Qualys Web Application Scanning vs Tenable.io Web Application Scanning comparison

Qualys and Tenable are both solutions in the Application Security Tools category. Qualys is ranked #16 with an average rating of 7.7, while Tenable is ranked #21 with an average rating of 8.5. Qualys holds a 1.8% mindshare in AS, compared to Tenable’s 1.4% mindshare. Additionally, 88% of Qualys users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of Tenable users who would recommend it.

Qualys Web Application Scan...

Read 40 Qualys Web Application Scanning reviews

5,340 Views
3,364 Comparison Views

88% willing to recommend

Tenable.io Web Application ...

Read 18 Tenable.io Web Application Scanning reviews

2,839 Views
2,328 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

Qualys Web Application Scan...

Tenable.io Web Application ...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024

Qualys Web Application Scanning and Tenable.io Web Application Scanning are prominent solutions in web application security. Based on user feedback, Tenable.io seems to have an advantage due to superior features and integration capabilities, offering good value for its pricing structure.

Features: Qualys Web Application Scanning includes comprehensive security checks, detailed vulnerability reports, and a scalable pricing model adaptable to various business needs. Tenable.io Web Application Scanning is known for its high detection accuracy, robust integration with existing security systems, and advanced feature set.

Room for Improvement: Qualys users seek improved custom reporting, easier handling of complex setups, and more reporting flexibility. Tenable.io users suggest enhancing real-time scanning, providing more detailed documentation, and improving real-time operations.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Qualys provides quick deployment and seamless setup but has mixed customer service feedback. Tenable.io offers a smooth deployment process and is recognized for commendable technical support responsiveness, enhancing the overall experience.

Pricing and ROI: Qualys is valued for its cost-effective solution with significant ROI and a flexible pricing model catering to different business requirements. Tenable.io has higher pricing but users find the advanced feature set justifies the cost, leading to satisfactory ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed Qualys Web Application Scanning vs. Tenable.io Web Application Scanning Report (Updated: April 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Qualys Web Application Scanning vs. Tenable.io Web Application Scanning

April 2026

Download the complete report

Helped 893,221 peers since 2012

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 Web Application Scan...

Ranking in Application Security Tools

16th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Static Application Security Testing (SAST) (11th)

Tenable.io Web Application ...

Ranking in Application Security Tools

21st

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

5.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Application Security Tools category, the mindshare of Qualys Web Application Scanning is 1.8%, down from 2.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Tenable.io Web Application Scanning is 1.4%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Security Tools Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Qualys Web Application Scanning	1.8%
Tenable.io Web Application Scanning	1.4%
Other	96.8%

Application Security Tools

Featured Reviews

AnkitSharma13

Security Officer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

Web scanning needs improvement but offers good vulnerability detection

The downside of Qualys Web Application Scanning is that it cannot crawl automatically. If I provide an IP address and a login form, it does basic testing, but it doesn't go deep as IBM AppScan does. If Qualys Web Application Scanning could improve its crawling capability, it would be more user-friendly. Qualys Web Application Scanning does IP-level testing, requiring direct input of credentials, and can only scan a few pages to provide known generic vulnerabilities, which isn't as beneficial from my point of view. The Vulnerability Management also relies heavily on version numbers and will flag vulnerabilities based on the component version, but it doesn't check if a real fix exists, leading to flags on components that actually have workarounds available.

Read full review

Hatem Langar

Security Analyst at TOPNET

Web audits have identified vulnerabilities and now provide clear visibility into compliance gaps

We have experience with Tenable.io Web Application Scanning, and we use it as well; we have approximately ten licenses for web application scanning. We use it to find vulnerabilities, but Tenable.io Web Application Scanning does not include remediation; we remediate with other products. We use the…

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

"I have found the detection of vulnerabilities tool thorough with good results and the graphical display output to be wonderful and full of colors. It allows many types of outputs, such as bar and chart previews."

"The advantage of Qualys Web Application Scanning lies in its user-friendly dashboard and appealing reports, which are useful for presentation to leadership."

"The features of Qualys Web Application Scanning are impressive as the scan is faster and gets completed quickly, the dashboards look great, the option for scheduled scans makes it fully automated, and customizable reports can be downloaded anytime in CSV, PDF, or whichever format required."

"It's provided us with comprehensive, proactive, and automated vulnerability assessment."

"The most valuable feature is that we are able to scan the services and put credentials like a user ID password, and we can verify the vulnerability level."

"It scans web applications to identify vulnerabilities during deployment."

"Qualys WAS' most valuable features are the navigation flow of the UI and the option for a different layer of security (identification and operation through email and mobile)."

"By using QualysGuard, we are able to finish external scans with assured results in half the time."

More Qualys Web Application Scanning pros

"Our customers adopt this solution because of the replication testing and the vulnerability assessment it can do."

"It has good unified web application scanning and exposure management."

"I think Tenable.io Web Application Scanning is the best option on the market at the moment."

"It collects the vulnerabilities on the hostnames and sends them to the Tenable.io cloud. Tenable has its own cloud where Tenable.io is running, but there are many connectors to other cloud solutions. Tenable can do vulnerability scanning for other cloud managers such as Azure, Amazon, and so on."

