Qualys Web Application Scanning vs Tenable.io Web Application Scanning comparison

Qualys and Tenable are both solutions in the Application Security Tools category. Qualys is ranked #13 with an average rating of 7.8, while Tenable is ranked #18 with an average rating of 8.5. Qualys holds a 2.0% mindshare in AS, compared to Tenable’s 1.3% mindshare. Additionally, 88% of Qualys users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of Tenable users who would recommend it.

Qualys Web Application Scan...

Read 40 Qualys Web Application Scanning reviews

4,056 Views
2,474 Comparison Views

88% willing to recommend

Tenable.io Web Application ...

Read 17 Tenable.io Web Application Scanning reviews

2,035 Views
1,608 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

Qualys Web Application Scan...

Tenable.io Web Application ...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024

Qualys Web Application Scanning and Tenable.io Web Application Scanning are prominent solutions in web application security. Based on user feedback, Tenable.io seems to have an advantage due to superior features and integration capabilities, offering good value for its pricing structure.

Features: Qualys Web Application Scanning includes comprehensive security checks, detailed vulnerability reports, and a scalable pricing model adaptable to various business needs. Tenable.io Web Application Scanning is known for its high detection accuracy, robust integration with existing security systems, and advanced feature set.

Room for Improvement: Qualys users seek improved custom reporting, easier handling of complex setups, and more reporting flexibility. Tenable.io users suggest enhancing real-time scanning, providing more detailed documentation, and improving real-time operations.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Qualys provides quick deployment and seamless setup but has mixed customer service feedback. Tenable.io offers a smooth deployment process and is recognized for commendable technical support responsiveness, enhancing the overall experience.

Pricing and ROI: Qualys is valued for its cost-effective solution with significant ROI and a flexible pricing model catering to different business requirements. Tenable.io has higher pricing but users find the advanced feature set justifies the cost, leading to satisfactory ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed Qualys Web Application Scanning vs. Tenable.io Web Application Scanning Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Qualys Web Application Scanning vs. Tenable.io Web Application Scanning

September 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 Application Security Tools

13th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Static Application Security Testing (SAST) (9th)

Tenable.io Web Application ...

Ranking in Application Security Tools

18th

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 Application Security Tools category, the mindshare of Qualys Web Application Scanning is 2.0%, up from 2.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Tenable.io Web Application Scanning is 1.3%, down from 1.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Security Tools Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Qualys Web Application Scanning	2.0%
Tenable.io Web Application Scanning	1.3%
Other	96.7%

Application Security Tools

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

Jahanzeb Feroze Khan

Assistant Manager Network Security at Institute of Business Administration, Karachi

The setup of the solution is straightforward. It involves installing the package and gaining access. It took no time at all since we deployed it on the cloud. We assigned the necessary configurations, and everything was set up and ready to go within a few seconds. I would rate the setup as a perfect ten.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The simplicity of exporting reports and the simplicity and clarity of the reports included with the product are good."

"By using QualysGuard, we are able to finish external scans with assured results in half the time."

"It is a good product for website penetration testing to detect vulnerabilities."

"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."

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

"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)."

"You can integrate your Burp Suite results and create an integrated report. Also, the way it shows the results - threats and exploit details - makes remediation very easy."

"It works with many different products."

More Qualys Web Application Scanning pros

"It collects the vulnerabilities on the hostnames and sends them to the Tenable.io cloud. Tenable has its own cloud where Tenable.io is running, but there are many connectors to other cloud solutions. Tenable can do vulnerability scanning for other cloud managers such as Azure, Amazon, and so on."

"All the features are valuable to us as they offer cutting-edge scanning methods and address the latest issues with a contemporary approach. Tenable.io Web Application Scanning is highly stable. I rate it a nine out ten. Since the solution works on the Cloud, it's highly scalable. I rate the scalability a nine out of ten. The setup of the solution is straightforward. The Return on Investment is substantial. I recommend the solution to all."

"I would recommend Tenable.io Web Application Scanning to others."

