Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management vs Tenable Nessus comparison

Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management vs. Tenable Nessus

December 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:

ROI

Sentiment score

4.9

Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management boosts efficiency, reduces costs, enhances security, and delivers a 95% ROI with 35% cost reduction.

Sentiment score

2.5

Tenable Nessus excels in vulnerability management, boosting security, offering cost-efficiency, and enhancing threat detection and patch deployment.

Improvements to our security infrastructure contributed to overall business growth of approximately 150 percent over the past year.

For more quotes and insights, download the Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management report

Android Developer at Droidforge

By automating tasks, it significantly reduces the human resources required, leading to increased efficiency and productivity.

reviewer2590986

Senior Manager at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees

It has reduced the number of development and scripting hours along with maintenance hours.

Curtis Nielson

Security Operations Manager at Solventum

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the Tenable Nessus report

Customer Service

Sentiment score

7.5

Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management's customer service is highly praised for its responsiveness, effectiveness, and swift problem resolution capabilities.

Sentiment score

3.8

Tenable Nessus support is knowledgeable and efficient but sometimes delayed, with high overall satisfaction despite occasional response speed issues.

The support team was knowledgeable and offered a variety of quick resolution options.

For more quotes and insights, download the Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management report

Android Developer at Droidforge

Their SMEs have sufficient knowledge, and if they are not the right contact, they quickly redirect us to someone who can help resolve issues.

Ramachandran Sugumar

Senior Information Security Engineer at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees

I would rate their customer support a ten out of ten.

reviewer2590236

Information Security Lead at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees

We received support within one to three hours.

reviewer1980765

CIO at a insurance company with 201-500 employees

Whenever any issue arises, we contact the support, and they are always there for us.

MuhammadMurtaza

Information security engineer at Cyberisk

The technical support is good yet could improve in terms of response time.

For more quotes and insights, download the Tenable Nessus report

SOC Engineer at a outsourcing company with 10,001+ employees

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

7.8

Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management excels in scalability, supporting diverse environments with numerous users, networks, and large datasets efficiently.

Sentiment score

5.6

Tenable Nessus is scalable, adaptable, and well-regarded, though larger environments may face server and cloud storage challenges.

We have about 300,000 assets installed with agents worldwide.

reviewer2590236

Information Security Lead at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees

The scalability is excellent as we manage more than one hundred thousand assets, including over one hundred thousand endpoints, approximately 2,600 servers, and more than 1,200 network devices.

Arshad N. R.

Cyber Security Specialist at UBS Financial

Qualys Cybersecurity Asset Management has proven to be a highly scalable solution for us over the past couple of years.

reviewer2593263

Manager Information Security at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management report

Whether managing 50 servers today or 500 tomorrow, performance or capacity are not hindered.

SOC Engineer at a outsourcing company with 10,001+ employees

Tenable Nessus is definitely scalable, especially for license formats designed for scalability.

For more quotes and insights, download the Tenable Nessus report

Security Center Coordinator at a comms service provider with 1-10 employees

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

7.5

Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management is stable, highly rated, with minimal issues, and appreciated for its consistent enhancements and features.

Sentiment score

5.7

Tenable Nessus is stable with reliable performance, minor update issues, occasional false positives, and rare network interference.

I would rate the stability of Qualys CSAM a ten out of ten.

Bharawaj S

IT Engineer at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees

The product stability has notably declined over the last two months, and the performance to fulfill a page request is very slow compared to its previous performance.

Christopher Mateski

SENIOR MANAGER, CYBERSECURITY THREAT, RISK & ARCHITECTURE at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees

They are constantly adding capabilities.

Scott Frederick

Director of Vulnerability Management at a insurance company with 1,001-5,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management report

We have not encountered any issues with missing network items or errors in API and webhook interactions.

For more quotes and insights, download the Tenable Nessus report

SOC Engineer at a outsourcing company with 10,001+ employees

The stability of Tenable Nessus is extraordinary.

MohammedJaffir

Founder at Cipheroot

Room For Improvement

Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management struggles with integration, configuration flexibility, tagging accuracy, and performance issues needing improvement.

Tenable Nessus needs improved reporting, integration, and user interface, along with expanded capabilities, flexible pricing, and better documentation.

Qualys is currently not able to identify assets lacking DNS information.

reviewer2589096

Senior Information Security Engineer at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees

Features enhancing the interaction with IT or security teams should be added, such as a ticketing feature that, if an issue arises in the CSAM module, enables direct ticket creation in systems like ServiceNow.

SurajTripathi

Senior Security Consultant at CyberNxt Solutions LLP

If there's one key aspect to focus on, it's discovery—the ability to identify assets that you are not aware of, even when you can see they are present.

Nicki Møller

Information Security Engineer at a manufacturing company with 5,001-10,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management report

This is Tenable's property. They want to sell Tenable Security Center, and they closed all the API capability for Tenable Nessus Professional.

Kayhan Kayihan

Co-Founder at RSU Consultancy

The documentation is not well-organized, which can be confusing when searching for solutions or specific information related to Tenable Nessus Professional.

