Rapid7 Metasploit vs Tenable Vulnerability Management comparison

Rapid7 and Tenable are both solutions in the Vulnerability Management category. Rapid7 is ranked #19 with an average rating of 8.3, while Tenable is ranked #5 with an average rating of 7.9. Rapid7 holds a 1.5% mindshare in VM, compared to Tenable’s 6.3% mindshare. Additionally, 95% of Rapid7 users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of Tenable users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 9, 2024

Rapid7 Metasploit and Tenable Vulnerability Management compete in the cybersecurity landscape, offering unique advantages. Rapid7 Metasploit appears to excel in penetration testing agility, while Tenable surpasses with its extensive feature suite and comprehensive coverage.

Features: Rapid7 Metasploit is recognized for its diverse exploitation tools, adaptable modules, and strong penetration testing capabilities. Tenable Vulnerability Management provides detailed vulnerability assessments, constant monitoring, and network security integration, offering deep insights.

Room for Improvement: Rapid7 Metasploit could enhance its vulnerability management sophistication, improve its reporting capabilities, and offer more continuous monitoring features. Tenable Vulnerability Management might work on easing user interaction complexity, reducing initial setup time, and expanding its exploitation toolset.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Rapid7 Metasploit offers a simple setup with robust support for quick resolution. Tenable Vulnerability Management provides a cloud-based deployment model for easy integration, supported by strong infrastructure that ensures consistent service excellence.

Pricing and ROI: Rapid7 Metasploit is seen as cost-effective, providing significant returns due to its specialized testing capabilities. Tenable Vulnerability Management, though requiring higher initial investment, offers substantial long-term ROI through its comprehensive security features and risk assessment.

To learn more, read our detailed Rapid7 Metasploit vs. Tenable Vulnerability Management Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Rapid7 Metasploit vs. Tenable Vulnerability Management

April 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

Zafran Security

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Vulnerability Management category, the mindshare of Zafran Security is 0.6%, up from 0.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Rapid7 Metasploit is 1.5%, down from 1.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Tenable Vulnerability Management is 6.3%, down from 9.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Vulnerability Management

Featured Reviews

Israel Cavazos Landini

Associate Director IT Security Operations at a pharma/biotech company with 10,001+ employees

Weekly insights and risk analysis facilitate informed security decisions

I appreciate the weekly insights Zafran provides, which include critical topics for networks and IT security, allowing us to evaluate which insights apply to our environment. The organization score feature is valuable to keep the leadership team updated on how our infrastructure fares security-wise. The applicable risk level versus base risk level feature is beneficial because prior to Zafran, we only used the base risk level, but now understand that risk depends on the asset itself. Zafran is an excellent tool.

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AdeelAgha

Team Lead - Cyber Security & Compliance at Al Tuwairqi Group

Directly exploit vulnerabilities, is stable, and scalable

Rapid7 is able to identify vulnerabilities, but the only way to remediate them is to manually apply patches. This can be time-consuming, as evidenced by the six months it took our team to remediate vulnerabilities found in the Tenable ICS and OT security VT. To make this process easier, there should be an automated system or API to align with the PET solution, allowing systems to quickly align with it. The solution is not user-friendly and has room for improvement. I would like a feature for mobile tracking, allowing us to operate it from a mobile device or at least track it technologically, the basic functionality would be something I would like. For example, when I execute a vulnerability assessment activity, it takes around two to three days to complete all the plans. In order to track that, I would have to log into my system repeatedly. Therefore, I would like to have a feature that allows me to track it from my mobile device.

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Yogeswaran Neelagandan

Key Account Manager at Uniware

Offers risk prioritization , notification system but support should be bundled with the product cost

It's a fantastic product, but there are some things to consider. One is the price. Compared to on-prem solutions, the SaaS model can be expensive. Price is definitely a concern and needs improvement, especially for the Indian market. While it's a fantastic product, it should be more accessible to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Currently, only larger enterprises seem to be able to afford and evaluate it thoroughly. So, pricing can be improved and be more affordable for the Indian market, specifically for SMBs. Another area of improvement is customer service and support. Tenable needs to include support in the pricing/license. Currently, they push clients to get support from partners or channel distributors, who often charge a lot. Even for a simple one-time setup, they may charge three to four lakhs, and then additional annual charges for ongoing support. We have the technical skills to handle basic tasks, but relying on Tenable itself often results in just receiving emails or being redirected back to channel partners. So, support should be bundled with the product cost.

