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Qualys Policy Compliance vs RSA Archer comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on May 21, 2025

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

Qualys Policy Compliance
Ranking in IT Governance
3rd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.9
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
RSA Archer
Ranking in IT Governance
1st
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
41
Ranking in other categories
GRC (1st), IT Vendor Risk Management (4th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the IT Governance category, the mindshare of Qualys Policy Compliance is 2.5%, up from 1.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of RSA Archer is 34.7%, up from 33.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
IT Governance
 

Featured Reviews

Bhupendra Nayak - PeerSpot reviewer
A VMDR solution that can be used to detect, block, and mitigate vulnerabilities
We use QualysGuard Policy Compliance for VMDR (Vulnerability Management, Detection and Response). We can use the solution to detect, block, and mitigate vulnerabilities The most valuable feature of QualysGuard Policy Compliance is the automation that can detect real-time threats and decrease…
IMRAN ALMARZOOQI - PeerSpot reviewer
Automates compliance management effectively but needs improved interface and dashboards
The tool basically automates whatever processes you already have, so I cannot specify improvements in that regard. However, my main issue with Archer is the graphics. The graphics have always been lacking. I always need to depend on another tool to read information from Archer to have better dashboards. It is like using Linux, and it has a Linux mindset and interface. I want to use Archer for top management and CEOs, but it looks too technical, and the dashboards are not really friendly. They are bulky, like opening an old Nintendo system from nineteen-ninety. The management agrees that Archer lacks in terms of presentation and dashboarding. It is complex, not user-friendly, and bulky. The interface just looks old.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It's a simple product."
"The platform allows multiple features that are very useful. The first one is being able to define the enterprise policy. The second one is to be able to automatically check the compliance level based on that policy, and the third one is that it allows us to generate reports and dashboards to see the compliance level easily."
"The reporting and security checks are valuable."
"The solution's interface looks good, which enhances asset scanning and ensures automatic patching."
"The most valuable feature of QualysGuard Policy Compliance is the automation that can detect real-time threats and decrease risks."
"With RSA Archer, an admin can set permissions for a normal user to go directly to the tool they need to input some data. Admins can then go through that and approve some requests. Also, they can log in based on these kinds of permissions, including ticketing, service patches, or upgrades."
"I have found all the features to be valuable, including those involving reporting, the dashboard, notifications, email modules, the database and data input."
"Archer has simplified our security audits. It's made it easier to raise and trigger questionnaires to customers."
"The tool has stability, and it allows me to automate whatever process I have."
"Overall, I would give it a nine out of ten."
"Risk management is one of the most impressive features of Archer, especially with the recent restructuring of the user interface."
"The integrated data model of a one-to-many/many-to-one relationship is quite useful."
"First of all, its access control feature where it provides application level access, solution level access, and even recall access, as well."
 

Cons

"It would be good if the solution’s technical support could be faster."
"Some sort of education or knowledge base about the product would be beneficial for beginners."
"The reporting needs improvement."
"There is no clear mapping for the CIS controls in terms of how they should be implemented into Qualys, so the implementation stage might be a little bit challenging for the customer. That means that the customer will end up opening support cases, which will overload their support team to explain those. If they are somehow published somewhere, it would save time and effort for both sides."
"The policy creation aspect needs improvement."
"There are certain restrictions on API integrations, and it is not simple or straightforward."
"The technology's a little outdated."
"It would be nice if RSA Archer featured more customization. When customers are updating, they should be notified whether certain updates are optional. The install screen should not proceed to the next page unless we make some selections about which updates we want to install."
"While the AI features are emerging and the cost is comparatively low, it's not yet up to the market standard."
"If you need to integrate the RSA products with another SEIM solution, then it doesn't work properly."
"The first improvement I would suggest for RSA Archer is a better search feature. The search criteria needs to be improved. Sometimes I do a search and the search doesn't return the exact item I'm looking for. RSA Archer could also be improved by being more user-friendly. Maybe I have been using a limited version of RSA Archer, but I'm not sure whether it has ESG, environmental and social governance. In the next couple of years, ESG is the next feature that will be integrated into GRC tools. I would recommend RSA Archer adds ESG."
"There were so many problems that we had found. One time, the search index was not working. We also faced slowness in Archer, but I resolved this issue."
"When we have to do formulas or some other type of calculation in Archer, it sometimes doesn't work correctly. The fields don't display right, and we have to contact RSA Archer support to fix things. I think the calculation components are a bit complicated."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution's pricing is in the mid-range, where it is neither expensive nor very cheap."
"The prices might be a little bit high. I cannot compare it with another product because we did not try any other product, but this is my impression when comparing different modules."
"I am not sure about other companies, but it's quite expensive."
"The solution’s pricing is moderate."
"The license is costly for the solution, but the remaining set up and maintenance is quite cheaper."
"The price of RSA Archer is good. The price isn't too high considering it is a leading tool in the market."
"As I am a developer and responsible for providing production support, I do not have personal knowledge of the pricing. However, my colleagues claim that it is very expensive in comparison with other tools."
"The initial purchase is cheap. You pay a nominal price to start then renew the license annually. You also must buy a license for each module. I'm not too fond of that aspect of the licensing model. You buy the elephant and then spend more money to feed the elephant."
"It is not expensive. It is reasonable. We only pay for the licensing."
"The price of the solution is very affordable."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Healthcare Company
19%
Financial Services Firm
17%
Government
9%
Educational Organization
7%
Educational Organization
33%
Financial Services Firm
16%
Insurance Company
8%
Computer Software Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about QualysGuard Policy Compliance?
The most valuable feature of QualysGuard Policy Compliance is the automation that can detect real-time threats and decrease risks.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for QualysGuard Policy Compliance?
The product is very expensive, rated nine out of ten, however, it is worth trying and can potentially replace other platforms.
What needs improvement with QualysGuard Policy Compliance?
Some sort of education or knowledge base about the product would be beneficial for beginners. They could offer more training sessions for beginners who are new to the solution, as learning would be...
What do you like most about RSA Archer?
It has various valuable features. For example, showing us if a control aligns with specific standards or frameworks helps us understand it better and verify its compliance.
What needs improvement with RSA Archer?
If the user needs to fill data, they need to go to one page and then to the next page if they can reduce the number of clicks to perform some activities and would like RSA to improve in this area. ...
What is your primary use case for RSA Archer?
I perform all of our information security management governance and risk -related activities through Archer. My organization manages all types of audits and Enterprise risk activities using Archer.
 

Comparisons

No data available
 

Also Known As

No data available
Archer
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

PDX, Cigna
T-Systems, Bridge Point, Equifax, First Data, Global Imaging Company, Manulife Financial
Find out what your peers are saying about Qualys Policy Compliance vs. RSA Archer and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
857,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.