Qualys VMDR vs Trivy comparison

Qualys and Aqua Security are both solutions in the Container Security category. Qualys is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.6, while Aqua Security is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.6. Qualys holds a 2.1% mindshare in Container Security, compared to Aqua Security’s 2.9% mindshare. Additionally, 94% of Qualys users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Aqua Security users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 3, 2026

Qualys VMDR and Trivy compete in the vulnerability management and container security markets. Qualys VMDR has the upper hand in extensive security management, while Trivy leads in container-focused security.

Features:Qualys VMDR provides vulnerability management, asset tracking, and patch management. It features real-time monitoring and threat prioritization. Trivy excels in container scanning, CI/CD pipeline integration, and rapid scanning, focusing on container security and being open-source.

Room for Improvement:Qualys VMDR could enhance reporting and introduce more user-friendly interfaces, improve third-party integrations, and reduce cost concerns. Trivy would benefit from enhanced reporting, faster scanning for complex images, and further UI development.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service:Qualys VMDR is adaptable but sometimes complicated to set up and has slow support response. Trivy offers simple deployment with seamless cloud integration and community-driven support, though with occasional inconsistencies.

Pricing and ROI:Qualys VMDR is valuable but expensive, best for medium to large enterprises, with high ROI in reducing vulnerabilities and compliance costs. Trivy's open-source nature provides a cost-effective solution with no licensing fees, offering integration benefits with platforms like GitLab.

To learn more, read our detailed Qualys VMDR vs. Trivy Report (Updated: June 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Qualys VMDR vs. Trivy

June 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

Qualys TotalCloud

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the Container Security category, the mindshare of Qualys TotalCloud is 1.4%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Qualys VMDR is 2.1%, down from 2.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Trivy is 2.9%, down from 5.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Container Security Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Trivy	2.9%
Qualys VMDR	2.1%
Qualys TotalCloud	1.4%
Other	93.6%

Container Security

Featured Reviews

Robert Orłowski

IT Security Expert at Alior Bank S.A.

Unified risk scoring has improved our cloud visibility and simplifies remediation priorities

Qualys TotalCloud provides unified vulnerability and threat assessment across both IAS and SaaS. This solution provides a single prioritized view of risk, which helps reduce the work I would have to do. We are no longer based on CVSS; we are based on Qualys risk scoring, which is based on CVSS plus internal findings made by Qualys, and then assigns its own score. The TruRisk insight feature has found a small number of assets with high vulnerability scores, though I am cautious since some information is classified. Qualys TotalCloud has positively impacted our bank's performance, and we have definitely seen benefits after implementing this solution.

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Vaibhav Ghule

Soc Lead & Edr Administration at Persistent Systems

Continuous risk-based monitoring has strengthened incident response and vulnerability prioritization

I haven't explored Qualys VMDR's vulnerability lifecycle automation yet. One of my analysts mentioned that queries lack grouping operators in Qualys VMDR. From my experience, I would appreciate improvements in the query options in Qualys VMDR, specifically in the query-building process where I would need more features and operators. Additionally, we have been facing issues with Qualys on the cloud level. We cannot download the configuration profile from the cloud agent, and it is showing a pending action for download. During 2025, we noticed outages of Qualys a couple of times. I want to mention that there is an issue with receiving timely RCA deliveries. While this is not necessarily about the tool, it relates to support. The support has not been very responsive, and we are receiving RCAs a little delayed whenever we raise support cases or communicate with the TAMs. Additionally, the UI has a slight latency, which I and my team have experienced. They have also reported this latency issue when navigating through different pages.

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Utsav Sharma

Senior Security Consultant at Ernst & Young

Maintain operational efficiency by detecting misconfigurations and vulnerabilities

The vulnerability scanning feature is excellent as it supports various container capabilities like Docker and Sharma. It also offers repository scanning in the source code domain, allowing pre-push code scans. The misconfiguration detection works well for CloudFormation, Docker files, and Terraform. Its compliance support, like NIST, ensures that configurations align with standards. Trivy helps me significantly detect misconfigurations missed by the ops engineers or in Terraform by the naked eye. It ensures that my deployments are free of misconfigurations and vulnerabilities.

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

"The dashboards are particularly valuable as they offer a comprehensive view of the environment, highlighting any misconfigurations."

"With TotalCloud, we can scan through the API. If we are not able to deploy cloud agents on the machine, we can use the API."

"Qualys TotalCloud has significantly improved our organization by automating our reporting processes, reducing the time spent on report creation from two hours to less than fifteen to twenty minutes."

"By integrating TotalCloud, we have significantly reduced vulnerabilities in our deployment pipeline."

"It is a cloud-native app that integrates with both IaaS and SaaS. It seamlessly integrates with other platforms."

"Qualys TotalCloud fulfills all these needs."

