacy scanners and manual offensive security processes. Escape says its platform can replace manual pentest and bug bounty programs, and legacy DAST. Escape describes cloud and on-prem hybrid deployments so that internal applications can be assessed without giving external consultants or bug hunters access. Its compliance support names frameworks such as PCI-DSS, HIPAA, CRA, SOC 2 and ISO 27001.
Last verified
November 2, 2026September 27, 2026

Where they overlap

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

Where they differ, field by field

  • Contrast Security's primary category is Application shielding and RASP; Escape's is API security.
  • Escape is also filed under External attack surface management.
  • Contrast Security lists Contrast One. Escape lists AI Pentesting.
  • Escape is headquartered in Biarritz, France.
  • Contrast Security was founded in 2014. Escape was founded in 2020.
  • Escape is privately held.

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.

What it sells: Escape

What AI Pentesting does[2][4][5][10]
AI Pentesting delivers reports that auditors and engineers can act on. White-box pentesting is available, so it can run with the customer's source code. Escape converts previous AI pentesting findings into automated regression tests that run on every build with DAST.

Questions about Contrast Security and Escape

What do Contrast Security and Escape sell?
Contrast Security sells Contrast One. Escape sells AI Pentesting.
Are Contrast Security and Escape in the same category?
They share Dynamic application security testing. Contrast Security's primary category is Application shielding and RASP and Escape's is API security.
Where are Contrast Security and Escape headquartered?
Escape is headquartered in Biarritz, France.
When were Contrast Security and Escape founded?
Contrast Security was founded in 2014. Escape was founded in 2020.
Who owns Contrast Security and Escape?
Escape is privately held.
Who are Contrast Security and Escape sold to?
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. From its own pages, Escape sells mainly to security teams that want to replace legacy scanners and manual offensive security processes.
What have Contrast Security and Escape announced recently?
March 10, 2026: Escape announced an $18 million Series A round led by Balderton Capital, with Uncorrelated Ventures, IRIS and Y Combinator also participating.

About Contrast Security

Contrast Security sells an Application and API Security platform built to detect and stop live application-layer attacks. Contrast Security delivers real-time visibility and protection from inside running applications, using patented in-app sensors and a unified platform for Application Detection and Response and Application Security Testing. Contrast Security says that, unlike legacy tools that operate outside the application, it protects software from within.[4]

The approach rests on runtime instrumentation. Contrast instruments an application from within and observes every method, every request and every attack path as it happens. Contrast also says it reports only verified, exploitable vulnerabilities with a fix attached. The Contrast Graph links active attacks to specific lines of code in real time.[1][5]

CVE Shield deploys inside running applications without requiring code changes. CVE Shield operates within the application runtime to detect and block exploitation attempts against known vulnerabilities in third-party libraries. CVE Shield starts with Java applications on Linux-based systems. The free tier is limited to one user and up to two applications, and it provides real-time monitoring in observation mode with no automated blocking. Blocking mode is available in the Pro and Enterprise plans. Pro is a flat annual price starting at $750 a month billed annually.[1][6][7]

Contrast One is a managed Application Security service launched by Contrast Security. Contrast One is available for Application Security Testing and Application Detection and Response.[8]

Contrast Security was launched by its founder, Jeff Williams. Jeff Williams helped create OWASP in 2001. Contrast names Citizens Bank, Backbase and AARP among the companies that follow his plan. Backbase integrated Contrast Application Detection and Response to gain real-time visibility into attacks on its banking platform. Fortuneo replaced manual testing with Contrast automated, real-time protection.[4][9]

On data handling, Contrast agents minimize the data collected by reporting only confirmed vulnerabilities to the Contrast Team Server. Contrast hosts its application services and data on Amazon Web Services facilities in the United States, Europe, the UK and Japan.[1][4][5][8][9][10][11][12]

Contrast Security on the record

Sources

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

Escape full record

  1. [1]Seed fundraising api securityEscape · escape.tech · published June 6, 2023 · Tier A
  2. [2]escape.techEscape · escape.tech · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]TermsEscape · escape.tech · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]Escape: AI-Powered Offensive Security PlatformEscape · undated page, accessed October 24, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Continuous AI Pentesting Actionable for Engineers - EscapeEscape · undated page, accessed October 24, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Escape Attack Surface ManagementEscape · undated page, accessed October 24, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Escape - AI-powered DASTEscape · undated page, accessed October 24, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Escape raises $18M Series A to replace legacy scanners with AI agent-driven discovery, pentesting, and remediationEscape · published March 10, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Escape Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features - G2G2 · undated page, accessed October 24, 2026 · Tier C
  10. [10]Platform - Escape DocumentationEscape · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Private Locations - Escape DocumentationEscape · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]Internal Network Scanning - Escape DocumentationEscape · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]Privacy & Security - Escape DocumentationEscape · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A

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