Fortify Software Security Center vs Qualys Web Application Scanning comparison

OpenText and Qualys are both solutions in the Static Application Security Testing (SAST) category. OpenText is ranked #19 with an average rating of 9.0, while Qualys is ranked #14 with an average rating of 7.4. OpenText holds a 1.5% mindshare in SAST, compared to Qualys’s 1.9% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of OpenText users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 88% of Qualys users who would recommend it.

Fortify Software Security C...

Read 8 Fortify Software Security Center reviews

3,276 Views
3,145 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Qualys Web Application Scan...

Read 40 Qualys Web Application Scanning reviews

6,493 Views
4,415 Comparison Views

88% willing to recommend

Fortify Software Security C...

Qualys Web Application Scan...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024

Qualys Web Application Scanning and Fortify Software Security Center are two prominent solutions in the web application security domain. According to user reviews, Fortify is seen as superior due to its extensive features, though Qualys is preferred for pricing and customer support satisfaction.

Features: Qualys is noted for detailed vulnerability scanning, simple integration, and effective threat detection. Fortify provides comprehensive code analysis, supports multiple programming languages, and delivers robust security assessment which offers a thorough evaluation of potential vulnerabilities.

Room for Improvement: Qualys could improve real-time alerts, offer better reporting customization, and expand its threat database. Fortify's configuration process could be more intuitive, updating mechanisms need enhancement to keep up with new threats, and system resource usage could be optimized for performance.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Qualys is easy to deploy with excellent customer support, making it user-friendly for many businesses. Fortify, although more complex in setup, is backed by extensive documentation and knowledgeable support staff which ensures issues are resolved efficiently.

Pricing and ROI: Qualys attracts users with its cost-effectiveness and clear ROI benefits. In comparison, Fortify requires a higher initial investment but is viewed as offering long-term value due to its comprehensive feature set and deep security insights.

To learn more, read our detailed Fortify Software Security Center vs. Qualys Web Application Scanning Report (Updated: August 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Fortify Software Security Center vs. Qualys Web Application Scanning

August 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

Qualys Web Application Scan...

Ranking in Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

14th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Security Tools (19th)

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Static Application Security Testing (SAST) category, the mindshare of Fortify Software Security Center is 1.5%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Qualys Web Application Scanning is 1.9%, down from 2.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Static Application Security Testing (SAST) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Qualys Web Application Scanning	1.9%
Fortify Software Security Center	1.5%
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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AnkitSharma13

Security Officer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

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.

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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 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."

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

"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."

"The main use case for Fortify Software Security Center is exceptional because we have governance and control through that console."

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

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

More Fortify Software Security Center pros

"The most valuable feature is that we are able to scan the services and put credentials like a user ID password, and we can verify the vulnerability level."

"Qualys Web Application Scanning has multiple features like threat protection and container security scanning in one box."

"We’re a Linux shop and Qualys gave us good Linux vulnerability scanning; it reports only a few glaring false-positive errors, and the long baseline of iterative results was valuable to track changes and our rate of improvement while access to the API let us automate its use in our CI/CD pipeline for machine images."

"It's provided us with comprehensive, proactive, and automated vulnerability assessment."

"The most valuable features are scanning analysis and reporting."

"It protects against zero-day vulnerabilities, like Heartbleed."

"It works with many different products."

"I recommend Qualys Web Application Scanning as it is easy to set up scans and is affordable from a cost perspective."

More Qualys Web Application Scanning pros

Cons

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

"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 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."

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

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

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

"The initial setup of this solution is very complex. Specifically, the integration between other parts of the solution is difficult."

"We procured around 110 licenses for Web Application Scanning, but we have issues running concurrent scans."

"There could be better management and faster scanning."

"There should be better visibility into the application."

"When comparing this solution to Veracode, Veracode has good interactive features and gives a clear understanding of what the vulnerabilities are, which error line of the vulnerability is on and what can be done. It gives interactive features, whereas this solution does not give a clear understanding of where or how to fix the problem."

"It should have better automatic reporting."

"The solution needs to adjust its pricing. They should make it more affordable."

"The tool should have a live HTTP editor and more configuration options for some situations, such as handling applications that have URL rewriting enabled."

"There's a distinction between internal and external scanning processes that could be streamlined. Currently, for internal scanning, specific configurations and scanner appliances need to be deployed within the network, which differs from the simpler setup for external scans. This dual process complicates the setup for comprehensive scanning coverage."

More Qualys Web Application Scanning cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"The solution is priced fair."

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

"The cost is $30,000 USD for one year to cover WAS (Web Application Security) and the VM (Virtual Machine) security in a company with 200 employees."

"The product is expensive, at least initially, in comparison to other products in this category."

"The product has a very good licensing model."

"We normally purchase an annual license."

