Acunetix vs Qualys Web Application Scanning comparison

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4,925 views|3,733 comparisons
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4,583 views|3,537 comparisons
84% willing to recommend
Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Acunetix and Qualys Web Application Scanning based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Application Security Tools solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.
To learn more, read our detailed Acunetix vs. Qualys Web Application Scanning Report (Updated: May 2024).
771,157 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"The most valuable feature of Acunetix is the UI and the scan results are simple.""Acunetix has an awesome crawler. It gives a referral site map of near targets and also goes really deep to find all the inputs without issues. This was valuable because it helped me find some files or directories, like web admin panels without authentication, which were hidden.""Acunetix is the best service in the world. It is easy to manage. It gives a lot of information to the users to see and identify problems in their site or applications. It works very well.""Picks up weaknesses in our app setups.""One of the features that I feel is groundbreaking, that I would like to see expanded on, is the IAS feature: The Interactive Application Security Testing module that gets loaded onto an application on a server, for more in-depth, granular findings. I think that is really neat. I haven't seen a lot of competitors doing that.""Overall, it's a very good tool and a very good engine.""There is a lot of documentation on their website which makes setting it up and using it quite simple.""We are able to create a report which shows the PCI DSS scoring and share it with the application teams. Then, they can correlate and see exactly what they need to fix, and why."

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"Qualys' process of updating signatures is something we really appreciate, and it's way ahead of its industry peers.""Licensing is the most valuable. Qualys provides the best licensing for companies. It is the best product for the development purposes of web applications. The product has a lot of integrations.""The feature that I have found most valuable is the progressive scan. It is good. It's done in 24 hours.""It works with many different products.""The most valuable feature is that we are able to scan the services and put credentials like a user ID password. We can verify the vulnerability level.""It combines both web application vulnerability management and internal vulnerability management on one platform and dashboard. Usually, you have to purchase separate tools.""It is easy to use.""​QualysGuard web-based scanner is very useful for performing external penetration and PCI scans from remote locations.​"

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Cons
"You can't actually change your password after you've set it unless you go back into the administration account and you change it there. Thus, if you're locked out and don't remember your password, that's a thing.""Acunetix needs to improve its cost.""It should be easier to recreate something manually, with the manual tool, because Acunetix is an automatic tool. If it finds something, it should be easier to manually replicate it. Sometimes you don't get the raw data from the input and output, so that could be improved.""There is room for improvement in website authentication because I've seen other products that can do it much better.""While we do have it integrated with other solutions, it could still offer more integrations.""Currently only supports web scanning.""I had some issues with the JSON parameters where it found some strange vulnerabilities, but it didn't alert the person using it or me about these vulnerabilities, e.g., an error for SQL injection.""Acunetix needs to be dynamic with JavaScript code, unlike Netsparker which can scan complex agents."

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"Qualys Web Application Scanning is very complex to use, and its graphical interface is not very user-friendly.""The pricing does not seem to be competitive.""There should be better visibility into the application.""There could be better management and faster scanning.""The area of false positives could be improved. There are quite a number of false positives as compared to other solutions. They could probably fine tune the algorithm to be able to reduce the number of false positives being detected.""There's a distinction between internal and external scanning processes that could be streamlined. Currently, for internal scanning, specific configurations and scanner appliances need to be deployed within the network, which differs from the simpler setup for external scans. This dual process complicates the setup for comprehensive scanning coverage.""Sometimes the response time is low because the handshake fails, and then you have to re-login and start again.""The solution needs to adjust its pricing. They should make it more affordable."

