Fortify Application Defender vs Qualys Web Application Scanning comparison

OpenText and Qualys are both solutions in the Application Security Tools category. OpenText is ranked #24 with an average rating of 8.0, while Qualys is ranked #15 with an average rating of 7.7. OpenText holds a 1.2% mindshare in AS, compared to Qualys’s 1.8% mindshare. Additionally, 81% of OpenText users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 88% of Qualys users who would recommend it.

Fortify Application Defender

Read 11 Fortify Application Defender reviews

1,665 Views
1,382 Comparison Views

81% willing to recommend

Qualys Web Application Scan...

Read 40 Qualys Web Application Scanning reviews

4,234 Views
2,710 Comparison Views

88% willing to recommend

Fortify Application Defender

Qualys Web Application Scan...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024

Qualys Web Application Scanning and Fortify Application Defender are two robust competitors in the web application security category. Based on data comparisons, Qualys has an edge in customer support and pricing, while Fortify provides a broader range of features that many users find justifies its higher price.

Features: Qualys Web Application Scanning excels with automated scanning capabilities, seamless integration with other security tools, and efficient vulnerability detection. Fortify Application Defender offers advanced real-time monitoring, comprehensive threat protection, and detailed attack analysis, appealing for in-depth security needs.

Room for Improvement: Qualys Web Application Scanning could improve with greater customization options, more frequent updates, and enhanced reporting features. Fortify Application Defender users mention documentation improvements, a simpler initial setup, and user-friendly interface enhancements.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Qualys Web Application Scanning is known for an easy deployment process and effective user support. Despite a potentially complex setup, Fortify Application Defender provides thorough guidance and responsive customer service, aiding users through its deployment.

Pricing and ROI: Qualys Web Application Scanning is considered cost-effective, due to affordable setup costs and favorable return on investment through efficient operations. Fortify Application Defender, while presenting a higher initial cost, is seen as a valuable investment for comprehensive protection, achieving a satisfactory ROI over time.

To learn more, read our detailed Fortify Application Defender vs. Qualys Web Application Scanning Report (Updated: March 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Fortify Application Defender vs. Qualys Web Application Scanning

March 2026

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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

Fortify Application Defender

Ranking in Application Security Tools

24th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Qualys Web Application Scan...

Ranking in Application Security Tools

15th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Static Application Security Testing (SAST) (13th)

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Application Security Tools category, the mindshare of Fortify Application Defender is 1.2%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Qualys Web Application Scanning is 1.8%, down from 1.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Security Tools Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Qualys Web Application Scanning	1.8%
Fortify Application Defender	1.2%
Other	97.0%

Application Security Tools

Featured Reviews

VinothSivam

CTO at Abcl

Useful for fast code review in devOps pipelines

I rate the tool's scalability a seven out of ten. However, I'm concerned about how it handles an increasing number of lines of code. As the complexity grows, so does the time it takes for the tool to review everything. I want more clarity on how Fortify Application Defender handles multiple threats. We have numerous endpoints, but the tool runs in our pipeline, meaning it operates in the cloud. All our code is configured there, and the tool runs integration testing, unit testing, user testing, and final production code tests. It's a day-to-day experience. It's utilized almost every day as part of our pipeline runs. Each team responsible for integration testing, human testing, user access testing, and preproduction testing runs it whenever they take a build.

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AnkitSharma13

Security Officer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

Web scanning needs improvement but offers good vulnerability detection

The downside of Qualys Web Application Scanning is that it cannot crawl automatically. If I provide an IP address and a login form, it does basic testing, but it doesn't go deep as IBM AppScan does. If Qualys Web Application Scanning could improve its crawling capability, it would be more user-friendly. Qualys Web Application Scanning does IP-level testing, requiring direct input of credentials, and can only scan a few pages to provide known generic vulnerabilities, which isn't as beneficial from my point of view. The Vulnerability Management also relies heavily on version numbers and will flag vulnerabilities based on the component version, but it doesn't check if a real fix exists, leading to flags on components that actually have workarounds available.

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

"Its ability to find security defects is valuable."

"The most valuable feature is the ability to automatically feed it rules what it's coupled with the WebInspect dynamic application scanning technology."

"We are able to provide out customers with a secure application after development. They are no longer left wondering if they are vulnerable to different threats within the market following deployment."

"The information from Fortify Application Defender on how to fix and solve issues is very good compared to other solutions."

"The solution helped us to improve the code quality of our organization."

"I find the configuration of rules in Fortify Application Defender useful. Its integration is also easy."

