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HCL AppScan vs Visual Studio Test Professional comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
2.1
HCL AppScan enhances architecture with fewer errors and improved security, achieving 50% return and 20% cost savings.
Sentiment score
7.3
Visual Studio Test Professional boosts productivity and ROI, enhancing development speed and quality, while varying ROI across companies.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
5.4
HCL AppScan's support is responsive with mixed reviews, facing regional challenges and lagging behind competitors like Veracode.
Sentiment score
7.1
Visual Studio Test Professional's support is well-rated for responsiveness, knowledgeable staff, and helpful resources, despite navigation challenges.
Veracode provides excellent assistance and regularly scheduled calls to address customer concerns and updates.
Sometimes, the documentation is not readable, being too long or too detailed and not connected to my problem.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
4.9
HCL AppScan is scalable yet varies by license, integration issues, infrastructure compatibility, and CI/CD pipeline design effectiveness.
Sentiment score
7.5
Visual Studio Test Professional is highly scalable, effectively supporting various team sizes and projects despite cost and infrastructure considerations.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
6.8
HCL AppScan is stable and reliable, with minor hardware issues, improved by recent upgrades enhancing performance and stability.
Sentiment score
7.9
Visual Studio Test Professional is generally stable, with updates enhancing reliability, though occasional performance issues are reported.
 

Room For Improvement

HCL AppScan requires improvements in vulnerability detection, usability, integration, performance, support, pricing, and language/codebase compatibility to stay competitive.
Visual Studio Test Professional needs improved performance, integration, usability, compatibility, and support for automation and web application testing.
The product needs contextual help integrated within its interface.
Sometimes, the library version is not compatible with other libraries, causing errors in my application.
The Git extensions are very basic and can be more extensive compared to other software focused on Git, like GitTower or SmartGit.
 

Setup Cost

HCL AppScan is considered expensive but cost-effective, with varied pricing opinions influenced by its premium features and discounts.
Visual Studio Test Professional is costly but offers competitive value, priced at $52 monthly per user, with multi-user discounts.
Companies often choose based on budget constraints, with Veracode being on the higher end cost-wise.
The price is expensive.
 

Valuable Features

HCL AppScan detects vulnerabilities, integrates with agile processes, offers scalability, user-friendly features, and AI-enhanced rapid scanning for security.
Visual Studio Test Professional excels in code testing, user interface, integration, debugging, and scalability for efficient software development.
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 supports cross-platform functionality.
Visual Studio Test Professional is highly valuable because it provides extensive extensions and plugins that assist in measuring code quality.
 

Categories and Ranking

HCL AppScan
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
5.9
Number of Reviews
43
Ranking in other categories
Application Security Tools (15th), Static Application Security Testing (SAST) (15th), Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) (1st)
Visual Studio Test Professi...
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
52
Ranking in other categories
Functional Testing Tools (7th), Test Management Tools (5th)
 

Mindshare comparison

While both are Quality Assurance solutions, they serve different purposes. HCL AppScan is designed for Application Security Tools and holds a mindshare of 2.5%, down 2.6% compared to last year.
Visual Studio Test Professional, on the other hand, focuses on Functional Testing Tools, holds 0.9% mindshare, up 0.6% since last year.
Application Security Tools Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
HCL AppScan2.5%
SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube)20.8%
Checkmarx One10.2%
Other66.5%
Application Security Tools
Functional Testing Tools Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Visual Studio Test Professional0.9%
Tricentis Tosca18.5%
BrowserStack10.2%
Other70.4%
Functional Testing Tools
 

Featured Reviews

Gladwin Christian - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
CharlesChang - PeerSpot reviewer
Valuable performance and libraries but needs compatibility improvements
We use Visual Studio Test Professional to develop our internal applications for our company The performance of Visual Studio Test Professional is valuable. Additionally, there are many libraries that I can use, and it supports cross-platform functionality. Visual Studio Test Professional is…
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Government
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Performing Arts
10%
Computer Software Company
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business13
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise31
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business14
Midsize Enterprise14
Large Enterprise23
 

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.
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...
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...
What do you like most about Visual Studio Test Professional?
The most valuable features of the solution are its ease of use and availability.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Visual Studio Test Professional?
The tool is free, resulting in no costs associated with its use. The absence of price makes it cost-effective.
What needs improvement with Visual Studio Test Professional?
The product needs contextual help integrated within its interface. Currently, I need to search online to find out how to use certain functions. This feature would save time by providing direct assi...
 

Also Known As

IBM Security AppScan, Rational AppScan, AppScan
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Essex Technology Group Inc., Cisco, West Virginia University, APIS IT
Transport for Greater Manchester, Ordina, Bluegarden A/S, CLEAResult, Jet.com, OSIsoft, Australian Taxation Office, BookedOut, Tracasa
Find out what your peers are saying about Sonar, Veracode, Checkmarx and others in Application Security Tools. Updated: August 2025.
867,445 professionals have used our research since 2012.