NowSecure vs MobSF

Quick Verdict

NowSecure and MobSF both test mobile applications for security vulnerabilities, but they sit at opposite ends of the cost and capability spectrum.

NowSecure is a commercial platform purpose-built for enterprise mobile security and privacy testing. It runs automated SAST, DAST, and IAST on real devices, tracks data flows for GDPR and CCPA compliance, generates mobile SBOMs, and plugs into CI/CD with pre-built integrations. Trusted by 4 of the top 5 U.S. telecoms and 3 of the top 5 U.S. banks, it is designed for organizations where mobile app privacy is a regulatory requirement.

MobSF is an open-source framework with 20,300+ GitHub stars that handles static and dynamic analysis for Android, iOS, and Windows apps. It is self-hosted, completely free under GPL 3.0, and ships as a Docker container you can run in minutes. It does not match NowSecure on privacy analysis or compliance reporting, but it covers the core security checks that most development teams and pen testers need.

Pick NowSecure when mobile app privacy compliance, real device testing at scale, and vendor support are requirements. Pick MobSF when you need a free, self-hosted security testing framework and can handle the setup yourself.

Feature Comparison

NowSecure vs MobSF: Head-to-Head

Analysis Depth and Approach

NowSecure combines three testing methods in a single platform. Binary SAST examines compiled iOS and Android binaries without needing source code. DAST executes apps on real devices and monitors runtime behavior, network traffic, and data handling. IAST layers interactive analysis on top, correlating static findings with runtime observations. The three methods feed into a unified report where each finding includes context from multiple analysis angles.

The real device testing is a meaningful differentiator. NowSecure runs apps on physical iOS and Android hardware in its cloud infrastructure, which catches issues that emulator-based testing misses. Biometric authentication flows, hardware-backed keystore operations, and push notification handling behave differently on real devices than in emulated environments.

MobSF takes a two-phase approach. Static analysis decompiles APK, IPA, or APPX binaries and inspects the code, manifest files, Info.plist, and bundled resources for known vulnerability patterns. Dynamic analysis uses Frida instrumentation to hook into running apps and monitor network calls, file system operations, and crypto function usage. There is no IAST layer combining the two.

For static analysis coverage, MobSF checks the essentials: hardcoded credentials, insecure data storage, weak cryptography, dangerous permissions, exported components, and SSL/TLS misconfigurations. NowSecure covers these same categories but extends into areas like third-party SDK risk assessment, AI library detection inside apps, and behavioral analysis that tracks how an app actually handles data at runtime rather than just looking at code patterns.

Privacy and Compliance

This is where the gap between the two tools is widest. NowSecure was built with privacy analysis as a core capability, not an afterthought. The platform tracks runtime data flows to answer specific questions: what personal information does this app collect, which third-party services receive it, is it encrypted in transit, and where does it persist on the device. These findings map directly to GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, and NIST requirements.

NowSecure generates compliance reports for OWASP MASVS, NIAP (National Information Assurance Partnership), and PCI DSS. It is also an authorized lab for Google’s App Defense Alliance MASA program, meaning apps that pass its review receive a verified security badge on the Google Play Store.

MobSF maps findings to OWASP MASVS and MASTG, which provides a security verification framework. But it does not perform the kind of runtime data flow tracking that privacy regulations demand. MobSF can tell you that an app stores data insecurely or sends traffic without TLS. It cannot tell you that a specific analytics SDK is transmitting device identifiers to a third-party server in a jurisdiction that violates your data residency requirements.

For teams in regulated industries, finance, healthcare, telecom, and government, NowSecure’s compliance capabilities often justify the commercial cost on their own.

iOS and Android Coverage

Both tools support iOS and Android, but the practical experience differs substantially on the iOS side.

NowSecure handles iOS seamlessly. Upload an IPA, and the platform runs static and dynamic analysis on real iOS devices in the cloud. No jailbreaking needed, no device provisioning on your end.

