Qualys Web Application Scanning vs Rapid7 AppSpider comparison

Qualys and Rapid7 are both solutions in the Static Application Security Testing (SAST) category. Qualys is ranked #9 with an average rating of 7.8, while Rapid7 is ranked #32. Qualys holds a 2.1% mindshare in SAST, compared to Rapid7’s 0.5% mindshare. Additionally, 88% of Qualys users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Rapid7 users who would recommend it.

Qualys Web Application Scan...

Read 40 Qualys Web Application Scanning reviews

4,056 Views
2,961 Comparison Views

88% willing to recommend

Rapid7 AppSpider

Read 14 Rapid7 AppSpider reviews

1,416 Views
765 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Qualys Web Application Scan...

Rapid7 AppSpider

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024

Qualys Web Application Scanning and Rapid7 AppSpider are leading competitors in web application security. Based on user insights, Rapid7 AppSpider appears to have an advantage with its advanced analytics and integration features.

Features: Qualys offers robust scanning, thorough vulnerability detection, and effective risk management. Rapid7 excels with advanced analytics, a comprehensive feature set, and an extensive integration ecosystem.

Room for Improvement: Qualys can enhance its third-party integrations and improve technical aspects. Rapid7 needs to improve its documentation, reduce setup complexity, and address support response times.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Qualys provides straightforward deployment and reliable service, enhancing its accessibility. Rapid7 offers initial complexity but allows powerful customization, balancing deployment challenges with configurability benefits.

Pricing and ROI: Qualys is cost-effective with a clear pricing structure, ensuring efficient ROI. Rapid7 is considered higher in cost but delivers substantial ROI with feature-rich offerings and strong post-deployment value.

To learn more, read our detailed Qualys Web Application Scanning vs. Rapid7 AppSpider Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Qualys Web Application Scanning vs. Rapid7 AppSpider

July 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

Qualys Web Application Scan...

Ranking in Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

9th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Security Tools (13th)

Rapid7 AppSpider

Ranking in Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

32nd

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Static Application Security Testing (SAST) category, the mindshare of Qualys Web Application Scanning is 2.1%, up from 2.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Rapid7 AppSpider is 0.5%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Static Application Security Testing (SAST) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Qualys Web Application Scanning	2.1%
Rapid7 AppSpider	0.5%
Other	97.4%

Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

Featured Reviews

AnkitSharma13

Security Officer at Cisco

Web scanning needs improvement but offers good vulnerability detection

The downside of Qualys Web Application Scanning is that it cannot crawl automatically. If I provide an IP address and a login form, it does basic testing, but it doesn't go deep as IBM AppScan does. If Qualys Web Application Scanning could improve its crawling capability, it would be more user-friendly. Qualys Web Application Scanning does IP-level testing, requiring direct input of credentials, and can only scan a few pages to provide known generic vulnerabilities, which isn't as beneficial from my point of view. The Vulnerability Management also relies heavily on version numbers and will flag vulnerabilities based on the component version, but it doesn't check if a real fix exists, leading to flags on components that actually have workarounds available.

Read full review

Rizwan-Alam

Head Information Security at Akhtar Fuiou Technologies

Easy automated web app scanning, but gives many false positives and isn't always stable

One of the challenges I have with AppSpider is that it gives you a lot of false positives, especially when compared to other solutions. This is the main aspect that I hope to see Rapid7 improve on. Beyond reducing false positives, I would also like to see them implement better reporting features, particularly in the executive summary type of reports which need to be user-friendly and easily understood by non-technical people. The recommendations and solutions on these reports could always be improved to make them more relevant, too. Lastly, the stability isn't that great, and sometimes it becomes non-responsive. I feel like the stability of the application is very average and currently needs more work.

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

"Key features include: Cloud-based, so the installation is not so tedious. Easily deployed. Highly scalable. Comprehensive reporting."

"The advantage of Qualys Web Application Scanning lies in its user-friendly dashboard and appealing reports, which are useful for presentation to leadership."

"The Qualys Web Application Scanning solution offers a single comprehensive console and consolidated reporting, covering all aspects from on-prem to cloud and compliance, etcetera."

"I have found the detection of vulnerabilities tool thorough with good results and the graphical display output to be wonderful and full of colors. It allows many types of outputs, such as bar and chart previews."