"Fortify Application Defender's most valuable features are machine learning algorithms, real-time remediation, and automatic vulnerability notifications."

"The most valuable features of Fortify Application Defender are the code packages that are default."

More Fortify Application Defender pros

"This product is designed for easy scalability and can easily scale up without major challenges."

"We have experienced quick customer support. They have a complete list of our previous issues along with our history, which makes it faster for them to solve issues."

"I would recommend this tool."

"It is easy to use."

"Qualys WAS' most valuable features are the navigation flow of the UI and the option for a different layer of security (identification and operation through email and mobile)."

"Qualys is perfect, scalability-wise."

"I have found the detection of vulnerabilities tool thorough with good results and the graphical display output to be wonderful and full of colors. It allows many types of outputs, such as bar and chart previews."

"It protects against zero-day vulnerabilities, like Heartbleed."

More Qualys Web Application Scanning pros

Cons

"The licensing can be a little complex."

"The biggest complaint that I have heard concerns additional platform support because right now, it only supports applications that are written in .NET and Java."

"Fortify Application Defender could improve by supporting more code languages, such as GRAAS and Groovy."

"The workbench is a little bit complex when you first start using it."

"The solution could improve the time it takes to scan. When comparing it to SonarQube it does it in minutes while in Fortify Application Defender it can take hours."

"Fortify Application Defender gives a lot of false positives."

"The false positive rate should be lower."

"Support for older compilers/IDEs is lacking."

More Fortify Application Defender cons

"We have many websites. We don't force scanning on all of them at once because it's taking some time."

"We receive false positives sometimes when using a solution that could be improved. However, the technical team provides us with the exact explanation why it was giving us that kind of error."

"The software’s pricing could be improved."

"The scanner reports a lot of false positives, which is something that needs to be improved."

"When comparing this solution to Veracode, Veracode has good interactive features and gives a clear understanding of what the vulnerabilities are, which error line of the vulnerability is on and what can be done. It gives interactive features, whereas this solution does not give a clear understanding of where or how to fix the problem."

"The area of false positives could be improved. There are quite a number of false positives as compared to other solutions. They could probably fine tune the algorithm to be able to reduce the number of false positives being detected."

"I would like it to be cheaper because it is a bit expensive compared to competitors like Tenable Nessus."

"The area of false positives could be improved. There are quite a number of false positives as compared to other solutions."

More Qualys Web Application Scanning cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The base licensing costs for the SaaS platform is about $900 USD per application, per year."

"The product’s price is much higher than other tools."

"The licensing is very complex, it's project based and can range from $10,000 to $200,000+ depending on the project type and size."

"Fortify Application Defender is very expensive."

"The price of this solution could be less expensive."

"I rate the solution's pricing a five out of ten. It comes as an annual cloud subscription. The tool's pricing is around 50 lakhs."

"I rate the software’s pricing a six out of ten."

"The product pricing is fair and reasonably priced."

"From my perspective, it is a budget-friendly option."

"It is best to be an institutional buyer and directly contact the sales team, as they can provide over-the-top discounts for bulk orders."

"Licensing was based on the number of assets that you want to scan on your network. You can also do licensing on subscription. On subscription, it is easier and more flexible. You tell Qualys that you want to move from the 1000 to 2000 band or the 3000 or 5000 band, then they will give you the quotation for it. Once you pay for it, applying the licensing is quite easy and effective."

"The cost is $30,000 USD for one year to cover WAS (Web Application Security) and the VM (Virtual Machine) security in a company with 200 employees."

"We are on an annual license for the solution and the pricing could be more affordable."

"Qualys Web Application Scanning's pricing is a bit expensive compared to other solutions available in the market."

More Qualys Web Application Scanning pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

16%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Computer Software Company

Insurance Company

Financial Services Firm

14%

Manufacturing Company

12%

Computer Software Company

10%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	3
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	8

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	27

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Fortify Application Defender?

I find the configuration of rules in Fortify Application Defender useful. Its integration is also easy.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Fortify Application Defender?

The product should integrate industry-standard code review tools internally with its system. This would streamline the coding process, as developers wouldn't need multiple tools for code review and...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Fortify Application Defender?

We use the solution for fast code review. It is integrated into our DevOps pipeline.

See all answers

What do you like most about Qualys Web Application Scanning?

The vulnerability management feature is a strong one. And also the patch management feature.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Qualys Web Application Scanning?

Regarding pricing, I think for personal use, it is costly, but if organizations are ready to pay, then it is fine as they are using it.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Qualys Web Application Scanning?

