42Crunch vs Probely

42Crunch positions itself as a managed API security platform with an emphasis on policy enforcement and centralized governance. It targets organizations that want a turnkey solution with defined controls and support structures. Probely focuses on developers and small teams who want a lightweight way to surface common misconfigurations quickly.

middleBrick is a self-service scanner designed for engineers who need fast, on-demand insight without onboarding or agent installation. It uses black-box probing, requires no code access or SDK integration, and can scan any API regardless of language or cloud provider. This makes middleBrick suitable for ad hoc checks as well as integrated scan gates where runtime behavior matters more than policy templates.

42Crunch offers broad coverage of API security topics, including authentication bypasses, injection checks, and business logic tests framed as policy violations. It emphasizes enforcement and blocking, with dashboards that highlight violations in a security operations context.

Probely provides a checklist-style approach focused on common misconfigurations such as CORS, security headers, and exposed debug endpoints. It covers the OWASP API Top 10 at a surface level and is useful for quick project onboarding, but it does not deeply correlate findings across endpoints or versions.

middleBrick maps findings to three frameworks: PCI-DSS 4.0, SOC 2 Type II, and OWASP API Top 10 (2023). It detects 12 categories including authentication bypass, BOLA, BFLA, property over-exposure, input validation, rate limiting, data exposure, encryption issues, SSRF, inventory mismanagement, unsafe consumption, and LLM/AI security through 18 adversarial probe tiers. Its OpenAPI parser resolves recursive $ref definitions and cross-references spec security schemes against runtime behavior, highlighting undefined schemes and deprecated operations.

42Crunch integrates tightly with CI/CD pipelines and service meshes, providing policy gates that can block deployments based on violation severity. This model works well for organizations with centralized security teams that enforce standards.

Probely integrates with common development tools and issue trackers, allowing findings to be filed as tickets. It is easy to spin up for quick scans but lacks deep automation for continuous monitoring across many APIs.

middleBrick offers multiple integration paths. The CLI supports JSON and text output for scripting, with an npm package that enables commands such as middlebrick scan <url>. A GitHub Action can gate CI/CD, failing the build when a score drops below a chosen threshold. An MCP server allows scanning from AI coding assistants, and a programmable API supports custom dashboards. Authenticated scanning requires domain verification and an allowlist of headers, ensuring only the domain owner can submit credentials.

42Crunch operates on a subscription model with tiers tied to API count and feature sets, including enterprise options that bundle support and compliance workflows. Costs scale with the number of APIs and the depth of policy enforcement features.

Probely follows a freemium pattern, with paid tiers focused on team collaboration and historical tracking. Pricing is typically seat- or project-based, making it accessible for small groups but potentially expensive as API counts grow.

middleBrick uses a tiered structure that balances cost and capability. The Free tier allows three scans per month with CLI access. The Starter tier at 99 dollars per month supports 15 APIs, monthly scans, dashboard views, email alerts, and an MCP server. The Pro tier at 499 dollars per month covers 100 APIs with additional APIs billed per unit, adding continuous monitoring, GitHub Action gates, compliance reports, and signed webhooks. Enterprise tiers are priced at 2000 dollars or more per month for unlimited APIs, custom rules, SSO, audit logs, and dedicated support. Scan data is deletable on demand and is not used for model training.

42Crunch provides strong policy enforcement but may require significant configuration and security team involvement to tune rules and exceptions. It is less suited for developers who want lightweight, on-demand scanning without platform overhead.

Probely excels at quick, surface-level checks but does not provide deep correlation, version tracking, or robust automated gating. Teams that need historical tracking and CI/CD integration often find it insufficient.

middleBrick does not fix, patch, or block findings; it reports with remediation guidance. It does not perform intrusive injection tests or detect business logic vulnerabilities, which require domain context. When choosing among these tools, evaluate whether your priority is enforcement (42Crunch), simplicity (Probely), or flexible, developer-friendly scanning with broad standards mapping (middleBrick). Consider how each handles authenticated workflows, OpenAPI spec coverage, integration into your existing pipelines, and the total cost of ownership as your API inventory scales.