No more typing reviews! Try our Samantha, our new voice AI agent.

Cycode vs HCL AppScan comparison

Why PeerSpot?
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Cycode
Ranking in Static Application Security Testing (SAST)
22nd
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
Software Composition Analysis (SCA) (16th), Software Supply Chain Security (10th), Application Security Posture Management (ASPM) (11th)
HCL AppScan
Ranking in Static Application Security Testing (SAST)
19th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
5.9
Number of Reviews
44
Ranking in other categories
Application Security Tools (23rd), Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) (7th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2026, in the Static Application Security Testing (SAST) category, the mindshare of Cycode is 1.4%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of HCL AppScan is 2.8%, up from 2.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Static Application Security Testing (SAST) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
HCL AppScan2.8%
Cycode1.4%
Other95.8%
Static Application Security Testing (SAST)
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer2014131 - PeerSpot reviewer
DevSecOps Security Engineer at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Secret scanning has strengthened our code security and now needs better container integration
Regarding container scanning, Cycode can be improved as it does not have a CLI. As a DevSecOps professional, having a CLI is a must-have for any tool to integrate it into systems. Although Cycode does have a CLI, specifically for the container scanning module, a CLI does not exist. This is why all the modules that Cycode offers cannot be fully leveraged. A CLI for the container scanning module is believed to be on Cycode's roadmap, but it is not available today. As a big enterprise dealing with many assets, Cycode being faster would be beneficial. With many assets on-boarded on Cycode, the tool sometimes becomes slow. Making Cycode faster would definitely help. Other than that, things are good.
Ravi Khanchandani - PeerSpot reviewer
Founder Director at Techsa Services
Has improved identification of encryption and authentication issues across cloud and on-prem applications
During the learning curve of onboarding HCL AppScan, we learned that HCL has altered the portfolio and now offers HCL AppScan 360, which has a much better look and feel with an improved user interface. However, there is one feature called SCA, which stands for Software Composition Analysis, that could be improved. When I'm doing an application scan, HCL AppScan has the ability to generate information about what components are in use. For example, if I'm scanning a web application, it shows me the various components being used. It tells me whether I have Java libraries, .NET frameworks, or other log management libraries such as Log4j, and what versions of those specific components are present. I would like to see more detailed reports from the tool. Currently, you can find out the components belonging to a specific software, but if detailed reporting became available, you would be in a better position to identify vulnerabilities. For instance, I could identify that I had the Log4j vulnerability and know that I need to fix my application accordingly. If they add the features I'm describing, I would consider giving them a higher rating. However, I've only been experienced with the product for three months.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"In my experience as an integrator with Cycode, the biggest advantage is that it is platform agnostic and language agnostic."
"Cycode excels in secret scanning and is brilliant at finding and identifying secrets within code."
"Cycode has positively impacted the organization by saving time in the pipeline and providing one platform for secret scanning, SAST, and Infrastructure as Code facilities."
"It is a stable solution...It is a scalable solution...The initial setup or installation of HCL AppScan is easy."
"This solution saves us time due to the low number of false positives detected."
"From the point of view of quality, very excellent quality, it's above all the tools that I have worked with."
"Technical support is helpful."
"HCL AppScan has helped us improve our security posture, as we've been able to identify quite a few issues."
"You can easily find particular features and functions through the UI."
"The static scans are good, and the SaaS as well."
"Scalability, and it's a very powerful tool."
 

Cons

"While I appreciate the advantages of Cycode, one area for improvement is the machine learning aspect and how it can assist during AI operations."
"Currently, Cycode does not have good container security, and while it is a full solution, companies desiring a single platform must seek additional tools to scan container images."
"Regarding container scanning, Cycode can be improved as it does not have a CLI."
"The dashboard, for AppScan or the Fortified fast tool, which we use needs to be improved."
"AppScan is too complicated and should be made more user-friendly."
"There are so many lines of code with so many different categories that I am likely to get lost. ​"
"The depth was low, but the part that the user could miss was also diagnosed."
"They could incorporate AI to enhance vulnerability detection and improve the product's reporting capabilities."
"We would like to see a check in the specific vulnerabilities in mobile applications or rooted devices, such as jailbreaking devices."
"A desktop version should be added."
"AppScan needs to improve its handling of false positives."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"I would rate the product's pricing a nine out of ten. The product's pricing is expensive compared to the features that they offer."
"The solution is cheap."
"AppScan is a little bit expensive. IBM needs to work a little bit on the pricing model, decreasing the license cost."
"The product is moderately priced, though it's an investment due to extensive code analysis needs."
"With the features, that they offer, and the support, they offer, AppScan pricing is on a higher level."
"The tool was expensive."
"I rate the product's price a seven on a scale of one to ten, where one is low, and ten is high. HCL AppScan is an expensive tool."
"The price is very expensive."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Static Application Security Testing (SAST) solutions are best for your needs.
915,341 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
26%
Financial Services Firm
11%
University
6%
Construction Company
6%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Outsourcing Company
9%
Construction Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business14
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise31
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cycode?
I find the pricing of Cycode to be reasonable for the work being done, although I haven't compared it with other tools to provide detailed feedback about its affordability.
What needs improvement with Cycode?
While I appreciate the advantages of Cycode, one area for improvement is the machine learning aspect and how it can assist during AI operations. This tool needs capabilities for monitoring cloud co...
What is your primary use case for Cycode?
Cycode is used for our software development, maintaining clean code quality, and managing secrets within our enterprise. We write secure code by adhering to secure coding principles, ensuring that ...
What needs improvement with HCL AppScan?
During the learning curve of onboarding HCL AppScan, we learned that HCL has altered the portfolio and now offers HCL AppScan 360, which has a much better look and feel with an improved user interf...
What is your primary use case for HCL AppScan?
I'm currently working with BigFix and HCL AppScan. At least three people in my company are using HCL AppScan. Since we are a reseller, we run it in both lab environments and live production applica...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for HCL AppScan?
AppScan is considered more cost-effective than Veracode, although I have not updated the exact pricing details. Companies often choose based on budget constraints, with Veracode being on the higher...
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

No data available
IBM Security AppScan, Rational AppScan, AppScan
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Essex Technology Group Inc., Cisco, West Virginia University, APIS IT
Find out what your peers are saying about Cycode vs. HCL AppScan and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
915,341 professionals have used our research since 2012.