Defensics Protocol Fuzzing vs HCL AppScan comparison

The compared Black Duck and HCLSoftware solutions aren't in the same category. Black Duck is ranked #4 in FTT , and holds a 22.1% mindshare in the category. HCLSoftware is ranked #15 in AS , with an average rating of 8.3, and holds a 2.5% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Black Duck users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 84% of HCLSoftware users who would recommend it.

Defensics Protocol Fuzzing

Read 4 Defensics Protocol Fuzzing reviews

1,123 Views
112 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

HCL AppScan

Read 43 HCL AppScan reviews

4,583 Views
3,300 Comparison Views

84% willing to recommend

Defensics Protocol Fuzzing

HCL AppScan

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

Defensics Protocol Fuzzing

Average Rating

8.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Fuzz Testing Tools (4th)

HCL AppScan

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

5.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Security Tools (15th), Static Application Security Testing (SAST) (15th), Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) (1st)

Mindshare comparison

While both are Quality Assurance solutions, they serve different purposes. Defensics Protocol Fuzzing is designed for Fuzz Testing Tools and holds a mindshare of 22.1%, up 18.6% compared to last year.
HCL AppScan, on the other hand, focuses on Application Security Tools, holds 2.5% mindshare, down 2.6% since last year.

Fuzz Testing Tools Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Defensics Fuzzing	22.1%
PortSwigger Burp Suite Professional	33.6%
GitLab	22.1%
Other	22.19999999999999%

Fuzz Testing Tools

Application Security Tools Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
HCL AppScan	2.5%
SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube)	20.8%
Checkmarx One	10.2%
Other	66.5%

Application Security Tools

Featured Reviews

Sarath Kumar Choday

Senior Technical Lead at HCL Technologies

Product security tests for switches and router sections

Codenomicon Defensics should be more advanced for the testing sector. It should be somewhat easy and flexible to install. What I see in the documentation isn't that. Even if something doesn't malfunction, sometimes it is hard to install and execute. The product needs video documentation. This would help a lot more.

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Gladwin Christian

QA manager at SmartStream Technologies ltd.

A useful tool to scan applications that can be easily installed

Given that we have been using HCL AppScan for many years, I think the setup process is not difficult at all. Sometimes, some issues stop or prevent my company from moving forward with the product's setup phase. We have to call HCL's support team and engage in long discussions to smoothly carry out the setup phase. In general, the product's setup phase is not difficult in our company. The solution is deployed on an on-premises model. The licenses for the solution are available only on cloud deployments nowadays. The solution is already installed in our environment. Every time a new release or software comes out from HCL, our company does a scan, which takes maybe a day or two.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Whatever the test suit they give, it is intelligent. It will understand the protocol and it will generate the test cases based on the protocol: protocol, message sequence, protocol, message structure... Because of that, we can eliminate a lot of unwanted test cases, so we can execute the tests and complete them very quickly."

"We have found multiple issues in our embedded system network protocols, related to buffer overflow. We have reduced some of these issues."

"The product is related to US usage with TLS contact fees, i.e. how more data center connections will help lower networking costs."

"It's generally a very user-friendly tool. Anyone can easily learn how to scan"

"The solution is easy to install. I would rate the product's setup between six to seven out of ten. The deployment time depends on the applications that need to be scanned. We have a development and operations team to take care of the product's maintenance."

"The HCL AppScan turnaround time for Burp Suite or any new feature request is pretty good, and that is why we are sticking with the HCL."

"It comes with all of the templates that we need. For example, we are a company that is regulated by PCI. In order to be PCI compliant, we have a lot of checks and procedures to which we have to comply."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is Postman."

"This solution saves us time due to the low number of false positives detected."

"Usually when we deploy the application, there is a process for ethical hacking. The main benefit is that, the ethical hacking is almost clean, every time. So it's less cost, less effort, less time to production."

"The product has valuable features for static and dynamic testing."

More HCL AppScan pros

Cons

"Sometimes, when we are testing embedded devices, when we trigger the test cases, the target will crash immediately. It is very difficult for us to identify the root cause of the crash because they do not provide sophisticated tools on the target side. They cover only the client-side application... They do not have diagnostic tools for the target side. Rather, they have them but they are very minimal and not very helpful."

