HCL AppScan vs Kiuwan comparison

HCLSoftware and Kiuwan are both solutions in the Application Security Tools category. HCLSoftware is ranked #20 with an average rating of 8.3, while Kiuwan is ranked #29. HCLSoftware holds a 2.3% mindshare in AS, compared to Kiuwan’s 1.1% mindshare. Additionally, 84% of HCLSoftware users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of Kiuwan users who would recommend it.

HCL AppScan

Read 44 HCL AppScan reviews

4,387 Views
3,071 Comparison Views

84% willing to recommend

Kiuwan

Read 23 Kiuwan reviews

1,808 Views
1,464 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

HCL AppScan

Kiuwan

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024

HCL AppScan and Kiuwan compete in the application security category. Users indicate Kiuwan may have the upper hand due to its advanced features despite higher pricing.

Features: HCL AppScan offers extensive security testing capabilities, competitive pricing, and comprehensive support. Kiuwan provides advanced analysis features across coding languages, easy integration with workflows, and a robust feature set.

Room for Improvement: HCL AppScan could improve its integration options, loading speeds, and customization capabilities. Kiuwan needs better customization, enhanced reporting functionalities, and broader integration options.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: HCL AppScan is noted for straightforward deployment, valuable support during setup, and reliable customer service. Kiuwan presents a more complex deployment but offers responsive service and thorough technical guidance.

Pricing and ROI: HCL AppScan is praised for cost-effectiveness and strong ROI, balancing cost with functional depth. Kiuwan, despite being more costly, provides strong ROI with its advanced features and long-term value satisfaction.

To learn more, read our detailed HCL AppScan vs. Kiuwan Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

HCL AppScan vs. Kiuwan

December 2025

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Helped 881,176 peers since 2012

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

HCL AppScan

Ranking in Application Security Tools

20th

Ranking in Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

17th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

5.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) (4th)

Kiuwan

Ranking in Application Security Tools

29th

Ranking in Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

25th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Application Security Tools category, the mindshare of HCL AppScan is 2.3%, down from 2.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Kiuwan is 1.1%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Security Tools Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
HCL AppScan	2.3%
Kiuwan	1.1%
Other	96.6%

Application Security Tools

Featured Reviews

Ravi Khanchandani

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.

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Anshul Anshul

Sr. Manager at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees

Efficient and accurate scanning, and detailed analysis

In Kiuwan there are sometimes duplicates found in the dependency scan under the "insights" tab. It's unclear to me why these duplicates are appearing, and it would be helpful if the application teams could investigate further. Another issue I've encountered is that Kiuwan only looks at the version of components and doesn't take into account any workaround fixes that have been implemented at the code level. This can result in false positives being reported. Additionally, these issues are in the "insights" tab and not in the code base security aspect. Lastly, when muting findings that are false positives, there should be an option to see the only available at the code level rather than at the organization level because it can lead to missing vulnerabilities if they are muted at the org level. An additional feature that would be helpful is the ability to easily download reports from Kiuwan. Specifically, in the "insights" tab, we have been encountering an error when trying to download the PDF report. We are able to download the code-based security report, but not the insights report. This has been an ongoing issue for the past couple of months and would be beneficial if it could be resolved. My main recommendation would be to address the issues with downloading reports that we have been experiencing. Additionally, it would be helpful if Kiuwan could support a wider range of programming languages, as there are currently some that are not compatible with the tool. If the code of a particular application falls under the category which is not compatible with Kiuwan, then it will not be able to scan it.

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

"For me, as a manager, it was the ease of use. Inserting security into the development process is not normally an easy project to do. The ability for the developer to actually use it and get results and focuses, that's what counted."

"There's extensive functionality with custom rules and a custom knowledge base."

"It has certainly helped us find vulnerabilities in our software, so this is priceless in the end."

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

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

"The security and the dashboard are the most valuable features."

"This is a stable solution."

"IBM AppScan has made our work easy, as we can do four to five scans of websites at a time, which saves time when it comes to vulnerability."

More HCL AppScan pros

"I find it immensely helpful because it's not just about generating code; it's about ensuring efficiency in the execution."

"Software analytics for a lot of different languages including ABAP."

"I have found the security and QA in the source code to be most valuable."

"The solution offers very good technical support."

"The solution has a continuous integration process."

"I personally like the way it breaks down security vulnerabilities with LoC at first glance."

"Lifecycle features, because they permit us to show non-technical people the risk and costs hidden into the code due to bad programming practices."

"I like that I can scan the code without sending it to the Kiuwan cloud. I can do it locally on my device. When the local analyzer finishes, the results display on the dashboard in the cloud. It's essential for security purposes to be able to scan my code locally."

More Kiuwan pros

Cons

"I would like to see the roadmap for this product. We are still waiting to see it as we have only so many resources."

"AppScan is too complicated and should be made more user-friendly."

"The solution's scalability can be a matter of concern because one license runs on one machine only."

"Improvement can be done as per customer requirements."

"We would like to integrate with some of the other reporting tools that we're planning to use in the future."

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

"The product has some technical limitations."

"Many silly false positives are produced."

More HCL AppScan cons

"In Kiuwan there are sometimes duplicates found in the dependency scan under the "insights" tab. It's unclear to me why these duplicates are appearing, and it would be helpful if the application teams could investigate further."

"Kiuwan's support has room for improvement. You can only open a ticket is through email, and the support team is outside of our country. They should have a support number or chat."

"I would like to see additional languages supported."

"DIfferent languages, such Spanish, Portuguese, and so on."

"The development-to-delivery phase."

"The QA developer and security could be improved."

"The product's UI has certain shortcomings, where improvements are required."

"Perhaps more languages supported."

More Kiuwan cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."

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

"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."

"The solution is cheap."

"With the features, that they offer, and the support, they offer, AppScan pricing is on a higher level."

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

"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."

More HCL AppScan pricing and cost advice

"It follows a subscription model. I think the price is somewhere in the middle."

"Kiuwan is an open-source solution and free to use."

"The price of Kiuwan is lower than that of other tools on the market."

"This solution is cheaper than other tools."

"Nothing special. It's a very fair model."

"I recommend contacting a sales person who will create the best plan payment plan for you, as we did."

"Check with your account manager."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Government

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Computer Software Company

12%

University

11%

Financial Services Firm

Consumer Goods Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	14
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	31

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	16
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	6

Questions from the Community

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?

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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...

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Compared 8% of the time

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Compared 7% of the time

GitHub vs Kiuwan

Compared 6% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

HCL AppScan

January 2026

Download HCL AppScan product report

Buyer's Guide

Kiuwan

January 2026

Download Kiuwan product report

Also Known As

IBM Security AppScan, Rational AppScan, AppScan

No data available

Overview

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

Software analytics technology with a breadth of third party integrations that takes into account the wealth of applications your teams are currently using.

We facilitate and encourage work between unlocalized teams. We understand the complexity of working on multi technology environments, constantly striving to increase the number of programming languages and technologies we support.

Kiuwan

Sample Customers

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

DHL, BNP Paribas, Zurich, AXA, Ernst & Young, KFC, Santander, Latam, Ferrovial

Buyer's Guide

HCL AppScan vs. Kiuwan

December 2025

Free Report: HCL AppScan vs. Kiuwan

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