Fortify Application Defender vs Tenable.io Web Application Scanning comparison

OpenText and Tenable are both solutions in the Application Security Tools category. OpenText is ranked #24 with an average rating of 8.0, while Tenable is ranked #15 with an average rating of 8.5. OpenText holds a 1.1% mindshare in AS, compared to Tenable’s 1.4% mindshare. Additionally, 81% of OpenText users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of Tenable users who would recommend it.

Fortify Application Defender

Read 11 Fortify Application Defender reviews

1,378 Views
1,116 Comparison Views

81% willing to recommend

Tenable.io Web Application ...

Read 18 Tenable.io Web Application Scanning reviews

1,996 Views
1,597 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

Fortify Application Defender

Tenable.io Web Application ...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024

Fortify Application Defender and Tenable.io Web Application Scanning are key players in the application security market. Tenable.io has the upper hand due to its comprehensive feature set despite higher pricing.

Features: Fortify Application Defender includes real-time threat detection, automated threat blocking, and intuitive security analytics dashboard. Tenable.io Web Application Scanning offers comprehensive vulnerability detection, detailed reporting features, and real-time security insights.

Room for Improvement: Fortify Application Defender could improve integration with development tools, enhance its user interface, and expand its reporting capabilities. Tenable.io Web Application Scanning could work on faster scan performance, add more customization options, and increase its integration capability with other tools.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Fortify Application Defender is known for its easy deployment process and responsive customer service, which ensures smooth adoption. Tenable.io Web Application Scanning, despite being more complex to set up, provides strong customer support to aid users throughout the deployment and maintenance phases.

Pricing and ROI: Fortify Application Defender presents reasonable initial setup costs and a satisfactory return on investment, balancing performance and cost effectively. Tenable.io Web Application Scanning, though more expensive, is deemed cost-effective due to its advanced features, justifying the expense for long-term security advantages.

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

Buyer's Guide

Fortify Application Defender vs. Tenable.io Web Application Scanning

December 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

Fortify Application Defender

Ranking in Application Security Tools

24th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Tenable.io Web Application ...

Ranking in Application Security Tools

15th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

5.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Application Security Tools category, the mindshare of Fortify Application Defender is 1.1%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Tenable.io Web Application Scanning is 1.4%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Security Tools Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Tenable.io Web Application Scanning	1.4%
Fortify Application Defender	1.1%
Other	97.5%

Application Security Tools

Featured Reviews

VinothSivam

CTO at Abcl

Useful for fast code review in devOps pipelines

I rate the tool's scalability a seven out of ten. However, I'm concerned about how it handles an increasing number of lines of code. As the complexity grows, so does the time it takes for the tool to review everything. I want more clarity on how Fortify Application Defender handles multiple threats. We have numerous endpoints, but the tool runs in our pipeline, meaning it operates in the cloud. All our code is configured there, and the tool runs integration testing, unit testing, user testing, and final production code tests. It's a day-to-day experience. It's utilized almost every day as part of our pipeline runs. Each team responsible for integration testing, human testing, user access testing, and preproduction testing runs it whenever they take a build.

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Jonathan-Pereira

Cyber Security Architect at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees

Centralized license management transforms asset manipulation based on functions and improves security posture

Now that the license is centralized, it's a significant feature to manipulate assets based on their functions. It provides a centralized view from end-to-end to its assets' identities and vulnerabilities. One of the greatest features is Kubernetes. The automated scanning capability is pretty standard in the market, and Tenable's prioritization engine helps improve the security posture.

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 most valuable feature is the ability to automatically feed it rules what it's coupled with the WebInspect dynamic application scanning technology."

"I find the configuration of rules in Fortify Application Defender useful. Its integration is also easy."

"The product saves us cost and time."

"The information from Fortify Application Defender on how to fix and solve issues is very good compared to other solutions."

"Fortify Application Defender's most valuable features are machine learning algorithms, real-time remediation, and automatic vulnerability notifications."

