GitHub Code Scanning vs Qualys Web Application Scanning comparison

GitHub and Qualys are both solutions in the Static Application Security Testing (SAST) category. GitHub is ranked #17 with an average rating of 8.6, while Qualys is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.4. GitHub holds a 1.2% mindshare in SAST, compared to Qualys’s 2.1% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of GitHub users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 87% of Qualys users who would recommend it.

GitHub Code Scanning

Read 6 GitHub Code Scanning reviews

941 Views
885 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Qualys Web Application Scan...

Read 39 Qualys Web Application Scanning reviews

4,371 Views
3,191 Comparison Views

87% willing to recommend

GitHub Code Scanning

Qualys Web Application Scan...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024

In the application security category, Qualys Web Application Scanning and GitHub Code Scanning stand out. GitHub seems to have the upper hand, seamlessly integrating within development workflows, while Qualys provides in-depth vulnerability assessment.

Features:Qualys Web Application Scanning provides comprehensive vulnerability assessment, extensive database access, and integration with other security tools. GitHub Code Scanning is known for its seamless integration within the development lifecycle, instant feedback on code issues, and alignment with developers’ workflows.

Room for Improvement:Qualys Web Application Scanning could improve report customization, processing speed, and user interface intuitiveness. GitHub Code Scanning would benefit from enhancing language support, expanding scanning capabilities beyond popular languages, and offering more detailed reports.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service:Qualys requires specialized knowledge for deployment but offers strong customer support. GitHub is easy to implement and appreciated for the support during initial setup. Qualys offers substantial support with more deployment effort, while GitHub provides ease of use with moderate support needs.

Pricing and ROI:Qualys is seen as cost-intensive, justified by its comprehensive security. GitHub Code Scanning is perceived as cost-effective, integrating into existing GitHub workflows and generating positive ROI via minimized remediation time. Qualys has higher initial costs, but its ROI is justifiable, while GitHub offers efficiency and good cost management.

To learn more, read our detailed GitHub Code Scanning vs. Qualys Web Application Scanning Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

GitHub Code Scanning vs. Qualys Web Application Scanning

July 2025

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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

GitHub Code Scanning

Ranking in Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

17th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Qualys Web Application Scan...

Ranking in Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

9th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Security Tools (13th)

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Static Application Security Testing (SAST) category, the mindshare of GitHub Code Scanning is 1.2%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Qualys Web Application Scanning is 2.1%, down from 2.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

Featured Reviews

VishalSingh

Consulting & Solutions, BA/BD in Enterprise IT on Open Source, Red Hat & EDB at KEEN AND ABLE COMPUTERS PVT LTD

Traverses the entire network, scanning every system to determine which ports are open

You can use the tool locally on your system or in the cloud. I rate it a nine out of ten. It's a very good tool for people who want to start using GitHubCode Scanning, especially for software development or team collaboration. GitHubCode Scanning allows teams to collaborate by uploading files to repositories. For example, if someone is developing an application, they can host the code on GitHub Code Scanning. Other developers can then download the code for testing purposes. If bugs are found, fixes can be applied using the GitHub Code Scanningrepository, and everyone on the team can see the changes. Software developers often use GitHub Code Scanning for version control, and it's essential for CI/CD pipelines to work.

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Kelvin Oladipo

Team Lead, Cyber Security at Uridium Technologies

User-friendly scanning provides valuable vulnerability insights, but pricing improvements are needed

Qualys Web Application Scanning ( /products/qualys-web-application-scanning-reviews ) is user-friendly, easy to understand, easy to use, and easy to deploy. Credential scanning is very effective because it goes in-depth into the system, crawling the pages, and reporting on vulnerabilities. The product helps by providing options for remediating vulnerabilities it finds, making it really useful.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It's very scalable, very easy to handle, and very intuitive."

"The static code analysis capability in GitHub Code Scanning is a very powerful feature, providing the ability to identify vulnerabilities and ensure code quality."

"GitHub Code Spaces brings significant value with its simplicity and ease of use."

"GitHub Code Scanning has positively impacted my organization as it helps us recognize errors and avoid many later issues which may arise."

"We use GitHub Code Scanning mostly for source code management."

"The solution helps identify vulnerabilities by understanding how ports communicate with applications running on a system. Ports are like house numbers; to visit someone's house, you must know their number. Similarly, ports are used to communicate with applications. For example, if you want to use an HTTP web server, you must use port 80. It is the port on which the web application or your server listens for incoming requests."

