GitHub Advanced Security vs HCL AppScan comparison

Why PeerSpot?

GitHub and HCLSoftware are both solutions in the Application Security Tools category. GitHub is ranked #14 with an average rating of 8.0, while HCLSoftware is ranked #23 with an average rating of 7.0. GitHub holds a 2.3% mindshare in AS, compared to HCLSoftware ’s 2.2% mindshare. Additionally, 91% of GitHub users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 84% of HCLSoftware users who would recommend it.

GitHub Advanced Security

Read 12 GitHub Advanced Security reviews

7,581 Views
7,505 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

HCL AppScan

Read 44 HCL AppScan reviews

8,478 Views
5,511 Comparison Views

84% willing to recommend

GitHub Advanced Security

HCL AppScan

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 3, 2026

HCL AppScan and GitHub Advanced Security are competitors in the application security space. HCL AppScan seems to have the upper hand in identifying vulnerabilities due to its extensive scanning capabilities, while GitHub Advanced Security offers stronger integration with development workflows.

Features: HCL AppScan is strong in identifying vulnerabilities with its extensive scanning capabilities, integration with SDLC, and dynamic scans. It combines static and dynamic testing and offers significant user customization. GitHub Advanced Security integrates well with development workflows and features CodeQL for tailored queries. It also supports secret scanning and dependency alerts.

Room for Improvement: HCL AppScan could improve integration and user-friendliness, handle false positives better, and support a broader range of languages. Its technical support has room for improvement. GitHub Advanced Security could enhance reporting and centralized dashboards. Configuring security rules can be complex, especially for large teams, and integration with more security tools could be beneficial.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: HCL AppScan is mainly deployed on-premises with cloud flexibility. Feedback on its technical support varies, particularly after transitioning from IBM. GitHub Advanced Security offers public and hybrid cloud deployments, benefiting from strong GitHub workflow integration, though support may not be as comprehensive.

Pricing and ROI: HCL AppScan is noted for its high cost but provides value by reducing vulnerabilities and delivering significant ROI. GitHub Advanced Security also has a high pricing model tied to active developer commitments, which can be costly for large teams. Both could optimize pricing to better fit various organizational sizes and usage patterns.

To learn more, read our detailed GitHub Advanced Security vs. HCL AppScan Report (Updated: September 2026).

Buyer's Guide

GitHub Advanced Security vs. HCL AppScan

September 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

GitHub Advanced Security

Ranking in Application Security Tools

14th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

HCL AppScan

Ranking in Application Security Tools

23rd

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

5.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Static Application Security Testing (SAST) (20th), Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) (7th)

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Application Security Tools category, the mindshare of GitHub Advanced Security is 2.3%, down from 7.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of HCL AppScan is 2.2%, down from 2.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Security Tools Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
GitHub Advanced Security	2.3%
HCL AppScan	2.2%
Other	95.5%

Application Security Tools

Featured Reviews

Devendiran Kandan

DevOps Engineer at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees

Security scanning has protected our pipelines but currently needs clearer dashboards and controls

We used additional third-party solutions, but we replaced them with GitHub Advanced Security, even though I do not have a very good opinion about GitHub Advanced Security. Even though it is an inline product, I'm not seeing user-friendly things in GitHub Advanced Security. Dependent bots and the secret detection are good compared to others. However, code scanning is not finding very good results based on pipeline where it will scan and do code scanning. While build, before building and deploying the code, we want to block or do an advanced model, but it is not supporting. During deployment, code scanning is not good. It is a little complicated. It is not a straightforward method we can complete. We need expertise to get the full benefit, and troubleshooting sometimes requires going through that. The security overview dashboard is not really clear. It's not showing centralized information; each repo is showing, but if you compare it with competitors, it is not that great. Mainly in the centralized dashboard, enterprise level needs to improve. A centralized way where we can get that overall view is needed, and we want that code scanning and blocking deployments based on security. There are AI improvements, but however, it is not so easy to configure. It is multiple windows we need to go through and make changes or configure that. A few things we need to enable going into settings, and a few things we can find out in security. One product where security means the security dashboard should cover everything, but it is going here and there in many places.

