Fortify Software Security Center vs HCL AppScan comparison

OpenText and HCLSoftware are both solutions in the Static Application Security Testing (SAST) category. OpenText is ranked #19 with an average rating of 9.0, while HCLSoftware is ranked #17 with an average rating of 8.3. OpenText holds a 1.2% mindshare in SAST, compared to HCLSoftware ’s 2.2% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of OpenText users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 84% of HCLSoftware users who would recommend it.

Fortify Software Security C...

Read 8 Fortify Software Security Center reviews

1,160 Views
1,102 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

HCL AppScan

Read 44 HCL AppScan reviews

4,542 Views
3,407 Comparison Views

84% willing to recommend

Fortify Software Security C...

HCL AppScan

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024

HCL AppScan and Fortify Software Security Center compete in the security solutions category. Fortify seems to have the upper hand in features due to its comprehensive offerings, justifying its higher price point, while HCL receives praise for pricing and support.

Features: HCL AppScan offers effective risk assessment tools, integration capabilities, and a user-friendly interface. Fortify Software Security Center provides extensive language support, detailed vulnerability reports, and a broader feature set appealing to enterprises with complex needs.

Room for Improvement: HCL AppScan requires better scalability, enhanced integration with third-party tools, and improved performance speed. Fortify Software Security Center needs a more intuitive setup process, a streamlined user interface, and reduced complexity in certain features.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: HCL AppScan is noted for straightforward deployment and responsive customer support. Fortify Software Security Center comes with a steeper learning curve but offers dedicated support once the process is navigated.

Pricing and ROI: HCL AppScan users appreciate its competitive setup costs and view it as a cost-effective solution with satisfactory ROI. Fortify Software Security Center, despite higher initial expenses, offers a return that justifies its investment for enterprises using its capabilities fully, making it worth its premium due to strategic benefits realized over time.

To learn more, read our detailed Fortify Software Security Center vs. HCL AppScan Report (Updated: February 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Fortify Software Security Center vs. HCL AppScan

February 2026

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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 Software Security C...

Ranking in Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

19th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

4.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

HCL AppScan

Ranking in Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

17th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

5.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Security Tools (20th), Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) (6th)

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Static Application Security Testing (SAST) category, the mindshare of Fortify Software Security Center is 1.2%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of HCL AppScan is 2.2%, down from 2.8% 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 (%)
HCL AppScan	2.2%
Fortify Software Security Center	1.2%
Other	96.6%

Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

Featured Reviews

Diego Caicedo Lescano

Chief Innovation Officer at SAGGA

Enables centralized analysis and improves governance through seamless tool integration

The main use case for Fortify Software Security Center is exceptional because we have governance and control through that console. You can centralize both static analysis and dynamic analysis, and correlate both analyses in one tool to get better results by combining those independent results from each solution. That is outstanding, and there is no tool I have seen on the market that offers these capabilities. I appreciate the interoperability with other solutions from Fortify Software Security Center. Because we are using Kiuwan, you can run Kiuwan analyses and integrate them with Fortify Software Security Center to get those results in a single console. That is a good console for centralizing things in one point. That is one of the best features of the on-premises Fortify.

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Ravi Khanchandani

Founder Director at Techsa Services

Has improved identification of encryption and authentication issues across cloud and on-prem applications

During the learning curve of onboarding HCL AppScan, we learned that HCL has altered the portfolio and now offers HCL AppScan 360, which has a much better look and feel with an improved user interface. However, there is one feature called SCA, which stands for Software Composition Analysis, that could be improved. When I'm doing an application scan, HCL AppScan has the ability to generate information about what components are in use. For example, if I'm scanning a web application, it shows me the various components being used. It tells me whether I have Java libraries, .NET frameworks, or other log management libraries such as Log4j, and what versions of those specific components are present. I would like to see more detailed reports from the tool. Currently, you can find out the components belonging to a specific software, but if detailed reporting became available, you would be in a better position to identify vulnerabilities. For instance, I could identify that I had the Log4j vulnerability and know that I need to fix my application accordingly. If they add the features I'm describing, I would consider giving them a higher rating. However, I've only been experienced with the product for three months.

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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

"Software Security Center is highly customizable and helps me test all vulnerability data against the latest conventions like OWASP Top Ten, CVE Top twenty-five, and several other legal compliances."

"This is a stable solution at the end of the day."

"Fortify Analytics' AI function helps scan and provides more detailed explanations and recommendations about vulnerabilities."

"I like the explanation of issues provided by Fortify Software Security Center."

"It's very important because they want to scan their source code every day, so we provide CICD integration to our customers so they can auto build and auto test every day, get reports, and fix issues."

"You can easily download the tool's rule packs and update them."

"The overall rating for this tool is ten out of ten."

"The reporting is very useful because you can always view an entire list of the issues that you have."

More Fortify Software Security Center pros

"The static scans are good, and the SaaS as well."