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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

"Zafran is an excellent tool."

"We are able to see the real risk of a vulnerability on our environment with our security tools."

"Zafran has become an indispensable tool in our cybersecurity arsenal."

"The tool's most useful feature for penetration testing is its automation capabilities. With the professional edition, you can upload the results from Nessus in the Rapid7 Metasploit solution portal."

"It allows us to concentrate solely on identified vulnerabilities without the hassle of additional setup."

"It contains almost all the available exploits and payloads."

"Stability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten...Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten."

"I use Rapid7 Metasploit for payload generation and Post-Exploitation."

"I don't have any other tools like it, and I always use it when I'm doing a pen test. Metasploit is a great solution for penetration testing,"

"When I compare Metasploit with Nessus, I find that Metasploit is faster and it does not burden the system as much."

"The most valuable features of the solution are the scripts, the modules, and the tools that the Rapid7 Metasploit framework has."

More Rapid7 Metasploit pros

"Tenable is user-friendly and excels in reporting."

"A new user can easily understand the workflow, even if they are creating users for other divisions and the user is a beginner."

"The solution creates vulnerability tickets within the VM profile but should also include them under the Remediation tab so the fixes can be viewed in the ticketing queue."

"The vulnerability management itself is the most valuable feature as well as references to the mitigation techniques."

"You can customize each point in new scans."

"The solution can integrate with third parties and meets standard compliance."

"The integration of Tenable into our security ecosystem was very good."

"The product is easy to use."

More Tenable Vulnerability Management pros

Cons

"Initially, we were somewhat concerned about the scalability of Zafran due to our large asset count and the substantial amount of information we needed to process."

"Rapid7 Metasploit could be made easier for new users to learn."

"Better automation capabilities would be an improvement."

"While Metasploit excels in vulnerability assessment, it could improve in vulnerability management."

"There are numerous outdated exploits in their database that should be updated."

"It is necessary to add some training materials and a tutorial for beginners."

"I would like to see more capabilities, more functions, and more features. More types of attack vectors."

"At the time I was using it, the graphical user interface needed some improvements."

"The solution is not user-friendly and has room for improvement."

More Rapid7 Metasploit cons

"The solution must be promoted more in the market."

"The solution must provide penetration testing."

"The one drawback that we have found is the reports."

"More flexibility is required compared to other solutions."

"Tenable.io Vulnerability Management could be improved with an increased number of dashboards and MSSP integration."

"AI integration for reporting in Tenable would be beneficial."

"The pricing of the solution could be more reasonable."

"The solution’s pricing could be improved."

More Tenable Vulnerability Management cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"It is expensive. Our license expired, and our company is not thinking to renew because of our budget."

"The pricing structure involves a one-time purchase cost of approximately twenty thousand dollars or euros for all customers."

"The great advantage with Rapid7 Metasploit, of course, is that it's free."

"On a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the product's pricing a six. So it's fairly priced."

"There are two versions available, one of which is the Pro version, and the other is the free version."

"I use the open-source version of this product. Pricing is not relevant."

"We pay monthly. The pricing is reasonable."

"Rapid7 Metasploit is an open-source solution."

More Rapid7 Metasploit pricing and cost advice

"I would rate the pricing a five out of ten. It is in the middle."

"Tenable charges around $40 per device."

"Tenable.io Vulnerability Management's pricing solution model isn't great."

"The total cost we pay for this solution is over 45K. This is for a large education organization."

"The tool is reasonably priced."

"Tenable.io is not known for being a cheap product."

"Compared to other VM solutions, Tenable.io Vulnerability Management is expensive."

"The product costs us around $137,000 annually for 4000 to 5000 assets."

More Tenable Vulnerability Management pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

13%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Computer Software Company

18%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Educational Organization

21%

Computer Software Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zafran Security?

I find that the pricing for Zafran aligns well with the comprehensive features it offers. The asset and user-based li...

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What needs improvement with Zafran Security?

Zafran is a new startup. Features are continuously being added or improved. 1) Continued integrations with existing (...

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What is your primary use case for Zafran Security?

We connect this to our vulnerability scanner as input, our security tools to better determine risk, and our change ma...

