HCL AppScan vs Rapid7 InsightAppSec comparison

HCLSoftware and Rapid7 are both solutions in the Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) category. HCLSoftware is ranked #1 with an average rating of 7.9, while Rapid7 is ranked #4 with an average rating of 7.9. HCLSoftware holds a 16.3% mindshare in DAST, compared to Rapid7’s 12.2% mindshare. Additionally, 83% of HCLSoftware users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of Rapid7 users who would recommend it.

HCL AppScan

Read 43 HCL AppScan reviews

571 Views
433 Comparison Views

83% willing to recommend

Rapid7 InsightAppSec

Read 17 Rapid7 InsightAppSec reviews

375 Views
257 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

HCL AppScan

Rapid7 InsightAppSec

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 13, 2024

HCL AppScan and Rapid7 InsightAppSec are two leading cybersecurity solutions. Rapid7 InsightAppSec seems to have the upper hand due to its superior features despite higher costs.

Features: HCL AppScan: Comprehensive scanning capabilities, integration options, and cost-effectiveness. Rapid7 InsightAppSec: Intuitive reporting features, ease of use, user-friendly interface.

Room for Improvement: HCL AppScan: Better reporting, more frequent updates, improved deployment process. Rapid7 InsightAppSec: Better API, improved technical support responsiveness, less areas for enhancement.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: HCL AppScan: Complicated deployment process, mixed customer service reviews. Rapid7 InsightAppSec: Smoother deployment, superior customer service.

Pricing and ROI: HCL AppScan: Cost-effective, good ROI. Rapid7 InsightAppSec: Higher upfront costs justified by richer feature set, higher perceived value.

To learn more, read our detailed HCL AppScan vs. Rapid7 InsightAppSec Report (Updated: March 2025).

Buyer's Guide

HCL AppScan vs. Rapid7 InsightAppSec

March 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

HCL AppScan

Ranking in Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)

1st

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Security Tools (14th), Static Application Security Testing (SAST) (10th)

Rapid7 InsightAppSec

Ranking in Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)

4th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) category, the mindshare of HCL AppScan is 16.3%, down from 27.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Rapid7 InsightAppSec is 12.2%, down from 13.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)

Featured Reviews

Rishi Anupam

Senior Manager at Airtel

A stable and scalable scanning solution with good reporting feature

The solution is used for the vulnerabilities scan on the network side The reporting part is the most valuable feature. The penetration testing feature should be included. I have been using the solution for four years. It is a stable solution. I rate it seven out of ten. It is a scalable…

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Krzysztof Witko

IT Security Engineer at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees

Automated authorization streamlines security processes

The previous product, AppSpyder, had a virtual patching module where we could generate patches for third-party web application firewalls, such as Imperva or F5. Currently, InsightAppSec lacks similar functionality. Customers must wait for remediation during the developers' preparation of a new version. Virtual patching could help protect web pages shortly after finishing the scan process.

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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

"We are now deploying less defects to production."

"It highlights, with several grades of severity, the types of vulnerabilities, so we can focus on the most severe security vulnerabilities in the code."

"It was easy to set up."

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

"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."

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

"I like the recording feature."

"The product has valuable features for static and dynamic testing."

More HCL AppScan pros

"It is a very robust solution."

"The automatic automation of the automated authorization to the SCANNET environment is valuable."

"The initial setup for us was easy enough. We didn't face too many issues. Deployment took maybe 30 minutes. It's quite quick and doesn't cause too much trouble at the outset."

"The most valuable feature of this solution is the graphical interface."

"We have seen measurable decrease in the mean time to respond to threats by 20 percent."

"The templates feature is very easy. You just choose the kind of attack you want on your web application, and you run it against that template and receive a report. It's great."

"The product’s most valuable feature is UI. It is easy to manage and find vulnerabilities in the application."

"In Rapid7 InsightAppSec, a distinctive feature is the provision of a CDM for integrating web servers and web applications. To establish the connection between these applications, you only need to paste the provided CDN into your metadata. Once connected, every piece of information, including vulnerabilities, can be accessed. It also offers demo sessions."

More Rapid7 InsightAppSec pros

Cons

"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."

"The solution often has a high number of false positives. It's an aspect they really need to improve upon."

"AppScan needs to improve its handling of false positives."

"The product has some technical limitations."

"The solution's scalability can be a matter of concern because one license runs on one machine only."