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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

"It ensures user passwords or sensitive information are not accidentally exposed in code or reports."

"The best features of GitHub Advanced Security are its flexibility and the multiple options it has compared to other tools."

"It is a stable solution...It is a scalable solution as it can handle new applications along with the analysis part."

"GitHub Advanced Security's secret scanning is good."

"GitHub Advanced Security uses artificial intelligence in the backend, specifically CodeQL, to analyze code and provide fewer but more reliable findings, so there are less false positives."

"The product's most valuable features are security scan, dependency scan, and cost-effectiveness."

"The initial setup was straightforward and completed in a matter of minutes."

"I have not experienced any performance or stability issues with GitHub Advanced Security."

More GitHub Advanced Security pros

"I mainly use AppScan for vulnerability scanning and database bridging."

"This solution saves us time due to the low number of false positives detected."

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

"Technical support is helpful."

"It's generally a very user-friendly tool. Anyone can easily learn how to scan"

"It is a stable solution...It is a scalable solution...The initial setup or installation of HCL AppScan is easy."

"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 use."

More HCL AppScan pros

Cons

"The customizations are a little bit difficult."

"There could be DST features included in the product."

"An area of GitHub Advanced Security that has room for improvement is customization."

"For GitHub Advanced Security, I would like to see more support for various programming languages."

"A more refined approach, categorizing and emphasizing specific vulnerabilities, would be beneficial."

"The report limitations are the main issue."

"GitHub Advanced Security should look into API security issues, which they currently do not. Additionally, open-source security vulnerabilities are not getting updated in a timely manner."

"Maybe make it compatible with more programming languages. Have a customized ruleset where the end-user can create their own rules for scanning."

More GitHub Advanced Security cons

"IBM Security AppScan needs to add performance optimization for quickly scanning the target web applications."

"I think it's a little bit complex, and that's quite a common issue with most of the IBM products."

"There is one feature called SCA, which stands for Software Composition Analysis, that could be improved."

"The product has some technical limitations."

"Currently, we are satisfied with AppScan but I am sure there are better alternatives available because this is a very old product."

"Scans become slow on large websites."

"We have experienced challenges when trying to integrate this solution with other products. When you compare it with the other SecOps products, the quality of the output is too low. It is not a new-age product. It is very outdated."

"Visibility is an issue for us. Our partners were not even aware that we had an integration with AppSense."

More HCL AppScan cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is expensive."

"The current licensing model, which relies on active commitments, poses challenges, particularly in predicting and managing growth."

"The solution is moderately priced."

"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."

"With the features, that they offer, and the support, they offer, AppScan pricing is on a higher level."

"The solution is cheap."

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

"I would rate the product's pricing a nine out of ten. The product's pricing is expensive compared to the features that they offer."

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

More HCL AppScan pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

15%

Computer Software Company

Comms Service Provider

Government

Financial Services Firm

10%

Outsourcing Company

Manufacturing Company

Construction Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	1
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	7

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

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with GitHub Advanced Security?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for GitHub Advanced Security?

I'm working with software development nowadays. As a process, we are using the dependent bot alerts and the code scanning for Java, and some of the code scanning is happening. Security secrets in c...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering GitHub Advanced Security?

Dependent bots and the secret detection are good compared to others. However, code scanning is not finding very good results based on pipeline where it will scan and do code scanning. While build, ...

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

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for HCL AppScan?