"Qualys WAS' most valuable features are the navigation flow of the UI and the option for a different layer of security (identification and operation through email and mobile)."

"It is a cloud-based solution, so it is easy to scale."

"The most valuable feature is that we are able to scan the services and put credentials like a user ID password. We can verify the vulnerability level."

"The product prevents possible vulnerabilities in our network."

More Qualys Web Application Scanning pros

"The solution is highly stable, rated at ten out of ten."

"It scans all the components developed within a web application."

"It is really accurate and the rate of false positives is very low."

"When it is set up properly, it can do scanning on web apps with multiple engines automatically."

"The most valuable feature is the reporting, which is compliant with international standards."

"Rapid7 AppSpider is good at managing different applications. It uses applets and generates reports to cover the PCA/GDPR compliance requirements."

"AppSpider's most valuable feature is reporting - everything is stored in the local database so it can be sent to other machines."

"The setup is usually straightforward."

More Rapid7 AppSpider pros

Cons

"There's a distinction between internal and external scanning processes that could be streamlined. Currently, for internal scanning, specific configurations and scanner appliances need to be deployed within the network, which differs from the simpler setup for external scans. This dual process complicates the setup for comprehensive scanning coverage."

"The virus code updates are not frequent enough."

"There should be better visibility into the application."

"In certain cases, this product does have false positives, which the company should work on."

"It should have better automatic reporting."

"When comparing this solution to Veracode, Veracode has good interactive features and gives a clear understanding of what the vulnerabilities are, which error line of the vulnerability is on and what can be done. It gives interactive features, whereas this solution does not give a clear understanding of where or how to fix the problem."

"They should try to include business logic vulnerabilities in the scanner testing."

"There could be better management and faster scanning."

More Qualys Web Application Scanning cons

"For Japanese customers, localization is needed. The product should offer a GUI in Japanese and provide Japanese reports for end-users."

"Integration could be better."

"Implementing Rapid7 AppSpider requires scanning and self-identification mechanisms. You can add different types of authentication to each scan."

"The product should offer a GUI in Japanese and provide Japanese reports for end-users."

"It needs better integration with mobile applications."

"The product needs to be able to scale for large companies, like ours. We have millions of IP addresses that need to be scanned, and the scalability is not great."

"The tech support is responsive but issues remain unresolved."

"The dashboard and interface are crucial and they need some improvement."

More Rapid7 AppSpider cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The product has a very good licensing model."

"We are on an annual license for the solution and the pricing could be more affordable."

"It is best to be an institutional buyer and directly contact the sales team, as they can provide over-the-top discounts for bulk orders."

"It is an expensive platform."

"The cost is $30,000 USD for one year to cover WAS (Web Application Security) and the VM (Virtual Machine) security in a company with 200 employees."

"Licensing was based on the number of assets that you want to scan on your network. You can also do licensing on subscription. On subscription, it is easier and more flexible. You tell Qualys that you want to move from the 1000 to 2000 band or the 3000 or 5000 band, then they will give you the quotation for it. Once you pay for it, applying the licensing is quite easy and effective."

"Qualys has an IT-based licensing based on a yearly license, which is a good way of handling it. However, in some cases, when we do the PCI scanning, the host will not like the scanning and we lose the IT license. So, this could be improved."

"Qualys Web Application Scanning's pricing is a bit expensive compared to other solutions available in the market."

More Qualys Web Application Scanning pricing and cost advice

"AppSpider is closed-source software and you need to acquire a license in order to use it."

"The price is pretty fair."

"The price of Rapid7 AppSpider cost 9,000 annually but there is limited usage. Large companies are able to negotiate a better price or a better deal for the usage with the vendor."

"The licensing cost depends on the number of users."

"It is expensive if you want to buy the Enterprise version that is able to scan multiple applications at once."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

14%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Government

Financial Services Firm

14%

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	27

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	11
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	1

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Qualys Web Application Scanning?

The vulnerability management feature is a strong one. And also the patch management feature.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Qualys Web Application Scanning?

The price of Qualys Web Application Scanning is reasonable compared to other vendors. Qualys Web Application Scanning is priced per application rather than per user.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Qualys Web Application Scanning?

I have experience with adaptive scanning for single-page applications, which was not very effective. Generally, comparing with other tools, Qualys Web Application Scanning still needs to improve on...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Rapid7 AppSpider?

