middleBrick vs Escape

middleBrick is a black-box API security scanner that submits a URL and returns a risk score from A to F with prioritized findings. It uses only read-only methods (GET and HEAD) plus text-only POST for LLM probes, requires no agents or code access, and completes a scan in under a minute. This approach suits teams that want rapid, surface-level verification without changing deployment environments.

Escape focuses on interactive application security testing and runtime analysis. Its methodology often involves instrumenting applications to observe behavior during execution. Because it relies on agent-based or runtime instrumentation, it typically requires more setup and integration effort than a purely network-facing scanner.

For teams that need a quick, low-friction check of publicly reachable APIs, middleBrick offers a lower setup burden. Escape may provide deeper runtime insight but can demand additional configuration, agents, or changes to the application lifecycle.

middleBrick detects 12 categories aligned to the OWASP API Top 10 (2023), including authentication bypass, JWT misconfigurations, BOLA and IDOR, BFLA and privilege escalation, input validation, rate limiting, data exposure, encryption issues, SSRF, inventory management, unsafe consumption, and LLM/AI security. Each finding maps to relevant controls in OWASP API Top 10 (2023) and supports audit evidence for SOC 2 Type II and PCI-DSS 4.0.

Escape maintains its own detection set, often tied to runtime behavior and application logic. It reports findings against frameworks such as OWASP API Top 10 and can surface issues related to business logic when provided with domain context.

Both tools help you prepare for compliance activities and surface findings relevant to security frameworks. Neither certifies compliance; middleBrick specifically does not guarantee compliance with HIPAA, GDPR, ISO 27001, NIST, or other regulations.

middleBrick supports authenticated scans at the Starter tier and above, allowing Bearer tokens, API keys, Basic auth, and cookies. Access requires domain verification via DNS TXT record or an HTTP well-known file, ensuring only the domain owner can scan with credentials. The scanner forwards a strict header allowlist limited to Authorization, X-API-Key, Cookie, and X-Custom-* headers.

Escape may also support authenticated testing, though its setup process can vary depending on the testing mode and the need for injected credentials or runtime tokens. The exact authentication mechanisms and verification steps depend on the deployment options chosen within Escape.

For environments where credentialed scans are required but must be tightly controlled, middleBrick provides explicit header allowlisting and domain ownership checks to limit exposure.

middleBrick operates as a self-service scanner with no agents, SDKs, or code access. Integration is typically through a web dashboard, CLI, GitHub Action, MCP Server, or API client. The CLI supports commands such as middlebrick scan https://api.example.com, with JSON or text output for automation. The GitHub Action can gate CI/CD, failing the build when the score drops below a defined threshold.

Escape often requires installing agents or runtimes within the application environment to enable continuous monitoring and deeper instrumentation. This can increase integration complexity, particularly in constrained or highly regulated pipelines.

Organizations seeking minimal footprint and rapid onboarding may prefer a scanner with no-code integration requirements. Teams that need continuous runtime telemetry may find agent-based models more suitable despite higher setup overhead.

middleBrick offers a Pro tier with continuous monitoring, including scheduled rescans every 6 hours, daily, weekly, or monthly. It provides diff detection across scans, email alerts rate-limited to one per hour per API, and HMAC-SHA256 signed webhooks that auto-disable after five consecutive failures. Data is deletable on demand and purged within 30 days of cancellation; scan data is never sold or used for model training.

Public tier pricing for middleBrick is $0 for three scans per month with CLI access, Starter is $99 per month for 15 APIs with dashboard and email alerts, Pro is $499 per month for 100 APIs with monitoring and CI/CD integration, and Enterprise is $2,000 per month plus add-ons for unlimited APIs and custom rules. Costs scale with the number of APIs and monitoring needs.

Escape typically uses subscription tiers based on features, number of users, or scan frequency. Exact public pricing and included capabilities vary and should be verified from the provider’s current plans.