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What do you like most about Rapid7 Metasploit?

I use Rapid7 Metasploit for payload generation and Post-Exploitation.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Rapid7 Metasploit?

Metasploit is cheaper than Nessus and offers a more robust community edition that provides a good experience for stud...

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What needs improvement with Rapid7 Metasploit?

While Metasploit excels in vulnerability assessment, it could improve in vulnerability management. Nessus currently h...

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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 ...

See all answers

What do you like most about Tenable.io Vulnerability Management?

The tool has an easy-to-use interface.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Tenable.io Vulnerability Management?

I would suggest HP WebInspect as a better option than Tenable.io. My current client doesn't have access to it. Howeve...

See all answers

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Compared 18% of the time

Acunetix vs Rapid7 Metasploit

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Compared 11% of the time

Amazon Inspector vs Rapid7 Metasploit

Compared 9% of the time

Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management vs Rapid7 Metasploit

Compared 3% of the time

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Compared 21% of the time

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Compared 13% of the time

Amazon Inspector vs Tenable Vulnerability Management

Compared 10% of the time

Qualys VMDR vs Tenable Vulnerability Management

Compared 5% of the time

Snyk vs Tenable Vulnerability Management

Compared 4% of the time

More Tenable Vulnerability Management Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM)

May 2025

Download Zafran Security product report

Buyer's Guide

Rapid7 Metasploit

May 2025

Download Rapid7 Metasploit product report

Buyer's Guide

Tenable Vulnerability Management

April 2025

Download Tenable Vulnerability Management product report

Also Known As

No data available

Metasploit

Tenable.io

Overview

Zafran Security integrates with existing security tools to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities effectively, proving that most critical vulnerabilities are not exploitable, optimizing threat management.

Zafran Security introduces an innovative operating model for managing security threats and vulnerabilities. By leveraging the threat exposure management platform, it pinpoints and prioritizes exploitable vulnerabilities, reducing risk through immediate remediation. This platform enhances your hybrid cloud security by normalizing vulnerability signals and integrating specific IT context data, such as CVE runtime presence and internet asset reachability, into its analysis. No longer reliant on patch windows, Zafran Security allows you to manage risks actively.

What are the key features of Zafran Security?

Threat Exposure Management: Utilizes existing tools to prioritize vulnerabilities and manage threats.
Integrative Analysis: Combines security data with IT context for precise vulnerability management.
Real-time Risk Reduction: Enables immediate risk management without waiting for patches.
Hybrid Cloud Compatibility: Functions across diverse cloud environments for comprehensive security.

What benefits can users expect from Zafran Security?

Improved Security: Enhances protection by efficiently identifying and mitigating risks.
Cost Efficiency: Reduces unnecessary patching expenses by confirming non-exploitable vulnerabilities.
Time Savings: Frees developers to focus on root causes by handling immediate threats.
Comprehensive Insight: Offers a holistic view of security threats and vulnerabilities.

In industries where security is paramount, such as finance and healthcare, Zafran Security provides invaluable protection by ensuring that only exploitable vulnerabilities are addressed. It allows entities to maintain robust security measures while allocating resources efficiently, fitting seamlessly into existing security strategies.

Zafran Security

Attackers are always developing new exploits and attack methods—Metasploit penetration testing software helps you use their own weapons against them. Utilizing an ever-growing database of exploits, you can safely simulate real-world attacks on your network to train your security team to spot and stop the real thing.

Rapid7

Managed in the cloud and powered by Tenable Nessus, Tenable Vulnerability Management (formerly Tenable.io) provides the industry's most comprehensive vulnerability coverage with real-time continuous assessment of your organization. Built-in prioritization, threat intelligence and real-time insight help you understand your exposures and proactively prioritize remediations.

Tenable

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

City of Corpus Christi, Diebold, Lumenate, Nebraska Public Power District, Prairie North Regional Health, Apptio, Automation Direct, Bob's Stores, Cardinal Innovations Healthcare Solutions, Carnegie Mellon University

Global Payments AU/NZ

Buyer's Guide

Rapid7 Metasploit vs. Tenable Vulnerability Management

April 2025

Free Report: Rapid7 Metasploit vs. Tenable Vulnerability Management

Find out what your peers are saying about Rapid7 Metasploit vs. Tenable Vulnerability Management and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.

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