"I would rate Qualys TotalCloud ten out of ten."

"I would definitely recommend Qualys TotalCloud to other customers."

More Qualys TotalCloud pros

"I like Qualys because it is a very complete product, more so than Tenable."

"Great web application security for scanning."

"I like the solution's web application security for scanning, the solution is flexible with good integration."

"QualysGuard has provided us with a valuable insight into vulnerabilities across our environment."

"If you are familiar with or have hands on experience with Qualys Asset Inventory, this is a better tool, as it will give you in-depth details of all the assets and the managing inventory will be better, and it will also give you advanced features compared to those of other inventory tools."

"The reporting is fine."

"The prioritization feature is great. I think it has all of the advanced features that we need."

"Qualys VM is a really good tool for vulnerability scanning, and it has different sets of profiles that can be utilized for your own requirements."

More Qualys VMDR pros

"Overall, I would rate Trivy a ten out of ten."

"The vulnerability scanning feature is excellent as it supports various container capabilities like Docker and Sharma."

"I can see vulnerabilities in the images of any applications deployed in the Kubernetes environment or as container applications."

"What I find valuable is the ease of setup with Trivy, including pre-defined operators that require minimal configuration."

"I definitely recommend Trivy."

"Trivy is most valuable for its ability to scan all repository files and dependencies."

"Trivy's ability to scan files, images, GitHub repositories, Infrastructure as Code like Terraform, and Kubernetes is valuable."

"I appreciate Trivy for being open-source and not requiring any payment."

More Trivy pros

Cons

"The support is not up to the mark and seems to be overburdened."

"TotalCloud could improve its scanning of niche devices like Wi-Fi dongles and USB modems because they are often untested. It covers everything else, like laptops, mobile devices, and Bluetooth IoT devices. They can improve on the small IoT devices because hackers and testers use these."

"Regarding technical support from Qualys, they respond, but the response time can be too long. Sometimes we need to wait weeks for solutions to simple questions."

"Enhancing clarity regarding its compliance capabilities would be beneficial, as the current scope is limited in geographic coverage."

"The price is very expensive, actually."

"Qualys's ticketing system can be confusing when assigning tasks to individuals, and support could be improved by offering instant call solutions with engineers in addition to ticket replies."

"I would appreciate additional integration options to connect Qualys TotalCloud with our other vulnerability management tools."

"In a future release, I suggest that zero-day vulnerabilities should be predicted in advance using AI technologies. The system is not 100% secure yet, so proactive threat hunting could be enhanced to be more proactive than the current system."

More Qualys TotalCloud cons

"There needs to be better documentation."

"The tool needs to improve the adding assets and report generation features. I would like to see the policy scan of offline appliances in the product's future releases."

"Qualys doesn't have its own tool to deploy the agents all at once, so we need to use third-party tools such as BigFix or something else to deploy the agents, which is my main concern and should be fixed by the Qualys team."

"Qualys VMDR is basically susceptible to false positives, and false negatives."

"Improve the user interface."

"For a beginning, the initial setup is complex. You have to have some knowledge for setting it up and using it."

"They're still evolving their platform in terms of reporting capabilities."

"I would like to see this solution simplified to work more easily in a multi-cloud environment."

More Qualys VMDR cons

"Trivy is not scalable; however, I have scanned very large projects with it. It is stable but not scalable according to my experience."

"Currently, the container image scanning is static. A dynamic scanning capability during runtime would be a significant advantage."

"For malware detection, I need to use two tools: Trivy as my anomaly scanner and ClamAV. I am integrating these two tools into the CI pipeline. If both malware and anomaly detection could be managed by one tool, I would not need to depend on two tools. That would be my suggestion."

"Trivy can improve by providing an output in PDF format. Additionally, it takes longer to scan container images built with many layers."

"The only problem is that Trivy does not support reporting features such as generating reports in CSV, which is useful for auditing and reporting."

"The main area for improvement is in differentiating between OS and application-based vulnerabilities."

"In our CI/CD pipelines, Trivy lacks built-in functionality for report analysis."

"Trivy can improve by providing an output in PDF format."

More Trivy cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Although Qualys TotalCloud is relatively expensive due to its unique automation features, its cost-effectiveness is rated an eight out of ten, with ten being the most costly."

"TotalCloud's price is about right where I would expect it to be."

"Qualys TotalCloud offers competitive pricing given its comprehensive suite of features, including integration, assessment, remediation, and detection capabilities, all within a single platform."

"Qualys TotalCloud is expensive, but it offers a premier solution with no headaches."

"It isn't cheap, but it's reasonable. It helps us to manage things with very few resources."

"Qualys TotalCloud offers good pricing that is affordable and competitive with the market. Our partnership also provides us with additional benefits."

"I am not sure about the pricing. From what I understand, it is a bit on the higher side, but I do not have the exact numbers."

