Aqua Cloud Security Platform vs Qualys VMDR comparison

Aqua Security and Qualys are both solutions in the Container Security category. Aqua Security is ranked #17 with an average rating of 9.0, while Qualys is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.6. Aqua Security holds a 3.0% mindshare in Container Security, compared to Qualys’s 2.3% mindshare. Additionally, 93% of Aqua Security users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of Qualys users who would recommend it.

Aqua Cloud Security Platform

Read 16 Aqua Cloud Security Platform reviews

4,790 Views
4,072 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

Qualys VMDR

Read 95 Qualys VMDR reviews

13,079 Views
2,354 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

Aqua Cloud Security Platform

Qualys VMDR

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 13, 2025

Qualys VMDR and Aqua Cloud Security Platform compete in the cybersecurity category, focusing on vulnerability management and container security. While Qualys VMDR leads in traditional endpoint security with comprehensive scanning and policy compliance, Aqua Cloud Security Platform excels in cloud-native security and container protection, offering a more tailored solution for organizations utilizing Docker and Kubernetes.

Features: Qualys VMDR is noted for its extensive scanning capabilities, cloud-based deployment, and policy compliance. It also provides continuous monitoring for ongoing security vigilance. Aqua Cloud Security Platform stands out with its advanced container security and support for Docker and Kubernetes environments, delivering robust runtime protection and image scanning for dynamic cloud infrastructures.

Room for Improvement: Qualys VMDR users highlight the need for better documentation on reporting, improved IT framework integration, and simplified asset tagging and vulnerability scoring. Enhanced threat intelligence integration is also requested. Aqua Cloud Security Platform could benefit from improving reporting efficacy, providing clearer security insights, and enhancing runtime security across diverse environments. More comprehensive documentation and a simplified licensing model are additional suggested improvements.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Qualys VMDR offers flexible deployment across multiple environments, with reliable customer service and technical support, though some mention slow response times. Aqua Cloud Security Platform also supports diverse cloud deployments but requires improvements in ease of deployment and support turnaround time, with users seeking streamlined management and installation processes.

Pricing and ROI: Qualys VMDR is viewed as costly, particularly for smaller enterprises, but its features and patch management justify the expense for larger organizations with significant ROI through enhanced vulnerability management. Aqua Cloud Security Platform, while less expensive than some rivals, is priced higher for its focus on container security, offering flexible pricing and strong ROI benefits for firms prioritizing cloud container security and resilience.

To learn more, read our detailed Aqua Cloud Security Platform vs. Qualys VMDR Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Aqua Cloud Security Platform vs. Qualys VMDR

September 2025

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Helped 868,787 peers since 2012

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

Aqua Cloud Security Platform

Ranking in Container Security

17th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Cloud and Data Center Security (12th), Cloud Workload Protection Platforms (CWPP) (15th), Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP) (12th), Software Supply Chain Security (10th), DevSecOps (10th)

Qualys VMDR

Ranking in Container Security

9th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

IT Asset Management (4th), Vulnerability Management (2nd), Configuration Management Databases (2nd), Risk-Based Vulnerability Management (1st)

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Container Security category, the mindshare of Aqua Cloud Security Platform is 3.0%, down from 4.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Qualys VMDR is 2.3%, down from 2.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Container Security Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Qualys VMDR	2.3%
Aqua Cloud Security Platform	3.0%
Other	94.7%

Container Security

Featured Reviews

Burak AKCAGUN

Business Development Manager at Axoft Ukraine

A robust and cost-effective solution, excelling in scalability, on-premises support, and responsive technical support, making it well-suited for enterprises navigating stringent regulatory environment

The most crucial aspect is runtime protection, specifically image scanning before preproduction and deployment. Customers find it invaluable to have the ability to check for vulnerabilities in an image before deployment, similar to a sandbox environment. This feature ensures that customers can identify any potential issues with the image, such as misconfigurations or vulnerabilities, before integrating it into their workloads and infrastructure. In their source pipeline, companies can identify issues before deploying changes. This is crucial because customers prefer resolving any problems or misconfigurations before the deployment process. Software change security, including GSPM Cloud, is a key feature customers seek in their infrastructure.

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Ankesh Raj

Information Security Analyst at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

Real-time responses and reporting streamline vulnerability management

Qualys VMDR provides a real-time response and reporting feature, which is excellent. It allows us to see real-time graphs and reports for every asset, server, and more, which is very user-friendly. Our clients have given good feedback, and they are satisfied with the tool. We use it daily to fix vulnerabilities by connecting with infrastructure to remediate. The feedback from the client side is very good.

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

"The DTA, which stands for Dynamic Threat Analysis, allows me to analyze Docker images in a sandbox environment before deployment, helping me anticipate risks."

"From what I understand, the initial setup is simple."

"Valuable features include the ability to connect it to our Docker Hub where our images are stored, good integration with Slack, and the connection to the CV, to easily see which CVs are on each image."

"The most valuable feature of Aqua Security is the scanner."

