Mend.io vs NowSecure

About Mend.io

Mend.io sells enterprise AI security and application security software, and secures the full chain from open source dependencies and AI models to container images.^{[1][2][3][4][7]}

Mend.io states that AI components, open source dependencies, and production agents have introduced risk that traditional developer security tools were not built to find, test, or govern. Mend.io states that a prompt change, model update, or new input path can introduce vulnerabilities that were not present in the last AI security scan. Mend.io states that the EU AI Act, Executive Order 14028, and the Cyber Resilience Act require verifiable technical evidence that software and AI systems have been inventoried, tested, and secured.^[3]

Mend AppSec secures the code layer, covering source code, open-source dependencies, containers, and AI-generated code. Mend AppSec covers open source risk, proprietary code scanning, and AI visibility in a single workflow. Mend SAST and Mend SCA are both included in Mend AppSec and feed reachability-aware intelligence into agentic development tools. Mend AppSec integrates with AI coding assistants like Cursor, Windsurf, and Copilot to scan code as it is generated, before the code reaches the codebase. Mend AppSec maps dependencies, prioritizes exploitable vulnerabilities, and catches malicious packages and secrets before they reach production. Mend AppSec identifies vulnerable and malicious dependencies and extends coverage into the containers.^{[2][3][4][11]}

Mend SCA protects repositories, CI/CD pipelines, and beyond from malicious code packages and exploitable vulnerabilities. Mend SCA detects malicious packages, including protestware and packages designed to steal data or inject malicious code, and supports policy enforcement to stop that risk earlier in development. Mend.io states that its database supports over 200 programming languages. Mend.io aggregates vulnerabilities from the NVD, dozens of security advisories, and popular open source projects issue trackers.^[2][4]

Mend AI secures the AI layer itself with AI component discovery and risk insights, system prompt hardening with AIWE scoring, automated red teaming, and in-app runtime guardrails. Mend AI includes AI red teaming to simulate threats like prompt injection and data exfiltration. Mend AI gives visibility into AI components in a codebase, with automated red teaming and runtime guardrails that enforce policy in production. Mend AI can be purchased as an add-on to Mend AppSec or as a standalone product. Mend.io surfaces components in a codebase, including packages, AI models, agents, and system prompts, along with shadow dependencies standard tooling misses. Mend.io provides a continuously updated SBOM/AI-BOM, ready for security and compliance teams. Mend.io describes runtime in-application protection as behavioral controls between users and applications in production that monitor live interactions, enforce policy, and block unsafe behavior as it occurs. Mend.io states that automated attack simulations run against every build before it ships, including injection, data leakage, and AI-specific vectors.^{[1][2][3][4][6]}

Mend Renovate creates and manages pull requests automatically across a codebase, with Smart Merge Control to prevent bad updates from shipping. Mend Renovate Enterprise automates open-source dependency updates. Mend Renovate Enterprise automatically creates pull requests for new package versions and provides Merge Confidence ratings and workflows. Mend Renovate Enterprise is a component of Mend AppSec and can be purchased as a standalone product. Mend AppSec can be expanded with Mend AI Premium, DAST, API Security, and EOL (End of Life) Support for open source projects. Mend Renovate keeps dependencies continuously current while Mend AppSec identifies vulnerable and malicious dependencies.^[1][4][5]

The Mend Platform enables users to generate and export a Software Bill of Materials report that specifies the libraries, code packages, and other third-party components used in applications. In the Mend Platform, the CycloneDX standard is embedded with Vulnerability Exploitability eXchange (VEX) data. Mend API 3.0 is a REST-compliant API that enables the automation of workflows. Service users in the Mend Platform are programmatic (machine) users that can communicate with Mend via the APIs with no access to the GUI. The Mend CLI requires a login once for each environment where it runs, which authenticates the user to work in a single organization.^[4][6][8][9]

Mend.io is headquartered in Israel with operations spanning the EU, US, and worldwide. Mend.io has an integrated information security management system incorporating controls for ISO 27001, ISO 27017, and ISO 27701, and these controls are reviewed externally every year. Mend.io's controls are evaluated by Schellman, a firm specializing in annual compliance assessments across various industries. Mend.io states compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other applicable data protection laws in the US to which it is subject. Mend.io has partnered with TrustArc as its Dispute Resolution Service Provider for unresolved privacy concerns. Mend.io prices per Contributing Developer. Mend.io's AppSec coverage includes SCA, SAST, secrets detection, and reachability.^[1][4]