"AppScan is stable."

"The most valuable feature of HCL AppScan is its integration with the SDLC, particularly during the coding phase."

"The most valuable feature of HCL AppScan is scanning QR codes."

"The platform has valuable security features, helping us identify sensitive code issues and the possibility of internal applications' exposure to external threats."

"The solution is easy to install. I would rate the product's setup between six to seven out of ten. The deployment time depends on the applications that need to be scanned. We have a development and operations team to take care of the product's maintenance."

"The solution offers services in a few specific development languages."

"AppScan's most valuable features include its ability to identify vulnerabilities accurately, provide detailed remediation steps, and the newly introduced AI-powered features that enhance its functionality further."

More HCL AppScan pros

Cons

"We are having issues with false positives that need to be resolved."

"Improvements needed for Software Security Center include better aggregation views of datasets."

"This solution is difficult to implement, and it should be made more comfortable for the end-users."

"Improvements needed for Software Security Center include better aggregation views of datasets."

"The product's overlap feature is restrictive and requires more customization efforts, which can be expensive."

"I am not satisfied with the percentage of false positives, which is around eighteen percent."

"The support for Fortify on-premises is the same as for the other products. I would say the support is not good and I would rate it a three out of ten."

"Fortify Software Security Center's setup is really painful."

"They could incorporate AI to enhance vulnerability detection and improve the product's reporting capabilities."

"The databases for HCL are small and have room for improvement."

"The penetration testing feature should be included."

"The solution needs to improve in some areas. The tool needs to add more languages. It also needs to improve its speed."

"It's a little bit basic when you talk about the Web Services. If AppScan improved its maturity on Web Services testing, that would be good."

"In future releases, I would like to see more aggressive reports. I would also like to see less false positives."

"I would love to see more containers. Many of the tools are great, they require an amount of configuration, setup and infrastructure. If most the applications were in a container, I think everything would be a little bit faster, because all our clients are now using containers."

"IBM Security AppScan Source is rather hard to use."

More HCL AppScan cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"This is a costly solution that could be cheaper."

"The solution is priced fair."

"As a Fortify partner company providing technical support, I find the product expensive in our country, where local, inexpensive products are available."

"The price of HCL AppScan is okay, in my opinion. You just buy HCL AppScan and don't pay anything anymore, meaning it is just a one-time purchase."

"AppScan is a little bit expensive. IBM needs to work a little bit on the pricing model, decreasing the license cost."

"Pricing was the main reason that we went ahead with this solution as they were the lowest in the market."

"The product is moderately priced, though it's an investment due to extensive code analysis needs."

"Our clients are willing to pay the extra money. It is expensive."

"The tool was expensive."

"The solution is moderately priced."

"The price is very expensive."

More HCL AppScan pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

16%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Computer Software Company

Government

Computer Software Company

12%

Government

11%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	4
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	3

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	14
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	31

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Micro Focus Software Security Center?

The pricing for the on-premises Fortify is expensive.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Micro Focus Software Security Center?

In my opinion, there are no areas that could be improved with Fortify Software Security Center. I would say it is a good product and a mature product. However, the SAST has many improvement areas. ...

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What is your primary use case for Micro Focus Software Security Center?

We have installed Fortify Static Code Analysis, SAST, in Ecuador in two customers. The Fortify ScanCentral includes three components: SAST, Fortify Software Security Center, and the WebInspect.

See all answers

What do you like most about HCL AppScan?

The most valuable feature of HCL AppScan is its integration with the SDLC, particularly during the coding phase.

See all answers

What needs improvement with HCL AppScan?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for HCL AppScan?

I'm currently working with BigFix and HCL AppScan. At least three people in my company are using HCL AppScan. Since we are a reseller, we run it in both lab environments and live production applica...

See all answers

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

February 2026

Download Fortify Software Security Center product report

Buyer's Guide

HCL AppScan

January 2026

Download HCL AppScan product report

Also Known As

Micro Focus Software Security Center, Application Security Center, HPE Application Security Center, WebInspect

IBM Security AppScan, Rational AppScan, AppScan

Overview

Software Security Center enables management, development, and security teams to work together to triage, track, validate, automate, and manage software security activities.

OpenText

IBM Security AppScan enhances web application security and mobile application security, improves application security program management and strengthens regulatory compliance. By scanning your web and mobile applications prior to deployment, AppScan enables you to identify security vulnerabilities and generate reports and fix recommendations.

HCLSoftware

Sample Customers

Neosecure, Acxiom, Skandinavisk Data Center A/S, Parkeon

Essex Technology Group Inc., Cisco, West Virginia University, APIS IT

Buyer's Guide

Fortify Software Security Center vs. HCL AppScan

February 2026

Free Report: Fortify Software Security Center vs. HCL AppScan

Find out what your peers are saying about Fortify Software Security Center vs. HCL AppScan and other solutions. Updated: February 2026.

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