"Aqua Security allowed us to gain visibility into the vulnerabilities that were present in the container images, that were being rolled out, the amount of risk that we were introducing to the platform, and provided us a look into the container environment by introducing access control mechanisms. In addition, when it came to runtime-level policies, we could restrict container access to resources in our environment, such as network-level or other application-level access."

"The CSPM product is great at securing our cloud accounts and I really like the runtime protection for containers and functions too."

"The most valuable feature is the security."

"We use Aqua Security for the container security features."

More Aqua Cloud Security Platform pros

"They also have threat detection which maps threats. There is a feed that comes from Qualys when a new vulnerability is found. It tells us which machines are infected with that vulnerability."

"Tech support is helpful."

"The prioritization feature is great. I think it has all of the advanced features that we need."

"I find the solution's dashboard interesting...The response time is fine. You can pull up reports without dragging or consuming bandwidth."

"The solution is easy to use."

"It is a simple solution that makes scanning easy. You just give it a scheduled task, and it will do everything for you."

"Qualys VM's best feature is vulnerability management."

"This is one of the best products I have worked with so far. I like the power of Qualys, and it's a better solution because you can scan a compact file, a BIT file, or batch files. The product already knows what's happening inside, and you don't need to expand the package. Tenable will do the same thing, but you need to have a package issuance claim. With Qualys, we can immediately understand the file, even a compact file. If there's some kind of discovery or incident, you will know what happened in the environment."

More Qualys VMDR pros

Cons

"I would like Aqua Security to look into is the development of a web security portal."

"They want to release improvements to their product to work with other servers because now there are more focused on the Kubernetes environment. They need to improve the normal servers. I would like to have more options."

"The solution could improve user-friendliness."

"Sometimes I got stressed with the UI."

"Aqua Security lacks a lot in reporting."

"Since we are working from home, we would like to have the proper training for Aqua."

"There's room for improvement, particularly in management capabilities as it may not be comprehensive enough for all customers, and it has been lacking in the realm of cloud security posture management."

"Aqua Security could provide more open documentation so that their learning resources can be more easily accessed and searched through online. Right now, a lot of the documentation is closed and not available to the public."

More Aqua Cloud Security Platform cons

"Qualys VMDR identifies vulnerabilities and suggests fixes. However, it does not automate patching unless the patch management module is purchased separately."

"Could use additional security for the app."

"The ability to manage user accounts and give rights to the operator to know about abnormalities of applications is something that needs improvement."

"Certain integration factors between different options could be improved."

"They should make it accessible for more operating systems."

"There needs to be better documentation."

"Qualys VMDR should improve authenticated scanning capabilities."

"Qualys VM should improve its methodology."

More Qualys VMDR cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"They were reasonable with their pricing. They were pretty down-to-earth about the way they pitched their product and the way they tried to close the deal. They were one of the rare companies that approached the whole valuation in a way that made sense for our company, for our needs, and for their own requirements as well... They will accommodate your needs if they are able to understand them and they're stated clearly."

"Dealing with licensing costs isn't my responsibility, but I know that the licenses don't depend on the number of users, but instead are priced according to your workload."

"It comes at a reasonable cost."

"Aqua Security is not cheap, and it's not very expensive, such as Splunk, they are in the middle."

"The pricing of this solution could be improved."

"It is more expensive than other products on the market."

"When you want to cover yourself for scalability, you will be charged for the number you place on the scan itself."

"It's very expensive, especially if you want to use multiple modules of Qualys."

"The solution is expensive."

"An annual license for a single scanner costs around $3,000."

"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."

"Usually every implementation is different and the quote is in function of number of assets."

"It is a high cost product. Compared to the other solutions, it is around 15 to 20% higher in cost."

More Qualys VMDR pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

24%

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Government

Financial Services Firm

17%

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	9

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	20
Midsize Enterprise	12
Large Enterprise	69

Questions from the Community

What do you think of Aqua Security vs Prisma Cloud?

Aqua Security is easy to use and very manageable. Its main focus is on Kubernetes and Docker. Security is a very valuable feature and their speed of integration is very good. The initial setup was ...

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What do you like most about Aqua Security?

Customers find it invaluable to have the ability to check for vulnerabilities in an image before deployment, similar to a sandbox environment.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Aqua Security?

It comes at a reasonable cost. When compared to Prisma Cloud, it is more budget-friendly.

See all answers

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 ...

See all answers

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.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Qualys VMDR?

One area where Qualys VMDR can be improved is the missing feature for deploying agents for over 1,000 assets, as we need to do it manually. Qualys doesn't have its own tool to deploy the agents all...

