Compare Tenable with industry vulnerability management solutions
Visibility / Asset Coverage
Tenable actively and passively assesses systems, networks and applications to gain unmatched depth and continuous visibility of weaknesses that threaten your security posture.
Tenable offers the first and only solution to provide complete visibility of modern assets by combining web application scanning and container security into a unified, easy-to-use cyber-exposure platform.
Qualys WAS module required for web application scanning; Qualys Container Security module required for container scanning
Container scanning limited to registries
Tenable delivers comprehensive cloud security through continuous network monitoring based on active vulnerability and compliance scanning, intelligent connectors with instant asset detection, host data analysis, and agent-based scan capabilities. Specifically, Tenable.io incorporates an advanced asset identification algorithm using an extensive set of attributes to accurately track changes to assets, regardless of how they roam or how long they last.
Azure and AWS only
Tenable's ability to actively and passively analyze network traffic and connectors allows for asset discovery and vulnerability identification on critical infrastructure and embedded systems, such as ICS and SCADA.
Limited to active and agent-based scanning; no passive, non-intrusive network monitoring capabilities.
Limited to active and agent-based scanning; no passive, non-intrusive network monitoring capabilities.
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Detection Effectiveness
Tenable on-premises and cloud-based sensors provide active scanning to deliver the broadest coverage of assets and vulnerabilities in the industry. In addition, Tenable provides agent-based scanning to increase scan flexibility (support on- or off-network hosts), reduce network impact, and eliminate the need to manage credentials for vulnerability scanning. Read this research report comparing Tenable, Qualys, and Rapid7.
From IT to OT, Nessus Network Monitor which is included with SecurityCenter Continuous View and with Tenable.io, illuminates blind spots so you can see and protect your entire environment. Tenable provides a safe and non-intrusive way to discover and monitor even the most sensitive systems.
No passive network monitoring capabilities.
No passive network monitoring capabilities.
Tenable.io Container Security seamlessly and securely enables DevOps processes by providing visibility into the security of container images – including vulnerabilities, malware and policy violations – through integration with the build process.
No DevOps capabilities.
Limited DevOps code scanning in InsightAppSec platform and InsightVM. No integration with CI/CD toolchain workflow.
Tenable provides continuous visibility into the systems running in your environment, including IoT devices, for unmatched asset insight. Pre-built IoT dashboards and reports enable users to quickly assess the assets and risks they pose to their environment.
No IoT device support.
IoT support limited to Metasploit which is intrusive by nature (so problematic for sensitive Operational Technology).
Tenable provides more than 450 audit and configuration policies for a wide range of assets, including operating systems, databases, applications, network and virtual infrastructure, sensitive content and anti-virus. Tenable's audit policies have been certified by the Center for Internet Security (CIS). Read this research report comparing Tenable, Qualys, and Rapid7.
Rapid7 Nexpose has limited support for CIS Benchmarks and USGCB content for config checks. Less breadth of support across OSes and apps compared to Tenable.
Tenable maintains a world-class research team that tracks the latest vulnerabilities, Internet threats, and compliance standards to ensure our customers have the best possible detection of security issues and regulatory infractions. The Tenable research team provides frequent updates to vulnerability and threat intelligence, advanced analytics, security/compliance policies, in the form of easy to digest dashboards, reports and Assurance Report Cards.
Supports threat intelligence feeds but has less feeds and not as robust as Tenable.
Supports threat intelligence feeds but has less feeds and not as robust as Tenable.
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Automation
Tenable provides real-time network and host activity monitoring, enabling advanced analysis of vulnerability, threat, network activity, and event information to deliver a continuous view of the security exposure within an environment. The data gathered by Nessus Network Monitor and log collection engine help provide that additional context that point-in-time active scanning alone can't provide.
3 static ways: 1) Manual tagging 2) Threat Intelligence feed 3) Qualys integration with NopSec provides business/environment context. No real-time detection.
2 ways: 1) Manual tagging 2) Threat Intelligence feed. No real time detection.
Tenable’s Predictive Prioritization lets you focus on what matters and dramatically improve your remediation efficiency and effectiveness by focusing on the 3% of vulnerabilities that have been or will likely be exploited, resulting in a 97% reduction to the number of vulnerabilities that actually need to be remediated with the same impact to the attack surface.
Requires additional purchase of Threat Protection module.
2 ways: 1) Manual tagging 2) Threat Intelligence feed. No real time detection.
Tenable provides users with actionable remediation steps, where available, for identified vulnerabilities.
Requires additional purchase of Threat Protection module.
2 ways: 1) Manual tagging 2) Threat Intelligence feed. No real time detection.
Tenable provides customers access to rich vulnerability data for better visibility into their risk posture through the Assure partner ecosystem. Tenable delivers a fully documented and easy-to-use application programming interface (API) and software development kit (SDK) to help customers and partners simplify the export and import of vulnerability, asset, threat and other data. In addition, Tenable works closely with technology partners to deliver a wide range of pre-built integrations.
Less 3rd party integrations than Tenable.
Less 3rd party integrations than Tenable.
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Management and Reporting
Tenable's unique asset-based licensing is more flexible than traditional IP-based licensing - it easily accounts for dynamic assets such as containers, and eliminates the double counting that more rigid models impose.
Qualys asset-based licensing is strictly limited to Qualys' Cloud Agents
Rapid7's asset-based licensing is strictly limited to Rapid7's Insight Agents.
Tenable's portfolio includes both cloud and on-premise solutions enabling live discovery of all assets, continuous visibility into the security and exposure of those assets, context to any exposure to prioritize remediation, and strategic insight to create a metrics-driven program where Cyber Exposure is quantified and measured alongside every other business exposure.
Cloud only
Rapid7 Nexpose is on-prem only. InsightVM is a hybrid architecture of a cloud-hosted platform which requires an on-prem deployment of Nexpose.
Tenable provides the first and only solution to include management of active and passive sensors, web application scanning, and container security all in an easy-to use, unified management console.
Qualys has a centralized dashboard with their Threat Protection module, but it doesn't display web app scanning results. It is sold at an additional cost over their VM module.
With the introduction of InsightVM, Rapid7 now has a centralized console but since it augments the Nexpose console, it can't be used as a standalone solution.
Tenable offers hundreds of pre-built, highly customizable HTML5-based dashboards and reports to quickly give the visibility and context needed to take decisive action to reduce exposure and risk.
Tenable automates the assessment of technical controls from ISO/IEC 27001/27002, NIST Cybersecurity Framework, NIST SP 800-171 and CIS Critical Security Controls. Fully-customizable dashboards and reports enables user to measure, visualize, and effectively communicate adherence to these security controls.
Some compliance frameworks are supported but not as many as Tenable.
Some compliance frameworks are supported but not as many as in SCCV.
Tenable Lumin enables organizations to effectively measure and benchmark their cyber exposure and benchmark both internally and externally againstpeer organizations. To accomplish this, vulnerability data is correlated with other risk indicators, such as threat intelligence and asset criticality, to automatically score, trend and benchmark an organization’s cyber risk.
Qualys has exec reports but risk is limited to asset groups and vulnerability severity (CVSS scores)
Tenable offers a number of training and support services, including no-cost, on-demand training, instructor-led and customized training, enterprise (24/7/365) and personalized, premium technical support options, and a wide range of Professional Services from advisory workshops and quick deployment options to periodic health checks and custom services.
Qualys offers no pro services; provides only no-cost training.
Rapid7 offers implementation pro services, managed services and 24/7 advanced support but leverages consultants (non-R7 employees) for much of the work
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