The price is not high, but for Japanese customers, localization may incur additional costs.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Rapid7 AppSpider?

For Japanese customers, localization is needed. The product should offer a GUI in Japanese and provide Japanese reports for end-users.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Rapid7 AppSpider?

Our clients use AppSpider to address security concerns for their websites. It is particularly used by customers who require security assessments.

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 6% of the time

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Compared 6% of the time

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Compared 35% of the time

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Compared 10% of the time

SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) vs Rapid7 AppSpider

Compared 10% of the time

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Compared 8% of the time

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Compared 5% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Qualys Web Application Scanning

August 2025

Download Qualys Web Application Scanning product report

Buyer's Guide

Rapid7 AppSpider

August 2025

Download Rapid7 AppSpider product report

Also Known As

Qualys WAS

AppSpider

Overview

Qualys Web Application Scanning (WAS) is a fully cloud-based web application security scanner. The scanner will automatically crawl periodically and test web applications to discover potential vulnerabilities, including cross-site scripting (XSS) and SQL injection. The consistent testing equips the automated service to generate consistent results, lessen false positives, and offer the ability to scale to protect thousands of websites effortlessly.

Qualys Web Application Scanning is bundled with different scanning technology to carefully scan websites for malware infections and will send notifications to website owners to assist in preventing blacklisting and brand reputation damage. As digital transformation takes place in various organizations, Qualys WAS gives organizations the ability to track and document their web app security status through its interactive reporting capabilities.

Qualys WAS empowers organizations to remediate any web application vulnerabilities quickly. Some of the key tools offered are:

Deep Scanning: All apps and APIs on your internal network and public cloud are covered by Qualys WAS deep scanning to show you any visible vulnerabilities.
DevSec Ops Tool: Detect security issues in your code while still in app development stages and generate comprehensive reports.
Comprehensive Discovery: Discover and catalog new and unknown web apps in your network.
Malware Detection: Scan a website, identify vulnerabilities, and receive alerts to any infections.

Benefits of Qualys Web Application Scanning

Qualys Web Application Scanning offers many benefits, including:

Quick Deployment: Requires no infrastructure or software to upkeep.
Effortless Scalability: Effortlessly launch a deep scan and protect thousands of websites.
Centralized Management: Manage and mend all web app vulnerabilities through a single interface.
Excellent Integration Capabilities: Integrates with Qualys Web App Firewall (WAF) for a single-click virtual patching of found vulnerabilities.
Respond to Threats Immediately: Qualys Continuous Monitoring offers the user a hands-free service by automatically launching scanning and sending notifications of a potential threat.
Cost-effective Solution: Data is analyzed in real time as Qualys WAS is an end-to-end solution; this helps avoid costs associated with managing multiple security vendors.

Reviews from Real Users

Qualys Web Application Scanning stands out among its competitors for a variety of reasons. Two of those reasons are its progressive scan and quick detection of vulnerabilities.

P.K., a senior software developer at a tech vendor, writes, "The feature that I have found most valuable is the progressive scan. It is good. It's done in 24 hours."

Nagaraj S., lead cybersecurity engineer at a tech service company, notes, "I have found the detection of vulnerabilities tool thorough with good results and the graphical display output to be wonderful and full of colors. It allows many types of outputs, such as bar and chart previews."

Qualys

SPAs, APIs, mobile—the evolution of application technology is measured in months, not years. Is your web application security testing tool designed to keep up? AppSpider lets you collect all the information needed to test all the apps so that you aren’t left with gaping application risks.

Our dynamic application security testing (DAST) solution crawls to the deepest, darkest corners of even the most modern and complex apps to effectively test for risk and get you the insight you need to remediate faster. With AppSpider on your side (or, rather, all of your sides), you’ll be able to scan all the apps today and always be ready for whatever comes next.

Rapid7

Sample Customers

BskyB, Cartagena, ClearPoint Learning Systems, Connect Group, du, Fortrex Technologies, HBOR, HDI, Highlights for Children, The Lithuanian State Enterprise Centre of Registers, City of Miami Beach, Microsoft, MidlandHR, MSCI Inc., Northern Arizona University, Ofgem, Olympus Europa, PhoneFactor, RTL Nederland, ThousandEyes, VGZ Organisatie B.V.

Microsoft

Buyer's Guide

Qualys Web Application Scanning vs. Rapid7 AppSpider

July 2025

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