"There are so many lines of code with so many different categories that I am likely to get lost. "

"They have to improve support."

"The pricing has room for improvement."

More HCL AppScan cons

"The product’s pricing could be flexible."

"The dynamic scanning feature has simplified and improved the security testing process. I suggest adding a SaaS feature to the solution to support scanning SaaS applications, making it more comprehensive. It would be beneficial if the solution could also scan mobile applications. It only scans web applications and should also cover mobile applications, including firmware recommendations."

"There is room for improvement in Rapid7 InsightAppSec by giving clients the ability for extra columns on reports and enabling the extraction of remediation reports into a CSV format. Currently, the PDF format is cumbersome to go through when dealing with thousands of pages."

"The number of web applications we can scan is limited."

"The reporting feature of Rapid7 InsightAppSec needs improvement as it currently provides basic reports."

"Rapid7 InsightAppSec needs improvement in detecting phishing pages."

"In the future, if they can have integration with a lot of ticketing systems then it would be amazing."

"Currently, InsightAppSec lacks similar functionality. Customers must wait for remediation during the developers' preparation of a new version."

More Rapid7 InsightAppSec cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"HCL AppScan is expensive."

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

"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."

"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."

"The tool was expensive."

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

"The solution is cheap."

"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."

More HCL AppScan pricing and cost advice

"They offer a good price, but I don't remember its cost. It is fair as compared to the competition. We have opted for project-based licensing, not user-based. We can add any number of users. That doesn't matter. It is worth the money."

"The price of this product is very cheap."

"Its price is competitive. It is not expensive."

"I'm not sure how much it costs exactly, but I know it's expensive."

"I rate Rapid7 InsightAppSec’s pricing an eight out of ten."

"Rapid7 InsightAppSec is cheap."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

19%

Financial Services Firm

14%

Government

11%

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

16%

Financial Services Firm

14%

Manufacturing Company

12%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

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?

AppScan needs to improve its handling of false positives. It also requires enhancements in customer support, similar to what Veracode provides. Regularly scheduling calls with clients to discuss fe...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for HCL AppScan?

The primary use case for AppScan is for security purposes. I compare AppScan with other tools such as Veracode. We use AppScan for vulnerability detection and auto-remediation of vulnerabilities wi...

See all answers

What do you like most about Rapid7 InsightAppSec?

In Rapid7 InsightAppSec, a distinctive feature is the provision of a CDM for integrating web servers and web applications. To establish the connection between these applications, you only need to p...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Rapid7 InsightAppSec?

The reporting feature of Rapid7 InsightAppSec needs improvement as it currently provides basic reports. It would be beneficial if there were an option for customers to customize reports to include ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Rapid7 InsightAppSec?

We primarily use Rapid7 InsightAppSec for application security within our organization. We perform penetration testing on our in-house-built, Java-based web applications to comply with regulatory s...

See all answers

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Compared 10% of the time

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Compared 8% of the time

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Compared 8% of the time

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Compared 30% of the time

PortSwigger Burp Suite Professional vs Rapid7 InsightAppSec

Compared 14% of the time

OWASP Zap vs Rapid7 InsightAppSec

Compared 13% of the time

Acunetix vs Rapid7 InsightAppSec

Compared 9% of the time

More Rapid7 InsightAppSec Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

HCL AppScan

March 2025

Download HCL AppScan product report

Buyer's Guide

Rapid7 InsightAppSec

March 2025

Download Rapid7 InsightAppSec product report

Also Known As

IBM Security AppScan, Rational AppScan, AppScan

InsightAppSec

Overview

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

Your web applications may be complex, but your application security testing tool doesn’t need to be. InsightAppSec brings Rapid7’s proven Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) technology to the Insight platform, combining powerful application crawling and attack capabilities, flexibility in scan scope and scheduling, and accuracy in results with a modern UI, intuitive workflows, and sensible data organization. This enables you to identify XSS, SQL injection, CSRF, and other vulnerabilities with unparalleled ease. The best part? All of these capabilities are delivered via the cloud so that you’re up and running in minutes to identify the critical security risks that exist in your applications.

Rapid7

Sample Customers

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

CenterPoint Energy, CPA Australia, Hypertherm, First American Financial Corporation, Rackspace

Buyer's Guide

HCL AppScan vs. Rapid7 InsightAppSec

March 2025

Free Report: HCL AppScan vs. Rapid7 InsightAppSec

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