"Its price seems higher compared to other tools, but it is worth it. If they could adjust the pricing and make it comparable with other tools, that would be great."

More Qualys TotalCloud pricing and cost advice

"Qualys VM is reasonably priced."

"There are no additional fees in addition to the standard licensing fees."

"Qualys is cheaper and more affordable than other solutions."

"There is a license for the use of this solution. We pay annually instead of monthly to receive a better discount on the price."

"They have recently changed the pricing model, which is now better than it was before."

"It is a high cost product. Compared to the other solutions, it is around 15 to 20% higher in cost."

"I used to work there, so I never paid for the product. As an employee, we get a lifetime license for personal use, and that's what I'm using. It is a comprehensive platform, so there is a lot more to it. There could be other solutions that are probably a little bit cheaper, but it depends on what people need. Different people have different needs. It offers many things on the same platform. If you add all the things up, it should be cheaper, but I have not done any analysis specifically."

"An annual license for a single scanner costs around $3,000."

More Qualys VMDR pricing and cost advice

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

18%

Financial Services Firm

14%

Construction Company

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

16%

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

Government

Financial Services Firm

13%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Computer Software Company

10%

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	10
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	29

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	20
Midsize Enterprise	12
Large Enterprise	70

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	3
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	9

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Qualys TotalCloud?

The price is very expensive, actually.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Qualys TotalCloud?

Areas that need improvement in every solution include the remediation part. The remediation steps should be simple en...

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What is your primary use case for Qualys TotalCloud?

Our use case involves the assets that we have under cloud, the assets exposed to the internet, and the internal appli...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Qualys VMDR?

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing shows that we can consider both time and money saved.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Qualys VMDR?

I haven't explored Qualys VMDR's vulnerability lifecycle automation yet. One of my analysts mentioned that queries la...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Qualys VMDR?

I have some understanding about PeerSpot, and I have visited the website. PeerSpot is similar to TrustRadius. It take...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Trivy?

Trivy's marketing and awareness need improvement. Not everyone knows about it, which isn't ideal given its capabiliti...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Trivy?

I use Trivy ( /products/trivy-reviews ) to scan code for vulnerabilities before deployment. Our projects, which are d...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Trivy?

I recommend Trivy to others due to its powerful and useful features. However, I suggest increasing its marketing to r...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Uptycs vs Qualys TotalCloud

Compared 2% of the time

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Compared 4% of the time

Rapid7 Metasploit vs Qualys VMDR

Compared 3% of the time

Wiz vs Qualys VMDR

Compared 3% of the time

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JFrog Xray vs Trivy

Compared 19% of the time

Snyk vs Trivy

Compared 13% of the time

Kubescape vs Trivy

Compared 8% of the time

Wiz vs Trivy

Compared 7% of the time

Orca Security vs Trivy

Compared 2% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Qualys TotalCloud

June 2026

Download Qualys TotalCloud product report

Buyer's Guide

Qualys VMDR

June 2026

Download Qualys VMDR product report

Buyer's Guide

Trivy

May 2026

Download Trivy product report

Also Known As

Qualys TotalCloud with FlexScan

Qualys VM, QualysGuard VM, Qualys Asset Inventory, Qualys Container Security

No data available

Overview

Qualys TotalCloud enhances security posture across cloud environments with continuous monitoring, vulnerability management, and risk visualization, ensuring efficient threat assessment and automated remediation for improved cyber risk reduction.

Qualys TotalCloud offers a robust suite of security tools essential for organizations managing multi-cloud infrastructures. By integrating cloud accounts and automating workflows, it supports AWS, Azure, and GCP, offering comprehensive vulnerability management and zero-day detection. The platform's user-friendly design, combined with its extensive risk management and unified threat assessment capabilities, enables organizations to prioritize and remediate vulnerabilities effectively. TruRisk Insights provides clear insights on cyber risks, while the automation options streamline patch management and scanning processes. API integration across IaaS and SaaS environments further enhances resource allocation efficiency and saves time, addressing misconfigurations across cloud environments.

What are the most important features of Qualys TotalCloud?

Accurate Vulnerability Reports: Delivers precise and actionable insights for risk mitigation.
Zero-Day Detection: Identifies and addresses zero-day vulnerabilities proactively.
Unified Threat Assessment: Offers comprehensive evaluation of threats across the environment.
Extensive Risk Management: Manages risks effectively with advanced insights and prioritization.
Continuous Monitoring: Provides non-stop surveillance for vulnerabilities and threats.
Cloud-Native Automation: Streamlines processes and reduces manual efforts using automation.
FlexScan for Internet-Facing VMs: Scans external VMs efficiently to detect vulnerabilities.
Dashboard Risk Visualization: Clear visualization helps prioritize vulnerabilities.

What benefits and ROI should users look for?