MobSF performs iOS static analysis well. It decompiles IPA files and runs security checks against the binary and configuration files. iOS dynamic analysis is where it gets complicated. You need either a jailbroken iOS device or a Corellium virtual device. Setting up a jailbroken device for testing requires specific iOS versions, and jailbreak availability varies. Corellium subscriptions add cost to what is otherwise a free tool. Many MobSF users end up running iOS static analysis only and reserving dynamic analysis for Android.

On Android, the gap narrows. MobSF’s Frida-based dynamic analysis works well on emulators or rooted devices, covering network monitoring, runtime instrumentation, and behavioral observation. NowSecure uses real Android devices which provides more accurate results for hardware-dependent features, but for most standard security checks, both tools produce useful findings.

MobSF has one coverage advantage: Windows. It supports APPX analysis for Windows mobile applications, which NowSecure does not cover. NowSecure counters with OTT device support for Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, and Android TV apps, a niche that MobSF does not address.

CI/CD Integration and Automation

NowSecure provides a polished CI/CD story. The official GitHub Action (nowsecure/nowsecure-action) uploads a binary and returns results that integrate with GitHub Advanced Security. The standalone CLI (ns-cli) works in any pipeline. Pre-built integrations cover Jenkins, Azure DevOps, GitLab, CircleCI, and Bitrise. Findings route automatically to Jira, Slack, or GitHub Issues.

MobSF offers two paths for CI/CD. The lightweight option is mobsfscan, a separate CLI tool that scans source code (Java, Kotlin, Swift, Objective-C) using semgrep and regex rules. It outputs SARIF for GitHub code scanning, plus JSON and HTML. This is fast and easy to set up but only covers source code patterns, not binary or runtime analysis.

For binary analysis in CI/CD, you run the full MobSF Docker container as a service in your pipeline and interact with it through the REST API. This works but requires more scripting: start the container, wait for it to be ready, upload the binary via API, trigger the scan, poll for results, and pull the report. It is flexible but not as turnkey as NowSecure’s single-step GitHub Action.

Reporting and Support

NowSecure produces audit-ready reports with executive summaries, severity-ranked findings, remediation guidance with code samples, and compliance mapping against the frameworks that auditors expect. The platform includes NowSecure Academy for developer training on how to fix the identified issues. Enterprise customers get dedicated support, SLAs, and guided testing options where NowSecure’s own security researchers review findings.

MobSF generates PDF reports and provides results through its web dashboard and REST API. Reports cover identified vulnerabilities with severity ratings and some remediation context. For detailed compliance documentation, you will need to process MobSF output into your own report format. Support comes through GitHub issues and community channels. There is no commercial support tier, no SLAs, and no dedicated account management.

When to Choose NowSecure

Choose NowSecure if:

• Mobile app privacy compliance (GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA) is a regulatory requirement
• You need runtime data flow analysis to track how apps handle user data and which third parties receive it
• Real device testing on physical iOS and Android hardware matters for your security program
• Audit-ready compliance reports mapped to OWASP MASVS, NIAP, or PCI DSS are needed
• You manage a large portfolio of mobile apps and need continuous automated testing at scale
• Vendor support with SLAs, guided testing, and penetration testing as a service is valuable
• OTT application testing (Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV) is part of your scope

When to Choose MobSF

Choose MobSF if:

• Budget is a constraint and you need a capable mobile security tool at zero cost
• Self-hosted deployment is required so that app binaries never leave your network
• You are a penetration tester or security researcher who needs a flexible mobile testing lab
• Static analysis of Android APKs is your primary need (this is where MobSF is strongest)
• Malware analysis and suspicious app vetting are part of your workflow
• You want a tool that runs in Docker with a web dashboard and REST API for custom automation
• Windows APPX analysis is needed alongside Android and iOS

Many teams use MobSF during development for quick security feedback and bring in NowSecure for pre-release compliance testing and ongoing app store monitoring. The two tools complement each other well because they operate at different levels of the testing lifecycle.

For more options, browse our mobile security tools category.

Frequently Asked Questions

Written by

Suphi Cankurt

Suphi Cankurt is an application security enthusiast based in Helsinki, Finland. He reviews and compares 129 AppSec tools across 10 categories on AppSec Santa. Learn more.