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

"Qualys has an IT-based licensing based on a yearly license, which is a good way of handling it. However, in some cases, when we do the PCI scanning, the host will not like the scanning and we lose the IT license. So, this could be improved."

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

"From my perspective, it is a budget-friendly option."

More Qualys Web Application Scanning pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Government

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

13%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Construction Company

Computer Software Company

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	8
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	27

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.

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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.

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What needs improvement with Qualys Web Application Scanning?

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What is your primary use case for Qualys Web Application Scanning?

I use Qualys Web Application Scanning, and we are using Vulnerability Management. By Vulnerability Management, I mean not TotalCloud; they have some on-premises solutions also. Patch Management and...

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Compared 5% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

August 2026

Download Fortify Software Security Center product report

Buyer's Guide

Qualys Web Application Scanning

July 2026

Download Qualys Web Application Scanning product report

Also Known As

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

Qualys WAS

Overview

Fortify Software Security Center offers comprehensive application security through a centralized console that integrates static and dynamic analysis, making it essential for organizations focused on robust security operations.

Fortify Software Security Center delivers extensive capabilities that facilitate application security testing, code audits, and bug fixes. Its centralized console enhances governance and control, while its interoperability with tools like Kiuwan and Azure strengthens its functionality. The dashboard's intuitive data customization, along with the ability to store and report data on-premises, further complements its integration capabilities. Although improvements in dataset aggregation, integration with tools like Jira, and resolution of false positives are required, its ability to scan and analyze source code to identify security violations is acknowledged.

What are the key features of Fortify Software Security Center?

Centralized Console: Streamlines governance and control through combined static and dynamic analysis.
Interoperability: Enhances functionality with tools like Kiuwan for comprehensive testing.
Customizability: Tailors vulnerability testing to standards such as OWASP Top Ten.
Macro Recording: Facilitates multi-factor authentication processes.
CI/CD Integration: Ensures seamless integration with development workflows.
Collaboration Module: Supports teamwork with clarification on issues.
Daily Scanning: Elevates code quality through regular evaluations.

Why should users consider Fortify Software Security Center for ROI?

Code Quality Enhancement: Improves coding practices through continuous deployment and daily scanning.
Seamless Deployment: Enhances implementation success and mitigates security threats effectively.
Customization Flexibility: Offers tailored solutions for overlapping features despite increased costs.
Collaboration Efficiency: Boosts teamwork through detailed issue explanations and analysis.

Fortify Software Security Center is adopted in software-driven industries for its robust application security capabilities. Users in technology sectors rely on its static code analysis for auditing and security testing. Its on-premises deployment model and integration with platforms like Azure make it ideal for storing and reporting data, providing customization that aligns with industry standards.

OpenText

Qualys Web Application Scanning offers advanced vulnerability management, progressive scheduling, and seamless integration with DevOps environments. Its user-friendly design enables enterprises to enhance security with comprehensive scanning and detailed forensic insights.

Qualys Web Application Scanning addresses enterprise-level security challenges by providing robust solutions for vulnerability management, penetration testing, and compliance checks. While easing the navigation process, it supports risk mitigation with precise risk ratings, minimal false positives, and detailed reporting. However, it faces challenges with its complex interface, authenticated scanning, and automation features. Integrating smoothly with CI/CD pipelines, it is suitable for continuous and automated scanning, adapting to diverse company requirements.

What are the standout features of Qualys Web Application Scanning?

Progressive Scheduling: Enables efficient management of scanning activities, optimizing for time-sensitive scenarios.
Vulnerability Management: Offers robust identification and management of vulnerabilities across various applications.
Integration with DevOps: Seamlessly integrates with CI/CD pipelines, supporting rapid development cycles.
Risk Ratings: Provides precise risk assessments, crucial for prioritizing security efforts.
Engaging Dashboard: Offers an intuitive interface for navigating security tasks efficiently.

What benefits or ROI should users look for in Qualys Web Application Scanning reviews?

Scalability: Supports enterprise needs with a design adaptable to diverse security demands.
Risk Mitigation: Detailed alerts and forensic insights aid in reducing potential threats.
Comprehensive Reporting: Facilitates informed decision-making with clear, concise reports.
Penetration Testing: Enhances security assessments with ongoing evaluation capabilities.

Organizations across sectors like education, banking, and international data centers leverage Qualys Web Application Scanning for conducting penetration testing, scanning web applications, and managing vulnerabilities. It aids in audit security and compliance, identifying threats, and generating user-friendly reports, making it a valuable asset for maintaining strong security postures.

Qualys

Sample Customers

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

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.

Buyer's Guide

Fortify Software Security Center vs. Qualys Web Application Scanning

August 2026

Free Report: Fortify Software Security Center vs. Qualys Web Application Scanning

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