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Comparisons

Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks vs Aqua Cloud Security Platform

Compared 19% of the time

Wiz vs Aqua Cloud Security Platform

Compared 15% of the time

SentinelOne Singularity Cloud Security vs Aqua Cloud Security Platform

Compared 6% of the time

Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes vs Aqua Cloud Security Platform

Compared 5% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Cloud vs Aqua Cloud Security Platform

Compared 3% of the time

More Aqua Cloud Security Platform Competitors

Tenable Nessus vs Qualys VMDR

Compared 9% of the time

Rapid7 InsightVM vs Qualys VMDR

Compared 9% of the time

Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management vs Qualys VMDR

Compared 8% of the time

Tenable Security Center vs Qualys VMDR

Compared 5% of the time

Wiz vs Qualys VMDR

Compared 5% of the time

More Qualys VMDR Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Aqua Cloud Security Platform

September 2025

Download Aqua Cloud Security Platform product report

Buyer's Guide

Qualys VMDR

September 2025

Download Qualys VMDR product report

Also Known As

Aqua Security Platform, CloudSploit, Argon

Qualys VM, QualysGuard VM, Qualys Asset Inventory, Qualys Container Security

Overview

Aqua Security stops cloud native attacks, preventing them before they happen and stopping them when they happen. Dedicated cloud native threat research and the most loved cloud native security open source community in the world put innovation at your fingertips so you can transform your business. Born cloud native, The Aqua Platform is the most integrated Cloud Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP), securing from day one and protecting in real-time. Aqua has been stopping real cloud native attacks on hundreds of thousands of production nodes across the world since 2015.

Aqua Security Features

Aqua Security has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:

Vulnerability scanning
Dynamic threat analysis
Automates DevSecOps
CI/CD integrations
Cloud security posture management
Kubernetes security
Hybrid and multi-cloud
Container security
Serverless security
VM security
Cloud workloads protection

Aqua Security Benefits

There are many benefits to implementing Aqua Security. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:

Designed for scale and performance: The Aqua Security platform was designed to scale to the largest environments in order to protect huge clusters and massive DevOps pipelines.

Empowers DevOps to detect issues early and fix them fast: The solution was designed to help you solve issues immediately - before they cause greater damage to your organization. It helps you gain insight into your vulnerability posture and prioritize remediation and mitigation according to contextual risk.

Automated compliance and security posture: Aqua Security checks your cloud services, Infrastructure-as-code templates, and Kubernetes setup against best practices and standards. This way, you can ensure the infrastructure you run your applications on is securely configured and in compliance.

Artifact scanning: The Aqua Security platform scans artifacts for vulnerabilities, malware, and other risks during development and staging. It allows you to set flexible and dynamic policies to control deployment into your runtime environments.

Minimizes false positives: Aqua Security relies on a variety of sources and proprietary research to curate and present vulnerabilities in the most accurate way, which helps to minimize false positives and unnecessary noise in the pipeline.

Automated security testing: The Aqua Security platform automates security testing in your CI/CD pipeline, and continuously scans registries and serverless function stores to detect emerging risks. By implementing the platform, you can get actionable feedback within your CI environments to empower your organization’s developers to fix issues rapidly.

Granular controls: The solution provides protection for your VM, container, and serverless workloads using granular controls with instant visibility and real-time detection and response.

Sandboxed environment: With Aqua Security, you can run images in a secure sandboxed environment that traces indicators of compromise (IOCs) such as container escapes, reverse shell backdoors, malware drops, code injection backdoors, and network anomalies.

Reviews from Real Users

Lizeth Z., Cloud Security Specialist at Telstra, says, “Aqua Security is the most advanced solution in the market for container security. Aqua Security allows us to check for vulnerabilities in the CI/CD pipeline, so application teams can remediate issues before going into production. Aqua Security helps us to check the vulnerability of image assurance and check for malware.”

Aqua Security

Vulnerability Management, Detection, and Response (VMDR) is a cornerstone product of the Qualys TruRisk Platform and a global leader in the enterprise-grade vulnerability management (VM) vendor space. With VMDR, enterprises are empowered with visibility and insight into cyber risk exposure - making it easy to prioritize vulnerabilities, assets, or groups of assets based on business risk. Security teams can take action to mitigate risk, helping the business measure their actual risk exposure over time.

Qualys VMDR offers an all-inclusive risk-based vulnerability management solution to prioritize vulnerabilities and assets based on risk and business criticality. VMDR seamlessly integrates with configuration management databases (CMDB), Qualys Patch Management, Custom Assessment and Remediation (CAR), Qualys TotalCloud and other Qualys and non-Qualys solutions to facilitate vulnerability detection and remediation across the entire enterprise.

With VMDR, users are empowered with actionable risk insights that translate vulnerabilities and exploits into optimized remediation actions based on business impact. Qualys customers can now aggregate and orchestrate data from the Qualys Threat Library, 25+ threat intelligence feeds, and third-party security and IT solutions, empowering organizations to measure, communicate, and eliminate risk across on-premises, hybrid, and cloud environments.

Qualys

Sample Customers

HPE Salesforce Telstra Ellie Mae Cathay Pacific HomeAway

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

Buyer's Guide

Aqua Cloud Security Platform vs. Qualys VMDR

September 2025

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