HCL AppScan vs Rapid7 InsightAppSec comparison

HCLSoftware and Rapid7 are both solutions in the Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) category. HCLSoftware is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.3, while Rapid7 is ranked #2 with an average rating of 7.9. HCLSoftware holds a 15.2% mindshare in DAST, compared to Rapid7’s 11.6% mindshare. Additionally, 83% of HCLSoftware users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of Rapid7 users who would recommend it.

HCL AppScan

Read 43 HCL AppScan reviews

537 Views
390 Comparison Views

83% willing to recommend

Rapid7 InsightAppSec

Read 19 Rapid7 InsightAppSec reviews

355 Views
203 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

HCL AppScan

Rapid7 InsightAppSec

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 13, 2024

HCL AppScan and Rapid7 InsightAppSec are two leading cybersecurity solutions. Rapid7 InsightAppSec seems to have the upper hand due to its superior features despite higher costs.

Features: HCL AppScan: Comprehensive scanning capabilities, integration options, and cost-effectiveness. Rapid7 InsightAppSec: Intuitive reporting features, ease of use, user-friendly interface.

Room for Improvement: HCL AppScan: Better reporting, more frequent updates, improved deployment process. Rapid7 InsightAppSec: Better API, improved technical support responsiveness, less areas for enhancement.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: HCL AppScan: Complicated deployment process, mixed customer service reviews. Rapid7 InsightAppSec: Smoother deployment, superior customer service.

Pricing and ROI: HCL AppScan: Cost-effective, good ROI. Rapid7 InsightAppSec: Higher upfront costs justified by richer feature set, higher perceived value.

To learn more, read our detailed HCL AppScan vs. Rapid7 InsightAppSec Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

HCL AppScan vs. Rapid7 InsightAppSec

April 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

HCL AppScan

Ranking in Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)

1st

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Security Tools (15th), Static Application Security Testing (SAST) (15th)

Rapid7 InsightAppSec

Ranking in Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)

2nd

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) category, the mindshare of HCL AppScan is 15.2%, down from 25.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Rapid7 InsightAppSec is 11.6%, down from 13.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)

Featured Reviews

Sthembiso Zondi

Head of Software Engineering at ronaldmariah@gmail.com

Has a straightforward setup process and valuable security features

We use AppScan primarily for security testing and performance monitoring across our systems The product's features for comprehensive code analysis (static) and live environment testing (dynamic) have significantly enhanced our ability to identify and address vulnerabilities, improving overall…

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Krzysztof Witko

IT Security Engineer at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees

Automated authorization streamlines security processes

The previous product, AppSpyder, had a virtual patching module where we could generate patches for third-party web application firewalls, such as Imperva or F5. Currently, InsightAppSec lacks similar functionality. Customers must wait for remediation during the developers' preparation of a new version. Virtual patching could help protect web pages shortly after finishing the scan process.

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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

"AppScan's most valuable features include its ability to identify vulnerabilities accurately, provide detailed remediation steps, and the newly introduced AI-powered features that enhance its functionality further."

"It provides a better integration for our ecosystem."

"We leverage it as a quality check against code."

"It was easy to set up."

"It is easy it is to use. It is quick to find things, because of the code scanning tools. It's quite simple to use and it is very good the way it reports the findings."

"Technical support is helpful."

"We are now deploying less defects to production."

More HCL AppScan pros

"The solution is stable."

"The reporting functionality is excellent."

"The automatic automation of the automated authorization to the SCANNET environment is valuable."

"You have various attack modules, and you also have the Attack Replay feature for the attack sequence. You can reproduce an attack and see it. That is a very good feature I noticed in this solution. It helps developers as well."

"It uses a signature-based method to check for problems with your code and will provide an alert if anything is found."

"The initial setup for us was easy enough. We didn't face too many issues. Deployment took maybe 30 minutes. It's quite quick and doesn't cause too much trouble at the outset."

"Relatively speaking, InsightAppSec is good compared to Insight VM."

