Zero Hunt vs XBOW
XBOW proved an AI can top the bug-bounty leaderboards. Zero Hunt brings that autonomy inside the perimeter — internal networks, OT, on models you own.
XBOW is the most visible AI-native offensive-security company: a fully autonomous pentester that reads a web app or API, writes and runs its own exploits, and validates each finding with a proof-of-concept and a log. In June 2025 it became the first autonomous system to reach No. 1 on HackerOne's US leaderboard, and it has raised roughly $272M (Series C at a $1B+ valuation, March 2026). It is a SaaS product that runs on frontier cloud models (third-party frontier models) and targets internet-facing web and API assets. Zero Hunt is a different shape: an on-premise, air-gap-capable appliance that runs its own offensive models locally and tests the internal estate — Active Directory, lateral movement, OT/ICS — while adding wire-speed traffic analysis and continuous compliance.
Where XBOW wins today
- —The most proven autonomous web/API exploitation: first AI to reach No. 1 on HackerOne's US leaderboard (June 2025), with 14,000+ vulnerabilities claimed found.
- —Always on the newest frontier models — XBOW adopts third-party models as soon as they ship, riding the edge of raw reasoning.
- —External attack-surface coverage at scale: Autonomous Exposure Management discovers and continuously tests thousands of internet-facing apps.
- —Deep Microsoft and AWS ecosystem integration (Security Copilot, Sentinel, AWS Marketplace) and fast SaaS onboarding — no hardware.
Where Zero Hunt wins
Inside the perimeter, not just the internet-facing edge
XBOW tests web apps and APIs reachable from the internet. Zero Hunt tests the internal estate an intruder actually moves through — Active Directory, credential reuse, lateral movement and OT/ICS segments — the ground XBOW is not built to cover.
On-prem and air-gap, on models you own
XBOW is SaaS and runs on frontier cloud models (third-party frontier models); it cannot run air-gapped, and a rented model can be restricted, withdrawn or changed by its provider or by regulation at any time. Zero Hunt runs its own offensive models on the appliance GPU — no callbacks, nothing leaving your network.
Four pillars in one box, including DORA
XBOW is offensive-only. Zero Hunt adds wire-speed AI traffic analysis and automatic mapping to 34 compliance frameworks — including DORA, which XBOW does not claim — plus an agentic remediation advisor, all on the same appliance.
Evidence that never leaves the building
XBOW's exploits and proof-of-concept logs are computed and stored in its cloud. Zero Hunt signs every finding with ECDSA on the appliance at write time — audit-grade chain of custody for NIS2 and DORA, with nothing exported to a third party.
Capability matrix
| Capability | Zero Hunt | XBOW |
|---|---|---|
| Autonomous web-app & API pentest | ✓ | ✓ |
| Proof-of-exploit with PoC + evidence log | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI-generated exploits per target | ✓ | ✓ |
| Internal network, AD & lateral-movement testing | ✓ | ✕ |
| OT / ICS protocol coverage | ✓ | ✕ |
| Runs on self-owned local models (no frontier cloud) | ✓ | ✕ |
| 100% on-premise / air-gap deployment | ✓ | ✕ |
| Integrated wire-speed AI traffic analysis | ✓ | ✕ |
| Compliance auto-mapping (34 frameworks, incl. DORA) | ✓ | ~ |
| Agentic remediation advisor (chat + KB) | ✓ | ~ |
| Public bug-bounty leaderboard proof (HackerOne) | ~ | ✓ |
| Microsoft / AWS ecosystem integrations | ~ | ✓ |
| Fast SaaS onboarding, no hardware | ✕ | ✓ |
When to pick Zero Hunt over XBOW
Pick Zero Hunt when the target is your internal estate — Active Directory, lateral movement, OT/ICS — and the deployment must be on-prem or air-gapped on models you own; XBOW is a cloud service for internet-facing web and API assets and cannot operate inside a disconnected network. The two are largely complementary: many teams will run XBOW against their external attack surface and Zero Hunt for internal, on-prem generative pentesting with traffic analysis and compliance. If a SaaS web/API pentester on frontier models meets your threat model, XBOW is the category's most proven autonomous tester today.
Ready to see the difference in your environment?
A 30-minute technical demo runs Zero Hunt against a recorded slice of your stack so you can compare the output side-by-side with your current tool.