See all answers

Comparisons

Checkmarx One vs Fortify Application Defender

Compared 11% of the time

SonarQube vs Fortify Application Defender

Compared 11% of the time

Veracode vs Fortify Application Defender

Compared 6% of the time

Klocwork vs Fortify Application Defender

Compared 4% of the time

OpenText Core Application Security vs Fortify Application Defender

Compared 4% of the time

More Fortify Application Defender Competitors

OWASP Zap vs Qualys Web Application Scanning

Compared 8% of the time

Checkmarx SAST vs Qualys Web Application Scanning

Compared 7% of the time

SonarQube vs Qualys Web Application Scanning

Compared 7% of the time

PortSwigger Burp Suite Professional vs Qualys Web Application Scanning

Compared 5% of the time

Veracode vs Qualys Web Application Scanning

Compared 5% of the time

More Qualys Web Application Scanning Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Application Security Tools

February 2026

Download Fortify Application Defender product report

Buyer's Guide

Qualys Web Application Scanning

March 2026

Download Qualys Web Application Scanning product report

Also Known As

HPE Fortify Application Defender, Micro Focus Fortify Application Defender

Qualys WAS

Overview

Micro Focus Security Fortify Application Defender is a runtime application self-protection (RASP) solution that helps you manage and mitigate risk from homegrown or third-party applications. It provides centralized visibility into application use and abuse while protecting from software vulnerability exploits and other violations in real time.

OpenText

Qualys Web Application Scanning (WAS) is a fully cloud-based web application security scanner. The scanner will automatically crawl periodically and test web applications to discover potential vulnerabilities, including cross-site scripting (XSS) and SQL injection. The consistent testing equips the automated service to generate consistent results, lessen false positives, and offer the ability to scale to protect thousands of websites effortlessly.

Qualys Web Application Scanning is bundled with different scanning technology to carefully scan websites for malware infections and will send notifications to website owners to assist in preventing blacklisting and brand reputation damage. As digital transformation takes place in various organizations, Qualys WAS gives organizations the ability to track and document their web app security status through its interactive reporting capabilities.

Qualys WAS empowers organizations to remediate any web application vulnerabilities quickly. Some of the key tools offered are:

Deep Scanning: All apps and APIs on your internal network and public cloud are covered by Qualys WAS deep scanning to show you any visible vulnerabilities.
DevSec Ops Tool: Detect security issues in your code while still in app development stages and generate comprehensive reports.
Comprehensive Discovery: Discover and catalog new and unknown web apps in your network.
Malware Detection: Scan a website, identify vulnerabilities, and receive alerts to any infections.

Benefits of Qualys Web Application Scanning

Qualys Web Application Scanning offers many benefits, including:

Quick Deployment: Requires no infrastructure or software to upkeep.
Effortless Scalability: Effortlessly launch a deep scan and protect thousands of websites.
Centralized Management: Manage and mend all web app vulnerabilities through a single interface.
Excellent Integration Capabilities: Integrates with Qualys Web App Firewall (WAF) for a single-click virtual patching of found vulnerabilities.
Respond to Threats Immediately: Qualys Continuous Monitoring offers the user a hands-free service by automatically launching scanning and sending notifications of a potential threat.
Cost-effective Solution: Data is analyzed in real time as Qualys WAS is an end-to-end solution; this helps avoid costs associated with managing multiple security vendors.

Reviews from Real Users

Qualys Web Application Scanning stands out among its competitors for a variety of reasons. Two of those reasons are its progressive scan and quick detection of vulnerabilities.

P.K., a senior software developer at a tech vendor, writes, "The feature that I have found most valuable is the progressive scan. It is good. It's done in 24 hours."

Nagaraj S., lead cybersecurity engineer at a tech service company, notes, "I have found the detection of vulnerabilities tool thorough with good results and the graphical display output to be wonderful and full of colors. It allows many types of outputs, such as bar and chart previews."

Qualys

Sample Customers

ServiceMaster, Saltworks, SAP

BskyB, Cartagena, ClearPoint Learning Systems, Connect Group, du, Fortrex Technologies, HBOR, HDI, Highlights for Children, The Lithuanian State Enterprise Centre of Registers, City of Miami Beach, Microsoft, MidlandHR, MSCI Inc., Northern Arizona University, Ofgem, Olympus Europa, PhoneFactor, RTL Nederland, ThousandEyes, VGZ Organisatie B.V.

Buyer's Guide

Fortify Application Defender vs. Qualys Web Application Scanning

March 2026

Free Report: Fortify Application Defender vs. Qualys Web Application Scanning

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