"It combines both web application vulnerability management and internal vulnerability management on one platform and dashboard. Usually, you have to purchase separate tools."

"The simplicity of exporting reports and the simplicity and clarity of the reports included with the product are good."

"The interface is user-friendly and easy to understand."

"Its most valuable features are patch management, vulnerability management, and PCI compliance."

"Qualys Web Application Scanning is user-friendly, easy to understand, easy to use, and easy to deploy."

"We can do scanning and submit reports straight to the customers when there are new vulnerabilities, then tell them whether they are affected or not."

"Qualys Web Application Scanning is accurate and provides minimal false positives."

"The most valuable feature of Qualys Web Application Scanning is the effective scanning that can be done."

More Qualys Web Application Scanning pros

Cons

"One area for improvement could be the ability to have an AI system digest the reports generated from code scanning and provide a summary. Currently, the reports can be extensive, and users may overlook details, such as outdated libraries, which could be highlighted for attention."

"GitHub Code Scanning should add more templates."

"When running code scans, GitHub Code Scanning provides recommendations for probable fixes. However, integrating a feature where developers receive real-time highlights of vulnerabilities when checking in or merging a PR would be beneficial."

"At times it becomes very annoying as it highlights certain things which are intuitive. They require code coverage for those aspects as an extra overhead."

"There should be better visibility into the application."

"One area for improvement is the user interface. The new UI, which was recently upgraded, feels more complex and less user-friendly than the old version."

"The virus code updates are not frequent enough."

"The GUI could be a little less complicated as it opens a lot of new windows for creating search lists, templates, reports, or for scanning purposes."

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

"We procured around 110 licenses for Web Application Scanning, but we have issues running concurrent scans. I don't currently have the option to trigger scans for all 100-plus websites. The default limit is around 10 conference scans. It's not very scalable, to be honest, because of the limitation that they put on concurrent scans."

"The product should allow users to upload their payloads."

"The reporting contains too many false positives."

More Qualys Web Application Scanning cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The minimum pricing for the tool is five dollars a month."

"GitHub Code Scanning is a moderately priced solution."

"Qualys has an IT-based licensing based on a yearly license, which is a good way of handling it. However, in some cases, when we do the PCI scanning, the host will not like the scanning and we lose the IT license. So, this could be improved."

"The product has a very good licensing model."

"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."

"Try the free trial of the product to understand the basic working mechanisms."

"Qualys WAS' pricing is competitive."

"Pricing was reasonable and competitive. It was not too far above the other products."

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

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

More Qualys Web Application Scanning pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

13%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about GitHub Code Scanning?

We use GitHub Code Scanning mostly for source code management.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for GitHub Code Scanning?

The organization pays for the license of GitHub Code Scanning, but specific price details are unknown.

See all answers

What needs improvement with GitHub Code Scanning?

When running code scans, GitHub Code Scanning provides recommendations for probable fixes. However, integrating a feature where developers receive real-time highlights of vulnerabilities when check...

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?

I find it a bit expensive compared to other competitors.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Qualys Web Application Scanning?

I would like it to be cheaper because it is a bit expensive compared to competitors like Tenable Nessus ( /products/tenable-nessus-reviews ). After using the product for a year, I might have more s...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 12% of the time

Aikido Security vs GitHub Code Scanning

Compared 10% of the time

Polaris Software Integrity Platform vs GitHub Code Scanning

Compared 5% of the time

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OWASP Zap vs Qualys Web Application Scanning

Compared 17% of the time

SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) vs Qualys Web Application Scanning

Compared 9% of the time

Veracode vs Qualys Web Application Scanning

Compared 9% of the time

Acunetix vs Qualys Web Application Scanning

Compared 7% of the time

OpenText Dynamic Application Security Testing vs Qualys Web Application Scanning

Compared 7% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

GitHub Code Scanning

July 2025

Download GitHub Code Scanning product report

Buyer's Guide

Qualys Web Application Scanning

March 2025

Download Qualys Web Application Scanning product report

Also Known As

No data available

Qualys WAS

Overview

Code scanning is a feature that you use to analyze the code in a GitHub repository to find security vulnerabilities and coding errors. Any problems identified by the analysis are shown in GitHub.

GitHub

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

Information Not Available

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

GitHub Code Scanning vs. Qualys Web Application Scanning

July 2025

Free Report: GitHub Code Scanning vs. Qualys Web Application Scanning

Find out what your peers are saying about GitHub Code Scanning vs. Qualys Web Application Scanning and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.

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