"The solution's instant reports feature is the most effective for detecting threats."

"The initial setup is straightforward."

"Tenable.io Web Application Scanning provides a detailed report, identifying functions that are complex and need to be more maintainable and readable."

"Tenable provides the end analysis results covering all the published vulnerabilities and information on the market."

"We use the tool for our websites. We have a vulnerable subdomain. The tool helps to scan it for vulnerabilities."

More Tenable.io Web Application Scanning pros

Cons

"There should be better visibility into the application."

"We have many websites. We don't force scanning on all of them at once because it's taking some time."

"The GUI could be a little less complicated as it opens a lot of new windows for creating search lists, templates, reports, or for scanning purposes."

"The authenticated scanning feature could be improved by adding support for real-time scanning tokens and authorization tokens."

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

"Qualys Web Application Scanning is very complex to use, and its graphical interface is not very user-friendly."

"The virus code updates are not frequent enough."

"New features need to be added, specifically LLM-based solutions."

More Qualys Web Application Scanning cons

"The platform's technical support services could be better."

"Tenable.io Web Application Scanning could improve by offering faster fuzzing."

"The dashboard could be more user-friendly."

"The reporting has a very limited customization capability."

"The technical support needs improvement. Currently, it takes time, which might be due to the free version, but providing some level of support could encourage future purchase decisions."

"The technical support should be improved. Currently, some attacks are detected while others are not."

"Tenable.io Web Application Scanning is not very user-friendly and you need a lot of information to get proper reports. The tool's support is not very responsive."

"It isn't easy to manage vulnerabilities in Tenable."

More Tenable.io Web Application Scanning cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."

"There are different options available with respect to licensing."

"The product has a very good licensing model."

"The product pricing is fair and reasonably priced."

"We normally purchase an annual license."

"It is an expensive platform."

"Pricing was reasonable and competitive. It was not too far above the other products."

"Qualys WAS' pricing is competitive."

More Qualys Web Application Scanning pricing and cost advice

"The pricing is okay."

"It follows the same licensing scheme as Tenable.io and Tenable. sc."

"The application is extremely affordable. There are no additional costs involved with licensing. We switched to Tenable.io Web Application Scanning from other solutions due to pricing."

"The price of the solution is reasonable compared to the competitors. The license cost is based on the number of users and the annual usage."

"For Tenable.io Web Application Scanning, it comes to around 6,50,000 Indian rupees, plus taxes."

"Tenable.io Web Application Scanning is expensive for small businesses."

"I rate the product's pricing a four out of ten."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

14%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Government

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

13%

Government

10%

Retailer

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	7
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	7

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?

Regarding pricing, I think for personal use, it is costly, but if organizations are ready to pay, then it is fine as they are using it.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Qualys Web Application Scanning?

See all answers

What do you like most about Tenable.io Web Application Scanning?

The most effective feature of the product is the ability to scan the entire environment.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Tenable.io Web Application Scanning?

Improvements could include providing coverage reports in the free version and features related to security reports. Also, enhancing technical support would be beneficial as there is room for improv...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Tenable.io Web Application Scanning?

I would recommend Tenable.io Web Application Scanning as it provides us with good reports, which help improve our code base, despite the lack of financial benefits. Overall, I would rate it seven o...

See all answers

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Compared 20% of the time

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Compared 10% of the time

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Compared 7% of the time

OpenText Core Application Security vs Tenable.io Web Application Scanning

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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

Application Security Tools

August 2025

Tenable.io Web Application Scanning report

Download Tenable.io Web Application Scanning product report

Also Known As

Qualys WAS

No data available

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

Tenable.io Web Application Scanning safely, accurately and automatically scans your web applications, providing deep visibility into vulnerabilities and valuable context to prioritize remediation.

Tenable

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.

IMDEX

Buyer's Guide

Qualys Web Application Scanning vs. Tenable.io Web Application Scanning

September 2025

Free Report: Qualys Web Application Scanning vs. Tenable.io Web Application Scanning

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