AppScan is considered more cost-effective than Veracode, although I have not updated the exact pricing details. Companies often choose based on budget constraints, with Veracode being on the higher...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 14% of the time

Snyk vs GitHub Advanced Security

Compared 10% of the time

PortSwigger Burp Suite Professional vs GitHub Advanced Security

Compared 8% of the time

Veracode vs GitHub Advanced Security

Compared 8% of the time

Sonatype Lifecycle vs GitHub Advanced Security

Compared 3% of the time

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Veracode vs HCL AppScan

Compared 7% of the time

Checkmarx One vs HCL AppScan

Compared 7% of the time

PortSwigger Burp Suite Professional vs HCL AppScan

Compared 6% of the time

SonarQube vs HCL AppScan

Compared 5% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

GitHub Advanced Security

September 2026

Download GitHub Advanced Security product report

Buyer's Guide

HCL AppScan

September 2026

Download HCL AppScan product report

Also Known As

No data available

IBM Security AppScan, Rational AppScan, AppScan

Overview

GitHub Advanced Security secures data by scanning for vulnerabilities in dependencies, secret scanning, and protecting sensitive information. It integrates seamlessly, reducing reliance on multiple tools and optimizing vulnerability detection.

GitHub Advanced Security is designed to enhance security awareness by offering comprehensive tools for secret scanning, code analysis, and SCSS dependency checks. AI-driven features deliver accurate security insights while minimizing false positives. It provides valuable integration with Azure DevOps, maintaining control within dashboards and enabling external systems' support through APIs. With CodeQL, users can perform custom queries across projects. Propelled by Microsoft, the platform enhances operational frameworks with essential security features, although improvements are needed in dashboard consolidation, reporting, and integration mechanisms. Users seek better customizability, language support, and training resources to ensure smoother implementation.

What are the key features of GitHub Advanced Security?

Security and Dependency Scanning: Identifies vulnerabilities in code and dependencies.
Secret Scanning: Detects sensitive information exposure.
Cost-effectiveness: Reduces the need for multiple security tools.
Developer Experience: Integrates seamlessly with development environments.
Extensibility: Custom queries via CodeQL and integration support.

What benefits and ROI can users expect?

Improved Security Posture: Enhanced visibility reduces risk.
Operational Efficiency: Streamlines processes with fewer tools.
Actionable Insights: AI-driven analysis provides clear guidance.
Enhanced Collaboration: Facilitates team integration through shared dashboards.

Industries implement GitHub Advanced Security to maintain robust security standards. It is favored by technology sectors seeking seamless integration with Azure DevOps and looking for customizable security tools tailored to project needs. Financial institutions value its accurate threat detection and compliance support, while enterprises focus on its comprehensive dependency scanning and code analysis capabilities to safeguard critical assets. The adaptability of GitHub Advanced Security across different operational environments illustrates its practical benefits.

GitHub

HCL AppScan offers quick vulnerability detection with effective SDLC integration and is known for its user-friendly interface and seamless security integration.

HCL AppScan provides dynamic and static scanning to identify vulnerabilities like XSS and SQL injection. It integrates well into CI/CD pipelines, supports multiple languages, and offers web and dynamic scanning, helping businesses ensure security across development lifecycles. Users benefit from API coverage, Postman integration, and its ability to function in cloud and on-premise environments, facilitating a shift from DevOps to DevSecOps practices.

What features define HCL AppScan?

User-friendly interface: Simplifies navigation and usage.
Vulnerability detection: Quickly identifies issues like XSS and SQL injection.
Integration with SDLC: Seamlessly blends with development processes.
Dynamic scanning: Offers comprehensive security evaluations.
Multiple language support: Supports diverse programming environments.

What benefits should users consider?

Scalability: Adapts to growing needs and projects.
Low false-positive rates: Delivers accurate and reliable results.
Detailed reporting: Provides comprehensive vulnerability insights.
Effective integration: Enhances CI/CD pipeline security.

HCL AppScan is leveraged in sectors requiring rigorous security checks, such as finance and healthcare, where it conducts comprehensive scans and offers insights into potential vulnerabilities. Its robust scanning capabilities aid companies in maintaining compliance and security standards.

HCLSoftware

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

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

Buyer's Guide

GitHub Advanced Security vs. HCL AppScan

September 2026

Free Report: GitHub Advanced Security vs. HCL AppScan

Find out what your peers are saying about GitHub Advanced Security vs. HCL AppScan and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.

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