SOC Engineer at a outsourcing company with 10,001+ employees

The product's pricing has roughly tripled within the last couple of years, making us reconsider renewing the license for the scanner.

For more quotes and insights, download the Tenable Nessus report

Security Center Coordinator at a comms service provider with 1-10 employees

Setup Cost

Qualys offers high yet flexible pricing, valued for comprehensive features and cost-effectiveness, especially when bundled with other services.

Enterprise evaluations praise Tenable Nessus for competitive pricing, though licensing flexibility issues may increase costs for larger networks.

A cost-effective solution.

Arshad Nr

Senior Security Consultant at CyberNxt Solutions LLP

I believe that the stability and reliability of Qualys offer great value for the money.

Nicki Møller

Information Security Engineer at a manufacturing company with 5,001-10,000 employees

A monthly subscription starting at approximately $72 per month, depending on the specific package and features included.

For more quotes and insights, download the Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management report

Android Developer at Droidforge

The pricing for Tenable Nessus has increased significantly, tripling over the last few years.

Security Center Coordinator at a comms service provider with 1-10 employees

Tenable Nessus's pricing is adequate if it is fully utilized.

For more quotes and insights, download the Tenable Nessus report

SOC Engineer at a outsourcing company with 10,001+ employees

My experience with the pricing, setup cost, and licensing of Tenable Nessus is that the installation is somewhat easier, but preparing the product, such as the SKU and license options, is quite tricky.

Nuki Agustino Wono

Senior Security Consultant at ITSEC Asia

Valuable Features

Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management enhances security with real-time visibility, integration, TruRisk scoring, and simplified asset and patch management.

Tenable Nessus offers comprehensive vulnerability coverage, flexible scanning, ease of use, affordable pricing, and effective integration, enhancing security management.

By correlating this with QDS scores, we can accurately assess the risk level of high or low QDS scores associated with each asset and monitor them accordingly.

reviewer2589096

Senior Information Security Engineer at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees

The most valuable feature is the real-time visibility Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management provides into all assets across our development and operational environments.

For more quotes and insights, download the Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management report

Android Developer at Droidforge

It also performs scans to identify any vulnerabilities, which helps to take proactive measures before those vulnerabilities are identified by any attacker.

reviewer2590236

Information Security Lead at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees

MohammedJaffir

Founder at Cipheroot

The scanning and reporting features are the most valuable aspects of Tenable Nessus.

SOC Engineer at a outsourcing company with 10,001+ employees

The most valuable features of Tenable Nessus include its ease of access and quick usability.

For more quotes and insights, download the Tenable Nessus report

Security Center Coordinator at a comms service provider with 1-10 employees

Categories and Ranking

Qualys CyberSecurity Asset ...

Ranking in Vulnerability Management

9th

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Patch Management (4th), Cyber Asset Attack Surface Management (CAASM) (2nd), Attack Surface Management (ASM) (2nd), Software Supply Chain Security (3rd)

Tenable Nessus

Ranking in Vulnerability Management

2nd

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Vulnerability Management category, the mindshare of Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management is 1.3%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Tenable Nessus is 5.1%, down from 10.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Vulnerability Management Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Tenable Nessus	5.1%
Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management	1.3%
Other	93.6%

Vulnerability Management

Featured Reviews

Arshad N. R.

Cyber Security Specialist at UBS Financial

Customized dashboards and quick deployment support comprehensive asset management

We use the True Risk Score for vulnerability prioritization, though we do not solely rely upon it since some assets may be decommissioned soon or not in use. From Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management, we primarily focus on internet-facing assets. We have created separate tasks for internet-facing assets and track the True Risk dashboard specifically for these assets. If the True Risk Score is higher for any internet-facing assets, then we take action accordingly. The True Risk Score is very helpful for prioritization. The initial setup was straightforward and easy. We needed to create customized tags, group them twice, and validate whether the operating system detection was true positive or false positive. We encountered some false positives, which required coordination with the IT team for verification. In six months, we had approximately 20-25 machines that needed verification on a weekly basis. We coordinated with the IT team to identify the exact operating system specifications.

Read full review

MohammedJaffir

Founder at Cipheroot

Has enabled me to reduce false positives and perform deep credential auditing with seamless integrations

I mostly use the configuration audit feature for the audit configuration as a scan policy, and I will use it for credential audit, which helps me scan credentials access such as local administrator or root access, performing a deeper and more accurate check of local configuration settings and file systems, making it a highly recommended feature. Regarding integration capabilities, we can integrate Tenable Nessus with SIM tools such as Splunk, IBM QRadar, and Azure Sentinel, as well as with ticketing systems such as ServiceNow, Jira, and Slack. There is no complexity as it is very easy to integrate everything. In terms of the reporting feature, while vulnerability scanning can throw some false positives, Tenable Nessus has very few, achieving a reduction of 75% to 80% false positives with manual analysis needed. We can generate standard Nessus reports that typically include host summaries and vulnerabilities by host and plugin, alongside solutions and remediation recommendations. The main benefits I get from Tenable Nessus are complete asset inventory and comprehensive attack surface management, allowing us to prioritize vulnerabilities based on risk, focusing on true risk and threat path analysis.