"The most valuable feature is the reporting, which provides a good level of detail with respect to vulnerabilities."

"It collects the vulnerabilities on the hostnames and sends them to the Tenable.io cloud, and there are many connectors to other cloud solutions so Tenable can do vulnerability scanning for other cloud managers such as Azure and Amazon."

"The most valuable features of Tenable.io Web Application Scanning are the integration into specific use cases and scanning. All of the features of the solution are useful."

"Tenable provides the end analysis results covering all the published vulnerabilities and information on the market."

More Tenable.io Web Application Scanning pros

Cons

"They should try to include business logic vulnerabilities in the scanner testing."

"There could be better management and faster scanning."

"The licensing and user permissions are a little wonky for a DevOps team to use, probably because it’s traditionally an InfoSec tool."

"New features need to be added, specifically LLM-based solutions."

"It is unclear how to build automation on Qualys. We do some automation, but not fully, because working is difficult."

"I would like it to be cheaper because it is a bit expensive compared to competitors like Tenable Nessus."

"The pricing does not seem to be competitive."

"When comparing this solution to Veracode, Veracode has good interactive features and gives a clear understanding of what the vulnerabilities are, which error line of the vulnerability is on and what can be done. It gives interactive features, whereas this solution does not give a clear understanding of where or how to fix the problem."

More Qualys Web Application Scanning cons

"They have a general dashboard for web application scanning, but the dashboards and reporting can be improved."

"The solution's dashboards could be improved and made more user-friendly."

"The platform's technical support services could be better."

"The dashboard could be more user-friendly."

"The reporting has a very limited customization capability."

"I would like for them to add proxy filtering, where you can transfer and alter the package. It is fully automated. Other web application testers programs are actually proxy software, and the proxy software gives you the flexibility of modifying the outgoing package, which will actually help you in exploiting any vulnerability in detail."

"The market is standard for vulnerability scanning, however, the posture can be improved through Tenable's prioritization engine."

"Tenable.io Web Application Scanning could improve by offering faster fuzzing."

More Tenable.io Web Application Scanning cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Licensing was based on the number of assets that you want to scan on your network. You can also do licensing on subscription. On subscription, it is easier and more flexible. You tell Qualys that you want to move from the 1000 to 2000 band or the 3000 or 5000 band, then they will give you the quotation for it. Once you pay for it, applying the licensing is quite easy and effective."

"It is best to be an institutional buyer and directly contact the sales team, as they can provide over-the-top discounts for bulk orders."

"We normally purchase an annual license."

"The product pricing is fair and reasonably priced."

"The cost is $30,000 USD for one year to cover WAS (Web Application Security) and the VM (Virtual Machine) security in a company with 200 employees."

"Pricing was reasonable and competitive. It was not too far above the other products."

"Qualys WAS' pricing is competitive."

"I rate the software’s pricing a six out of ten."

More Qualys Web Application Scanning pricing and cost advice

"The pricing is okay."

"For Tenable.io Web Application Scanning, it comes to around 6,50,000 Indian rupees, plus taxes."

"It follows the same licensing scheme as Tenable.io and Tenable. sc."

"I rate the product's pricing a four out of ten."

"The application is extremely affordable. There are no additional costs involved with licensing. We switched to Tenable.io Web Application Scanning from other solutions due to pricing."

"The price of the solution is reasonable compared to the competitors. The license cost is based on the number of users and the annual usage."

"Tenable.io Web Application Scanning is expensive for small businesses."

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Application Security Tools solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

893,221 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

13%

Manufacturing Company

12%

Computer Software Company

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

15%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Computer Software Company

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	27

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	7
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	7

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Qualys Web Application Scanning?

Regarding pricing, I think for personal use, it is costly, but if organizations are ready to pay, then it is fine as they are using it.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Qualys Web Application Scanning?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Qualys Web Application Scanning?

I use Qualys Web Application Scanning, and we are using Vulnerability Management. By Vulnerability Management, I mean not TotalCloud; they have some on-premises solutions also. Patch Management and...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Tenable.io Web Application Scanning?

If there were a solution, I would like to see automation and an integrated remediation solution for vulnerability or patch management.

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Tenable.io Web Application Scanning?

I do not understand what API approach means; I do not understand this term. I think Tenable.io Web Application Scanning is the best option on the market at the moment. My review rating for this pro...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Tenable.io Web Application Scanning?

I think the price is expensive. We do not have an idea of how much we have to pay approximately, but comparing to other products, Tenable.io Web Application Scanning is expensive.

