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Qualys Web Application Scanning vs SonarQube Cloud (formerly SonarCloud) comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 15, 2025

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
3.3
Qualys offers visibility, ROI, and scalability; integrates cost-free, reduces failure rates, operational costs challenging for internal scaling.
Sentiment score
4.9
SonarQube Cloud helps improve code quality and save costs, though ROI measurement is challenging due to rising expenses.
It is easily integrable with the CI/CD pipeline and supports multiple projects with its extensive plugin options.
The product is designed for bigger clients, while smaller companies are often put aside.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
3.0
Qualys Web Application Scanning offers reliable, responsive support, though some suggest enhancements for third-party engagement and personalized service.
Sentiment score
6.4
SonarQube Cloud offers good community support but needs better documentation and technical engagement, with mixed feedback on support responsiveness.
Once we purchase the license, we have access to top-notch support.
I have dealt with Qualys's technical support, and any enhancements are challenging.
The customer service and support for SonarQube Cloud are responsive and helpful.
Integrating it into different solutions is straightforward.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.3
Qualys Web Application Scanning offers scalable cloud-based expansion with easy license additions, though improvements in reporting and licensing are suggested.
Sentiment score
5.5
SonarQube Cloud is praised for scalability, though billing and comparisons suggest areas for improvement and expansion potential.
It is licensed for assets, so we just contact the team for additional licenses if needed.
At one point, there was a limitation on reporting for 100,000 assets at a time.
It has been used in multiple projects and performs well.
There are limitations, and it seems to have fewer capabilities than Veracode.
SonarQube Cloud is a scalable product, and I rate its scalability at seven out of ten.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Qualys Web Application Scanning is praised for its high stability, minimal issues, and effective uptime, ensuring reliable performance.
Sentiment score
6.8
SonarQube Cloud is stable and reliable but needs improved documentation, integration, onboarding, and community support for better usability.
From my team's feedback, it is almost an eight out of ten.
It is a quite stable solution.
 

Room For Improvement

Qualys Web Application Scanning needs enhancements in XSS detection, user interface, integration, pricing, reporting, and AI application support.
SonarQube Cloud users seek improvements in reporting, integration, customization, and documentation, alongside dynamic analysis and automated vulnerability detection.
With the growing reliance on AI, Qualys Web Application Scanning should be updated to handle AI-based applications and LLM-based attacks.
I would like it to be cheaper because it is a bit expensive compared to competitors like Tenable Nessus.
One area of improvement is reducing false positives by prioritizing agent findings over remote findings when there is a corresponding local agent finding.
To improve SonarQube Cloud (formerly SonarCloud), it should excel in all these domains.
I would like to see SonarQube Cloud provide more detailed solutions for fixing code issues, especially solutions related to CVEs.
Static code analysis is good, but the product lacks dynamic code scanning capabilities, an area where Veracode excels.
 

Setup Cost

Qualys Web Application Scanning is considered expensive, though flexible pricing options and value justify costs for many enterprise users.
SonarQube Cloud's pricing is scalable yet potentially costly for smaller companies, though efficient for minimizing repeated scans.
They offer discounts on bulk licenses, making it cheaper compared to competitors like Veracode DAST.
I find it a bit expensive compared to other competitors.
SonarQube Cloud is roughly equivalent in cost to Veracode, maybe a little cheaper.
From my experience, SonarQube Cloud (formerly SonarCloud) is very expensive for small companies.
We used the open-source version of SonarQube Cloud for its minimum features and did not license its extensive capabilities.
 

Valuable Features

Qualys Web Application Scanning provides comprehensive vulnerability management, strong risk ratings, and seamless CI/CD integration for enterprise security.
SonarQube Cloud enhances code quality with seamless CI/CD integration, detailed reports, and supports startups and mid-sized businesses.
It effectively detects vulnerabilities like the OWASP Top 10 without any issues in reporting.
Qualys Web Application Scanning is accurate and provides minimal false positives.
Credential scanning is very effective because it goes in-depth into the system, crawling the pages, and reporting on vulnerabilities.
I use SonarQube Cloud (formerly SonarCloud) to check the quality of developer code and identify vulnerabilities.
It is integrated easily with the CI/CD pipeline, saving time and cost.
I find SonarQube Cloud very easy to use and simple to integrate initially.
 

Categories and Ranking

Qualys Web Application Scan...
Ranking in Static Application Security Testing (SAST)
9th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
39
Ranking in other categories
Application Security Tools (13th)
SonarQube Cloud (formerly S...
Ranking in Static Application Security Testing (SAST)
10th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
16
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Static Application Security Testing (SAST) category, the mindshare of Qualys Web Application Scanning is 2.2%, up from 2.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonarQube Cloud (formerly SonarCloud) is 4.5%, down from 6.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Static Application Security Testing (SAST)
 

Featured Reviews

Kelvin Oladipo - PeerSpot reviewer
User-friendly scanning provides valuable vulnerability insights, but pricing improvements are needed
Qualys Web Application Scanning is user-friendly, easy to understand, easy to use, and easy to deploy. Credential scanning is very effective because it goes in-depth into the system, crawling the pages, and reporting on vulnerabilities. The product helps by providing options for remediating vulnerabilities it finds, making it really useful.
Archana Verma - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides valuable insights on code vulnerabilities and integrates seamlessly with CI/CD pipelines
I find SonarQube Cloud to be very user-friendly with an easy-to-use interface. It provides detailed code smell reports and insights on hotspots, which can later represent security vulnerabilities. It gives precise reports compared to Coverity and has a slightly lower number of false positives. It is integrated easily with the CI/CD pipeline, saving time and cost. It provides information on upcoming vulnerability details and loopholes that might turn into vulnerabilities.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Government
7%
Computer Software Company
17%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Insurance Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

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.
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.
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...
What do you like most about SonarCloud?
Recently, they introduced support for mono reports and microservices, which is a noteworthy development as it provides a more detailed view of each service.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SonarCloud?
From my experience, SonarQube Cloud (formerly SonarCloud) is very expensive for small companies. It would be a great improvement if the price for smaller companies were reduced, as I do not have th...
What needs improvement with SonarCloud?
I need a solution that can bring together three key areas: vulnerabilities, static scanning, and misarchitecture. Currently, to achieve our expectations, we have to use more than one product, as so...
 

Also Known As

Qualys WAS
No data available
 

Interactive Demo

Demo not available
 

Overview

 

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.
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Find out what your peers are saying about Qualys Web Application Scanning vs. SonarQube Cloud (formerly SonarCloud) and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
865,164 professionals have used our research since 2012.