HCL AppScan vs Polaris Platform comparison

HCLSoftware and Black Duck are both solutions in the Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) category. HCLSoftware is ranked #7 with an average rating of 7.0, while Black Duck is ranked #11 with an average rating of 8.0. HCLSoftware holds a 8.7% mindshare in DAST, compared to Black Duck’s 2.7% mindshare. Additionally, 84% of HCLSoftware users are willing to recommend the solution.

HCL AppScan

Read 44 HCL AppScan reviews

7,882 Views
2,128 Comparison Views

84% willing to recommend

Polaris Platform

Read 1 Polaris Platform review

2,333 Views
467 Comparison Views

0% willing to recommend

HCL AppScan

Polaris Platform

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 3, 2026

HCL AppScan and Polaris Platform compete in application security testing. HCL AppScan often leads with its robust support and detailed security analysis, while Polaris Platform offers superior integration and scalability.

Features: HCL AppScan provides comprehensive vulnerability detection, in-depth reporting features, and a robust security testing suite. Polaris Platform focuses on seamless integration into CI/CD pipelines, broad scalability options, and supports agile methodologies.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Polaris Platform offers cloud-based deployment, simplifying implementation and enabling dynamic scaling. HCL AppScan, historically on-premises, is moving towards flexible deployment but requires a more comprehensive setup. Polaris emphasizes ease, while AppScan is known for responsive customer support.

Pricing and ROI: HCL AppScan generally has higher initial setup costs but provides strong ROI through thorough security analysis. Polaris Platform offers competitive pricing, focusing on long-term cost-effectiveness with its integration capabilities and streamlined operations.

To learn more, read our detailed Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) Report (Updated: July 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)

July 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

HCL AppScan

Ranking in Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)

7th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

5.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Security Tools (23rd), Static Application Security Testing (SAST) (18th)

Polaris Platform

Ranking in Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)

11th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

3.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Software Composition Analysis (SCA) (18th), Static Code Analysis (11th)

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) category, the mindshare of HCL AppScan is 8.7%, down from 11.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Polaris Platform is 2.7%, up from 1.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
HCL AppScan	8.7%
Polaris Platform	2.7%
Other	88.6%

Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)

Featured Reviews

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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Alina-Eugenia Negulescu

Head of Procurement and Vendor Manger at twoday

Company consistently identifies security vulnerabilities with current solution but considers moving to a more developer-oriented tool due to complexity and costs

I wouldn't recommend it for small and medium customers, both in terms of the complexity and organizational processes and operational processes around it. I wouldn't go with Black Duck. It's not straightforward as it is with more developer-oriented and plug-and-play versions, so it requires a bit of knowledge and documentation to set it up. On the support part, in the past, we had some issues regarding the availability of the information on the knowledge portal. That was particularly due to the fact that when they integrated their knowledge hub or knowledge portal different kind of documentation, they have not adapted the text. There were circular references on the documentation that was misleading and confusing our people rather than helping them.

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

"For me, as a manager, it was the ease of use. Inserting security into the development process is not normally an easy project to do. The ability for the developer to actually use it and get results and focuses, that's what counted."

"IBM Applications Security has contributed to the maturity of our AppSec risk management program."

"The dynamic scan, the DAST tool, dynamic applications scanning and testing tool, is great."

"We catch them, we fix them, and we can offer a higher quality product to our clients."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is Postman."

"The solution is cheap."

"It has certainly helped us find vulnerabilities in our software, so this is priceless in the end."

"It was easy to set up."

More HCL AppScan pros

"We have detected security vulnerabilities, which is absolutely one big benefit."

Cons

"A desktop version should be added."

"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."

"The solution could improve by having a mobile version."

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

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

"I would like to see the roadmap for this product. We are still waiting to see it as we have only so many resources."

"One thing which I think can be improved is the CI/CD Integration"

"I think being able to search across more containers, especially some of the docker elements. We need a little tighter integration there. That's the only thing I can see at this point."

More HCL AppScan cons

"I wouldn't recommend it for small and medium customers, both in terms of the complexity and organizational processes and operational processes around it."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."

"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."

"The price is very expensive."

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

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

"I rate the product's price a seven on a scale of one to ten, where one is low, and ten is high. HCL AppScan is an expensive tool."

"HCL AppScan is expensive."

"The solution is cheap."

More HCL AppScan pricing and cost advice

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Construction Company

Manufacturing Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Construction Company

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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

No data available

Questions from the Community

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

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Polaris Platform?

In my opinion, I think that it's a very good product for mature companies. It is quite expensive compared with competitors, with other providers of similar services of application security manageme...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Polaris Platform?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Polaris Platform?

The product teams use them under supervision from the security department. I'm not extremely familiar with the details on how the product teams are using it, but I think they have integrated it int...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 8% 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

Acunetix vs HCL AppScan

Compared 5% of the time

SonarQube vs HCL AppScan

Compared 5% of the time

More HCL AppScan Competitors

Software Risk Manager ASPM vs Polaris Platform

Compared 15% of the time

Black Duck SCA vs Polaris Platform

Compared 14% of the time

Snyk vs Polaris Platform

Compared 12% of the time

Checkmarx One vs Polaris Platform

Compared 12% of the time

More Polaris Platform Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

HCL AppScan

July 2026

Download HCL AppScan product report

Buyer's Guide

Software Composition Analysis (SCA)

August 2026

Download Polaris Platform product report

Also Known As

IBM Security AppScan, Rational AppScan, AppScan

No data available

Overview

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

Polaris Platform is a cloud-native application security testing solution tailored for modern development and DevSecOps teams, integrating multiple security-analysis engines to enhance software security.

As a unified platform, Polaris consolidates static code analysis, open-source dependency scanning, and dynamic testing, offering comprehensive security assessments suited to different stages of the software development lifecycle. This approach allows for strategic, flexible security testing that aligns with specific project or application needs, seamlessly integrating into existing workflows without requiring generic scans.

What are the key features of Polaris Platform?

Static Code Analysis: Efficiently detects security vulnerabilities in the source code.
Open-source Dependency Scanning: Identifies and manages risks associated with third-party libraries.
Dynamic Testing: Simulates real-world attacks to evaluate application security in active environments.
Integrated Platform: Combines various security tools for a streamlined testing process.

What benefits should users expect from using Polaris Platform?

Enhanced Security Insight: Provides detailed, actionable reports on potential vulnerabilities.
Seamless Integration: Fits smoothly into existing development workflows, minimizing disruption.
Flexibility: Allows tailored security assessments according to project phases or requirements.

Polaris Platform implementation varies across industries, with tech companies utilizing it for securing app ecosystems, while financial sectors leverage its comprehensive testing to protect sensitive data. Healthcare providers adopt it to ensure compliance with regulations and maintain data integrity.

Black Duck

Sample Customers

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

Information Not Available

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July 2026

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