See all answers

Comparisons

Checkmarx SAST vs Qualys Web Application Scanning

Compared 7% of the time

OWASP Zap vs Qualys Web Application Scanning

Compared 7% of the time

SonarQube vs Qualys Web Application Scanning

Compared 6% of the time

PortSwigger Burp Suite Professional vs Qualys Web Application Scanning

Compared 6% of the time

ImmuniWeb vs Qualys Web Application Scanning

Compared 3% of the time

More Qualys Web Application Scanning Competitors

Acunetix vs Tenable.io Web Application Scanning

Compared 7% of the time

PortSwigger Burp Suite Professional vs Tenable.io Web Application Scanning

Compared 6% of the time

CrowdStrike Falcon Cloud Security vs Tenable.io Web Application Scanning

Compared 6% of the time

Reflectiz vs Tenable.io Web Application Scanning

Compared 5% of the time

SonarQube vs Tenable.io Web Application Scanning

Compared 4% of the time

More Tenable.io Web Application Scanning Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Qualys Web Application Scanning

April 2026

Download Qualys Web Application Scanning product report

Buyer's Guide

Application Security Tools

May 2026

Tenable.io Web Application Scanning report

Download Tenable.io Web Application Scanning product report

Also Known As

Qualys WAS

No data available

Overview

Qualys Web Application Scanning offers advanced vulnerability management, progressive scheduling, and seamless integration with DevOps environments. Its user-friendly design enables enterprises to enhance security with comprehensive scanning and detailed forensic insights.

Qualys Web Application Scanning addresses enterprise-level security challenges by providing robust solutions for vulnerability management, penetration testing, and compliance checks. While easing the navigation process, it supports risk mitigation with precise risk ratings, minimal false positives, and detailed reporting. However, it faces challenges with its complex interface, authenticated scanning, and automation features. Integrating smoothly with CI/CD pipelines, it is suitable for continuous and automated scanning, adapting to diverse company requirements.

What are the standout features of Qualys Web Application Scanning?

Progressive Scheduling: Enables efficient management of scanning activities, optimizing for time-sensitive scenarios.
Vulnerability Management: Offers robust identification and management of vulnerabilities across various applications.
Integration with DevOps: Seamlessly integrates with CI/CD pipelines, supporting rapid development cycles.
Risk Ratings: Provides precise risk assessments, crucial for prioritizing security efforts.
Engaging Dashboard: Offers an intuitive interface for navigating security tasks efficiently.

What benefits or ROI should users look for in Qualys Web Application Scanning reviews?

Scalability: Supports enterprise needs with a design adaptable to diverse security demands.
Risk Mitigation: Detailed alerts and forensic insights aid in reducing potential threats.
Comprehensive Reporting: Facilitates informed decision-making with clear, concise reports.
Penetration Testing: Enhances security assessments with ongoing evaluation capabilities.

Organizations across sectors like education, banking, and international data centers leverage Qualys Web Application Scanning for conducting penetration testing, scanning web applications, and managing vulnerabilities. It aids in audit security and compliance, identifying threats, and generating user-friendly reports, making it a valuable asset for maintaining strong security postures.

Qualys

Tenable.io Web Application Scanning delivers automated scanning and robust risk mitigation for diverse cloud environments, prioritizing security and compliance for modern organizations.

Tenable.io Web Application Scanning leverages scalable architecture for comprehensive vulnerability detection across applications and systems. It integrates with cloud services, providing an interface to analyze complex functions and enhance security. Detailed reports guide vulnerability management and ensure compliance with key standards.

What are the critical features of Tenable.io Web Application Scanning?

Priority Ratings: Streamlines risk assessment by ranking vulnerabilities based on severity.
Automated Scanning: Simplifies continuous security checks across environments.
Scalable Architecture: Ensures adaptability across expansive networks.
Cloud Integration: Supports various cloud platforms for consistent security.
Comprehensive Reporting: Offers detailed insights into vulnerabilities and risk mitigation measures.

What benefits or ROI should users expect?

Enhanced Security Posture: Strengthens defenses with thorough vulnerability analysis.
Compliance Assurance: Facilitates adherence to OWASP Top 10 and NISC standards.
Streamlined Management: Simplifies processes with a cloud-based approach.
Insightful Dashboards: Provides easy access to important security metrics.

Organizations across industries employ Tenable.io Web Application Scanning for routine vulnerability assessments, safeguarding container exposure, internal networks, and more. Dashboards and reports aid in informed decision-making, supporting comprehensive threat detection and compliance.

Tenable

Sample Customers

BskyB, Cartagena, ClearPoint Learning Systems, Connect Group, du, Fortrex Technologies, HBOR, HDI, Highlights for Children, The Lithuanian State Enterprise Centre of Registers, City of Miami Beach, Microsoft, MidlandHR, MSCI Inc., Northern Arizona University, Ofgem, Olympus Europa, PhoneFactor, RTL Nederland, ThousandEyes, VGZ Organisatie B.V.

IMDEX

Buyer's Guide

Qualys Web Application Scanning vs. Tenable.io Web Application Scanning

April 2026

Free Report: Qualys Web Application Scanning vs. Tenable.io Web Application Scanning

Find out what your peers are saying about Qualys Web Application Scanning vs. Tenable.io Web Application Scanning and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.

DOWNLOAD NOW

893,221 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our Qualys Web Application Scanning vs. Tenable.io Web Application Scanning report.

See our list of best Application Security Tools vendors.

We monitor all Application Security Tools reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.