"The most valuable feature is that it analyzes data in real-time."

"The tool's most valuable feature is software composition analysis. This feature works well with my .NET applications, providing a better understanding of library vulnerabilities."

"The solution helped us to improve the code quality of our organization."

More Fortify Application Defender pros

"The solution is stable."

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

"Now that the license is centralized, it's a significant feature to manipulate assets based on their functions."

"It has good unified web application scanning and exposure management."

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

"I think Tenable.io Web Application Scanning is the best option on the market at the moment."

"The most valuable feature is the reporting, which provides a good level of detail with respect to vulnerabilities."

"The most valuable features of Tenable.io Web Application Scanning are the integration into specific use cases and scanning. All of the features of the solution are useful."

More Tenable.io Web Application Scanning pros

Cons

"Support for older compilers/IDEs is lacking."

"The solution is quite expensive."

"The product should integrate industry-standard code review tools internally with its system. This would streamline the coding process, as developers wouldn't need multiple tools for code review and security checks. Many independent and open-source tools are available, from Apache to various libraries. Using multiple DevOps pipeline tools can slow the turnaround time."

"The licensing can be a little complex."

"The biggest complaint that I have heard concerns additional platform support because right now, it only supports applications that are written in .NET and Java."

"I encountered many false positives for Python applications."

"The workbench is a little bit complex when you first start using it."

"The false positive rate should be lower."

More Fortify Application Defender cons

"The cloud and the on-premises versions have their own controllers, and there is no way to centrally manage controllers."

"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 report customization needs to be better."

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

"Tenable.io Web Application Scanning conducts a general scan, which wastes time. The scan needs to be specific."

"The dashboard could be more user-friendly."

"The reporting has a very limited customization capability."

"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."

More Tenable.io Web Application Scanning cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of this solution could be less expensive."

"The product’s price is much higher than other tools."

"Fortify Application Defender is very expensive."

"I rate the solution's pricing a five out of ten. It comes as an annual cloud subscription. The tool's pricing is around 50 lakhs."

"The licensing is very complex, it's project based and can range from $10,000 to $200,000+ depending on the project type and size."

"The base licensing costs for the SaaS platform is about $900 USD per application, per year."

"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."

"The pricing is okay."

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

"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."

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

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

17%

Manufacturing Company

12%

Government

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

13%

Computer Software Company

10%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	3
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	8

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	7
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	7

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Fortify Application Defender?

I find the configuration of rules in Fortify Application Defender useful. Its integration is also easy.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Fortify Application Defender?

The product should integrate industry-standard code review tools internally with its system. This would streamline the coding process, as developers wouldn't need multiple tools for code review and...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Fortify Application Defender?

We use the solution for fast code review. It is integrated into our DevOps pipeline.

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?

If there were a solution, I would like to see automation and an integrated remediation solution for vulnerability or patch management.

See all answers

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

I do not understand what API approach means; I do not understand this term. I think Tenable.io Web Application Scanning is the best option on the market at the moment. My review rating for this pro...

See all answers

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Application Security Tools

January 2026

Download Fortify Application Defender product report

Buyer's Guide

Application Security Tools

January 2026

Tenable.io Web Application Scanning report

Download Tenable.io Web Application Scanning product report

Also Known As

HPE Fortify Application Defender, Micro Focus Fortify Application Defender

No data available

Overview

Micro Focus Security Fortify Application Defender is a runtime application self-protection (RASP) solution that helps you manage and mitigate risk from homegrown or third-party applications. It provides centralized visibility into application use and abuse while protecting from software vulnerability exploits and other violations in real time.

OpenText

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

ServiceMaster, Saltworks, SAP

IMDEX

Buyer's Guide

Fortify Application Defender vs. Tenable.io Web Application Scanning

December 2025

Free Report: Fortify Application Defender vs. Tenable.io Web Application Scanning

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