Improved Security Posture: Enhances threat detection and response across clouds.
Time Savings: Automation reduces time spent on manual vulnerability management.
Resource Efficiency: Better allocation of resources through streamlined workflows.
Enhanced Risk Prioritization: Focus on critical vulnerabilities for effective mitigation.
Integrated Cloud Accounts: Facilitates seamless cloud management and security.

Qualys TotalCloud is deployed in sectors needing rigorous vulnerability management, such as finance and healthcare. Companies utilize it to secure multi-cloud environments like AWS, Azure, and GCP, focus on compliance, and integrate security into CI/CD pipelines to detect and remedy threats pre-deployment.

Qualys

Qualys VMDR is a comprehensive cybersecurity tool offering vulnerability management, patch management, and continuous monitoring with real-time asset discovery. It delivers scalable, cloud-based solutions that enhance security operations without additional infrastructure.

Qualys VMDR provides a robust platform for enterprise security, integrating vulnerability management, compliance, and asset inventory for full visibility across cloud and on-premises environments. It features a comprehensive dashboard with threat intelligence-driven prioritization and remediation capabilities. Users benefit from accurate assessments via agent-based scanning and appreciate the intuitive, customizable scanning and reporting interface. However, there's room for improvement in false positive reduction, UI simplification, and integration capabilities, along with enhancements in asset management for large-scale deployments and the vulnerability database. Enhancing technical support speed, patch management, compliance standards, and inter-module navigation would further enrich user experience.

What are the key features of Qualys VMDR?

Vulnerability Management: Identifies and manages security vulnerabilities across environments.
Patch Management: Ensures systems are updated with the latest patches.
Continuous Monitoring: Offers real-time insights into security posture.
Asset Discovery: Provides up-to-date asset inventory and visibility.
Threat Intelligence: Enhances prioritization and remediation processes.
Customizable Dashboard: Facilitates easier scanning and reporting through an intuitive interface.

What benefits can users expect when evaluating Qualys VMDR?

Scalability: Cloud-based deployment offers easy, cost-effective expansion.
Accurate Assessment: Agent-based scanning keeps security data current.
Enhanced Security Operations: Comprehensive features streamline vulnerability management.
Advanced Reporting: Facilitates detailed insights for better security decision-making.

Qualys VMDR is widely used in industries needing stringent security and compliance measures, offering comprehensive vulnerability and compliance management. It is deployed to secure web applications, servers, and crucial assets, supporting a wide range of sectors by ensuring policy adherence and vulnerability tracking through its powerful cloud platform.

Qualys

Trivy offers comprehensive scanning for files, images, repositories, and infrastructure. It's open-source and integrates with CI/CD for vulnerability detection and security enhancement.

Trivy scans vulnerabilities in code, Docker images, containers, and infrastructure. It integrates seamlessly into DevOps pipelines, ensuring security in dependency management and open source vulnerabilities. This tool, lightweight and open-source, provides user-friendly reports and supports continuous vulnerability database updates, fostering ease of use across operating systems. Users benefit from its scanning capabilities, covering Kubernetes, AWS credentials, and GCP service accounts, effectively identifying vulnerabilities and misconfigurations.

What are Trivy's key features?

Comprehensive Scanning: Covers files, images, repositories, infrastructure, and sensitive data.
CI/CD Integration: Easily integrates into existing pipelines for seamless security checks.
Open-Source & Lightweight: Quick setup and fast scanning capabilities ensure rapid deployment.
Continuously Updated Database: Keeps vulnerability data current for effective threat detection.
User-Friendly Reports: Generates understandable and actionable security insights.

What benefits and ROI can users expect?

Enhanced Security: Provides in-depth analysis of vulnerabilities and misconfigurations.
Ease of Use: Designed for straightforward implementation and user interaction.
Compliance Support: Assists in meeting industry security standards and regulations.
Cross-Platform Use: Effective across different operating systems, enabling wide scalability.

In industries like technology and finance, Trivy is used extensively to secure applications, perform compliance checks, and offer security metrics visualization. It addresses microservices, container systems, and Kubernetes clusters security requirements, supporting DevOps teams and enhancing codebase analysis precision.

Aqua Security

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Agrokor Group, American Specialty Health, American State Bank, Arval, Life:), Axway, Bank of the West, Blueport Commerce, BSkyB, Brinks, CaixaBank, Cartagena, Catholic Health System, CEC Bank, Cegedim, CIGNA, Clickability, Colby-Sawyer College, Commercial Bank of Dubai, University of Utah, eBay Inc., ING Singapore, National Theatre, OTP Bank, Sodexo, WebEx

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Qualys VMDR vs. Trivy

June 2026

Free Report: Qualys VMDR vs. Trivy

Find out what your peers are saying about Qualys VMDR vs. Trivy and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.

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