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Qualys VMDR vs Qualys Virtual Scanner Appliance HVM 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

Qualys Virtual Scanner Appl...
Ranking in Vulnerability Management
52nd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
5.2
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Qualys VMDR
Ranking in Vulnerability Management
3rd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
96
Ranking in other categories
IT Asset Management (3rd), Configuration Management Databases (3rd), Container Security (9th), Risk-Based Vulnerability Management (1st)
 

Featured Reviews

Manjunath Kolukula - PeerSpot reviewer
Cyber Security Analyst at Viking Europe
Automated vulnerability scans have reduced maintenance and support strategic security work
I was previously informed about Qualys TotalCloud, Qualys Patch Management, and Qualys Enterprise TruRisk Management. I do not use those products. Qualys Virtual Scanner Appliance HVM provides comprehensive detection capabilities, and the minimal maintenance feature enhances my strategic security initiatives. I assess the benefits of automated reporting and alert mechanisms in the product to be valuable. The product requires minimal maintenance and minimal interference from my side, which benefits my organization as I do not need to maintain it often and it does not require constant interference. I use the seamless integration feature with other security tools. I am a Cyber Security Analyst at Viking Europe. I have given this product an overall rating of ten out of ten.
Vaibhav Ghule - PeerSpot reviewer
Soc Lead & Edr Administration at Persistent Systems
Continuous risk-based monitoring has strengthened incident response and vulnerability prioritization
I haven't explored Qualys VMDR's vulnerability lifecycle automation yet. One of my analysts mentioned that queries lack grouping operators in Qualys VMDR. From my experience, I would appreciate improvements in the query options in Qualys VMDR, specifically in the query-building process where I would need more features and operators. Additionally, we have been facing issues with Qualys on the cloud level. We cannot download the configuration profile from the cloud agent, and it is showing a pending action for download. During 2025, we noticed outages of Qualys a couple of times. I want to mention that there is an issue with receiving timely RCA deliveries. While this is not necessarily about the tool, it relates to support. The support has not been very responsive, and we are receiving RCAs a little delayed whenever we raise support cases or communicate with the TAMs. Additionally, the UI has a slight latency, which I and my team have experienced. They have also reported this latency issue when navigating through different pages.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Qualys Virtual Scanner Appliance HVM provides comprehensive detection capabilities, and the minimal maintenance feature enhances my strategic security initiatives."
"With QualsyGuard we have been able to achieve this by utilizing its modules, such as vulnerability management, policy compliance, web scanning, malware detection, and asset tagging."
"Almost all of the features are great."
"Once you are set up properly and have proper acceptance from support teams, device owners and senior management you can start to scan your environment much more often which increases your organizations ability to detect vulnerabilities more often reducing your overall vulnerability footprint and corresponding business risk."
"The initial setup and onboarding process of Qualys VMDR was quite smooth, as we were able to draft the SOPs from the documentation portal itself and everything was available in the documentation, so it was not a hassle for us to get the integrations done on time."
"The most valuable features of Qualys VMDR include patch management and the use of virtual scanners to scan appliances and devices, especially those provided by vendors where we cannot manage them ourselves."
"The best features of Qualys VMDR are its patch management capabilities and the ability to mitigate vulnerabilities automatically."
"The most recent is VMDR, which provides a comprehensive overview of how to detect, patch, and remediate specific vulnerabilities."
"Vulnerability management is the most valuable one and it’s a must in every organization."
 

Cons

"I have concerns regarding pricing and technical support, which are also areas for improvement."
"I would like to have CSPM, a continuous scan-like cloud added to the solution."
"It is more expensive vs. other products on the market."
"Endpoint stability and fault resolution could be improved."
"If anything, I would like to see the user interface modernized a bit more."
"Integration could be better. When you think about scanning, it's not used just with this product alone but with other Qualys products. If you think about the bundle, the product itself is good. But integration with other products and packages has space for improvement. They should also offer a better price for bundles."
"Web application security model needs some work."
"While Qualys VMDR is comprehensive, improvements in asset management functionality would be beneficial."
"Support could be improved since the response can be slow."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"The product is more expensive than that of any other vendor."
"We do see over $100,000 in terms of price, for mid-size programs. You likely will pay more than $100,000 without any discount. It is a bit pricey."
"The solution is expensive."
"There is a license for the use of this solution. We pay annually instead of monthly to receive a better discount on the price."
"Qualys VM is reasonably priced."
"The pricing is very competitive."
"It's very expensive, especially if you want to use multiple modules of Qualys."
"When you want to cover yourself for scalability, you will be charged for the number you place on the scan itself."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Construction Company
69%
Healthcare Company
6%
Outsourcing Company
6%
Transportation Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
16%
Computer Software Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Government
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business20
Midsize Enterprise12
Large Enterprise70
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Qualys Virtual Scanner Appliance HVM?
I have noticed some drawbacks and areas for improvement in Qualys Virtual Scanner Appliance HVM. I would like to see more control over the appliance and additional features included in the GUI in f...
What is your primary use case for Qualys Virtual Scanner Appliance HVM?
Vulnerability scanning is the purpose for which I use Qualys Virtual Scanner Appliance HVM.
What advice do you have for others considering Qualys Virtual Scanner Appliance HVM?
I was previously informed about Qualys TotalCloud, Qualys Patch Management, and Qualys Enterprise TruRisk Management. I do not use those products. Qualys Virtual Scanner Appliance HVM provides comp...
What do you like most about Qualys VMDR?
I like that we have many scanners and channels that don't overload. It helps us scan and track easily. Also, the tagging system is good for tagging. We can still use QualysAgent task ID tools even ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Qualys VMDR?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing shows that we can consider both time and money saved.
What needs improvement with Qualys VMDR?
I haven't explored Qualys VMDR's vulnerability lifecycle automation yet. One of my analysts mentioned that queries lack grouping operators in Qualys VMDR. From my experience, I would appreciate imp...
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

No data available
Qualys VM, QualysGuard VM, Qualys Asset Inventory, Qualys Container Security
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Agrokor Group, American Specialty Health, American State Bank, Arval, Life:), Axway, Bank of the West, Blueport Commerce, BSkyB, Brinks, CaixaBank, Cartagena, Catholic Health System, CEC Bank, Cegedim, CIGNA, Clickability, Colby-Sawyer College, Commercial Bank of Dubai, University of Utah, eBay Inc., ING Singapore, National Theatre, OTP Bank, Sodexo, WebEx
Find out what your peers are saying about Wiz, Tenable, Qualys and others in Vulnerability Management. Updated: February 2026.
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