Read full review

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881,665 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

10%

Government

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Computer Software Company

10%

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	23

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	39
Midsize Enterprise	19
Large Enterprise	35

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management?

I'm not entirely sure about the pricing; I don't know.

What needs improvement with Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management?

I think the one thing Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management can do better is the package management and the updating process. Knowing that you can't update any of the packages until you've done the...

What is your primary use case for Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management?

I primarily use it for a small, single-site, multi-source setup with multi-WAN inputs. I have a main fiber connection and a couple of failovers while managing different networks across different se...

How would you choose between Rapid7 InsightVM and Tenable Nessus?

You have full visibility across cloud, network, virtual, and containerized infrastructures with Rapid7 Insight VM. You can easily prioritize vulnerabilities using attacker analytics. Overall, Rapid...

What's the difference between Tenable Nessus and Tenable.io Vulnerability Management?

Tenable Nessus is a vulnerability assessment solution that is both easy to deploy and easy to manage. The design of the program is such that if a company should desire to handle the installation t...

What do you like most about Tenable Nessus?

We have around 500 virtual machines. Therefore, we conduct monthly scans and open tickets for our developers to address identified vulnerabilities. These scans cover the servers, other network equi...

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Product Reports

Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management

January 2026

Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management report

Download Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management product report

Download Tenable Nessus product report

Tenable Nessus

January 2026

Overview

Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management provides key features including asset inventory management, end-of-life tracking, dynamic tagging, and integration with CMDB, offering extensive visibility and support for proactive threat response.

Qualys offers comprehensive visibility across hardware and software assets, aiding in tracking unauthorized applications and facilitating automated vulnerability remediation. Its user-friendly interface and dynamic risk scoring enhance security posture management. Users leverage it for vulnerability management and compliance, benefiting from real-time risk identification and efficient operations in cloud and on-premises environments.

What are the key features of Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management?

Asset Inventory Management: Provides detailed visibility over hardware and software assets.
End-of-Life Tracking: Helps identify technical debt by pinpointing outdated hardware and software.
Dynamic Tagging: Allows flexible classification and categorization of assets.
Real-Time Risk Identification: Detects risks as they arise, enhancing threat response capabilities.
CMDB Integration: Streamlines data integration for comprehensive asset insights.

What benefits should users look for in Qualys reviews?

Improved Security Posture: Enables proactive threat management and streamlined operations.
Efficient Remediation: Automates vulnerability management and patch deployment.
User-Friendly Operations: Simplifies cybersecurity operations with an intuitive interface.
Comprehensive Asset Visibility: Offers unparalleled insight into organizational assets.
Scalable Solutions: Facilitates asset tracking across cloud and on-premises environments.

Cybersecurity teams in various industries, such as financial services, healthcare, and manufacturing, utilize Qualys to manage technical debt through end-of-life tracking and facilitate robust patch management. It supports compliance and visibility initiatives, essential for maintaining data integrity and operational security in dynamic environments.

Qualys

Tenable Nessus provides an efficient vulnerability management system with swift deployment and comprehensive scanning capabilities, making it an ideal choice for organizations seeking to enhance their security posture through effective threat detection and mitigation strategies.

Renowned for its top-tier vulnerability detection, Tenable Nessus offers a robust platform that integrates effortlessly across systems, enhancing threat management through automation, real-time monitoring, and customizable scanning options. Its broad asset coverage, including network devices and applications, coupled with ease of deployment, positions it as a go-to option for risk assessment and compliance. Organizations value its extensive reporting features and database, although they suggest enhancements in reporting formats and false positive detection. A more intuitive interface, improved cloud support, and competitive pricing models are sought after to cater to evolving enterprise needs.

What are the key features of Tenable Nessus?

Comprehensive Vulnerability Detection: Identifies security gaps across systems and platforms.
Remedy Recommendations: Provides actionable insights for vulnerability fixes.
Predictive Prioritization: Helps in focusing on critical vulnerabilities first.
Seamless Integration: Compatible with diverse platforms for cohesive threat management.
Automation Capabilities: Streamlines routine scans and reports.

What benefits and ROI should users look for?

Fast Setup: Quick deployment that saves time and resources.
Cost-Effective: Affordable pricing supports budget-conscious cyber strategies.
Real-Time Monitoring: Offers continuous oversight of system health.
Extensive Reports: Detailed insights enhance decision-making processes.

In industries such as finance, healthcare, and tech, Tenable Nessus is implemented for scanning internal and external networks, identifying risks, and ensuring data protection compliance. Organizations conduct regular scans to detect security vulnerabilities in servers and databases, leveraging its capabilities to strengthen their security frameworks while managing cloud infrastructures and enterprise networks efficiently.

Tenable

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Bitbrains, Tesla, Just Eat, Crosskey Banking Solutions, Covenant Health, Youngstown State University