More Rapid7 InsightAppSec pros

Cons

"There are so many lines of code with so many different categories that I am likely to get lost. "

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

"HCL AppScan needs to improve security."

"Scans become slow on large websites."

"They could add a software component analysis tool."

"They have to improve support."

"Visibility is an issue for us. Our partners do not know we have integrations with some of IBM products."

"Sometimes it doesn't work so well."

More HCL AppScan cons

"The only concern I have with Rapid7 is that it does not provide enough information about vulnerabilities within AppSec."

"The product’s pricing could be flexible."

"In the future, if they can have integration with a lot of ticketing systems then it would be amazing."

"There is room for improvement in Rapid7 InsightAppSec by giving clients the ability for extra columns on reports and enabling the extraction of remediation reports into a CSV format. Currently, the PDF format is cumbersome to go through when dealing with thousands of pages."

"We'd like to see integrations with WAF solutions."

"The reporting feature of Rapid7 InsightAppSec needs improvement as it currently provides basic reports."

"The reporting is definitely an aspect of the solution that's in need of some work. We found that we'd try to use widgets, but often getting them to work for us wasn't very clear. They need to be more user friendly or offer better instructions."

"We get a lot of false positives during the tests."

More Rapid7 InsightAppSec cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."

"Pricing was the main reason that we went ahead with this solution as they were the lowest in the market."

"The solution is moderately priced."

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

"The solution is cheap."

"HCL AppScan is expensive."

More HCL AppScan pricing and cost advice

"I'm not sure how much it costs exactly, but I know it's expensive."

"They offer a good price, but I don't remember its cost. It is fair as compared to the competition. We have opted for project-based licensing, not user-based. We can add any number of users. That doesn't matter. It is worth the money."

"The price of this product is very cheap."

"Its price is competitive. It is not expensive."

"I rate Rapid7 InsightAppSec’s pricing an eight out of ten."

"Rapid7 InsightAppSec is cheap."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

18%

Financial Services Firm

14%

Government

12%

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

16%

Financial Services Firm

15%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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.

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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...

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What do you like most about Rapid7 InsightAppSec?

In Rapid7 InsightAppSec, a distinctive feature is the provision of a CDM for integrating web servers and web applications. To establish the connection between these applications, you only need to p...

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What needs improvement with Rapid7 InsightAppSec?

Currently, I do not see any specific areas for improvement except for possibly lowering the price.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Rapid7 InsightAppSec?

I use Rapid7 InsightAppSec ( /products/rapid7-insightappsec-reviews ) for dynamic application security testing. My main focus is on the quality of detection, specifically detecting vulnerabilities ...

See all answers

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Compared 31% of the time

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Compared 13% of the time

OWASP Zap vs Rapid7 InsightAppSec

Compared 11% of the time

Acunetix vs Rapid7 InsightAppSec

Compared 9% of the time

Checkmarx One vs Rapid7 InsightAppSec

Compared 3% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

HCL AppScan

June 2025

Download HCL AppScan product report

Buyer's Guide

Rapid7 InsightAppSec

May 2025

Download Rapid7 InsightAppSec product report

Also Known As

IBM Security AppScan, Rational AppScan, AppScan

InsightAppSec

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

Your web applications may be complex, but your application security testing tool doesn’t need to be. InsightAppSec brings Rapid7’s proven Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) technology to the Insight platform, combining powerful application crawling and attack capabilities, flexibility in scan scope and scheduling, and accuracy in results with a modern UI, intuitive workflows, and sensible data organization. This enables you to identify XSS, SQL injection, CSRF, and other vulnerabilities with unparalleled ease. The best part? All of these capabilities are delivered via the cloud so that you’re up and running in minutes to identify the critical security risks that exist in your applications.

Rapid7

Sample Customers

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

CenterPoint Energy, CPA Australia, Hypertherm, First American Financial Corporation, Rackspace

Buyer's Guide

HCL AppScan vs. Rapid7 InsightAppSec

April 2025

Free Report: HCL AppScan vs. Rapid7 InsightAppSec

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