"It does not support the complete protocol stack. There are some IoT protocols that are not supported and new protocols that are not supported."

"Codenomicon Defensics should be more advanced for the testing sector. It should be somewhat easy and flexible to install."

"In future releases, I would like to see more aggressive reports. I would also like to see less false positives."

"One thing which I think can be improved is the CI/CD Integration"

"Improving usability could enhance the overall experience with AppScan. It would be beneficial to make the solution more user-friendly, ensuring that everyone can easily navigate and utilize its features."

"They have to improve support."

"The solution needs to improve in some areas. The tool needs to add more languages. It also needs to improve its speed."

"We would like to see a check in the specific vulnerabilities in mobile applications or rooted devices, such as jailbreaking devices."

"The databases for HCL are small and have room for improvement."

"The dashboard, for AppScan or the Fortified fast tool, which we use needs to be improved."

More HCL AppScan cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Licensing is a bit expensive."

"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 price of HCL AppScan is okay, in my opinion. You just buy HCL AppScan and don't pay anything anymore, meaning it is just a one-time purchase."

"The product has premium pricing and could be more competitive."

"The solution is moderately priced."

"Our clients are willing to pay the extra money. It is 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."

"AppScan is a little bit expensive. IBM needs to work a little bit on the pricing model, decreasing the license cost."

"The tool was expensive."

More HCL AppScan pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

20%

Manufacturing Company

16%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Retailer

Computer Software Company

16%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Government

11%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	13
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	31

Questions from the Community

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What do you like most about HCL AppScan?

The most valuable feature of HCL AppScan is its integration with the SDLC, particularly during the coding phase.

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What needs improvement with HCL AppScan?

AppScan needs to improve its handling of false positives. It also requires enhancements in customer support, similar to what Veracode provides. Regularly scheduling calls with clients to discuss fe...

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What is your primary use case for HCL AppScan?

The primary use case for AppScan is for security purposes. I compare AppScan with other tools such as Veracode. We use AppScan for vulnerability detection and auto-remediation of vulnerabilities wi...

See all answers

Comparisons

SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) vs Defensics Protocol Fuzzing

Compared 35% of the time

Veracode vs Defensics Protocol Fuzzing

Compared 12% of the time

Coverity Static vs Defensics Protocol Fuzzing

Compared 11% of the time

Ixia BreakingPoint vs Defensics Protocol Fuzzing

Compared 9% of the time

Snyk vs Defensics Protocol Fuzzing

Compared 9% of the time

More Defensics Protocol Fuzzing Competitors

Acunetix vs HCL AppScan

Compared 12% of the time

SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) vs HCL AppScan

Compared 12% of the time

Veracode vs HCL AppScan

Compared 11% of the time

OWASP Zap vs HCL AppScan

Compared 8% of the time

Checkmarx One vs HCL AppScan

Compared 7% of the time

More HCL AppScan Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Defensics Protocol Fuzzing vs. PortSwigger Burp Suite Professional

July 2025

Download Defensics Protocol Fuzzing product report

Buyer's Guide

HCL AppScan

September 2025

Download HCL AppScan product report

Also Known As

Codenomicon Defensics

IBM Security AppScan, Rational AppScan, AppScan

Overview

Defensics® fuzz testing is a comprehensive, powerful, and automated black box solution that enables organizations to effectively and efficiently discover and remediate security weaknesses in software. By taking a systematic and intelligent approach to negative testing, Defensics allows organizations to ensure software security without compromising on product innovation, increasing time to market, or inflating operational costs.

Black Duck

IBM Security AppScan enhances web application security and mobile application security, improves application security program management and strengthens regulatory compliance. By scanning your web and mobile applications prior to deployment, AppScan enables you to identify security vulnerabilities and generate reports and fix recommendations.

HCLSoftware

Sample Customers

Coriant, CERT-FI, Next Generation Networks

Essex Technology Group Inc., Cisco, West Virginia University, APIS IT

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