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Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "When we looked at all other vendors and what they were asking for, to provide a third of what Acunetix was capable of doing, it was an easy decision... But now that it's coming to a cost where it's line with market value, it becomes more of a competition... Acunetix is raising the cost of licensing. It's 3.5 times what we were initially quoted."
  • "Acunetix was around the same price as all the other vendors we looked at, nothing special."
  • "The pricing and licensing are reasonable to a point. In order to run multiple scans at a time, we are going to have to purchase a 100 count license, which is an overkill. Though, compared to what we were paying for, the cost seems reasonable."
  • "All things considered, I think it has a good price/value ratio."
  • "The costs aren't very expensive. It costs around $3000 or $4000."
  • "I would say that Acunetix is expensive because there are products on the market with similar features that are equally or better-priced."
  • "The pricing is a little high, and moreover, it's kind of domain-based."
  • "When compared with other products, the pricing is a little bit high. But it gives value for the price. It serves the purpose and is worthwhile for the price we pay."
  • More Acunetix Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "​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​."
  • "Try the free trial of the product to understand the basic working mechanisms.​"
  • "Qualys has an IT-based licensing based on a yearly license, which is a good way of handling it. However, in some cases, when we do the PCI scanning, the host will not like the scanning and we lose the IT license. So, this could be improved."
  • "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."
  • "Pricing was reasonable and competitive. It was not too far above the other products."
  • "The product is expensive, at least initially, in comparison to other products in this category."
  • "There are different options available with respect to licensing."
  • "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."
  • More Qualys Web Application Scanning Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:The tool's most valuable feature is scan configurations. We use it for external physical applications. The scanning time depends on the application's code.
    Top Answer:There are some versions of the solution that are not as stable as others.
    Top Answer:We use the product for dynamic analysis. It also helps us to scan web applications.
    Top Answer:The vulnerability management feature is a strong one. And also the patch management feature.
    Top Answer:From my perspective, it is a budget-friendly option. Qualys offers good value for the features and protection it provides. The pricing seems reasonable, considering the comprehensive security… more »
    Top Answer:One area for improvement is the application scan interface. Although recent updates have introduced some features, there's a gap in supporting standards beyond OWASP. Currently, there isn't an option… more »
    Ranking
    Views
    4,925
    Comparisons
    3,733
    Reviews
    6
    Average Words per Review
    291
    Rating
    8.5
    Views
    4,583
    Comparisons
    3,537
    Reviews
    8
    Average Words per Review
    369
    Rating
    8.1
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    AcuSensor
    Qualys WAS
    Learn More
    Overview

    Acunetix Web Vulnerability Scanner is an automated web application security testing tool that audits your web applications by checking for vulnerabilities like SQL Injection, Cross site scripting, and other exploitable vulnerabilities.

    Qualys Web Application Scanning (WAS) is a fully cloud-based web application security scanner. The scanner will automatically crawl periodically and test web applications to discover potential vulnerabilities, including cross-site scripting (XSS) and SQL injection. The consistent testing equips the automated service to generate consistent results, lessen false positives, and offer the ability to scale to protect thousands of websites effortlessly.

    Qualys Web Application Scanning is bundled with different scanning technology to carefully scan websites for malware infections and will send notifications to website owners to assist in preventing blacklisting and brand reputation damage. As digital transformation takes place in various organizations, Qualys WAS gives organizations the ability to track and document their web app security status through its interactive reporting capabilities.

    Qualys WAS empowers organizations to remediate any web application vulnerabilities quickly. Some of the key tools offered are:

    • Deep Scanning: All apps and APIs on your internal network and public cloud are covered by Qualys WAS deep scanning to show you any visible vulnerabilities.

    • DevSec Ops Tool: Detect security issues in your code while still in app development stages and generate comprehensive reports.

    • Comprehensive Discovery: Discover and catalog new and unknown web apps in your network.

    • Malware Detection: Scan a website, identify vulnerabilities, and receive alerts to any infections.


    Benefits of Qualys Web Application Scanning

    Qualys Web Application Scanning offers many benefits, including:

    • Quick Deployment: Requires no infrastructure or software to upkeep.

    • Effortless Scalability: Effortlessly launch a deep scan and protect thousands of websites.

    • Centralized Management: Manage and mend all web app vulnerabilities through a single interface.

    • Excellent Integration Capabilities: Integrates with Qualys Web App Firewall (WAF) for a single-click virtual patching of found vulnerabilities.

    • Respond to Threats Immediately: Qualys Continuous Monitoring offers the user a hands-free service by automatically launching scanning and sending notifications of a potential threat.

    • Cost-effective Solution: Data is analyzed in real time as Qualys WAS is an end-to-end solution; this helps avoid costs associated with managing multiple security vendors.

    Reviews from Real Users

    Qualys Web Application Scanning stands out among its competitors for a variety of reasons. Two of those reasons are its progressive scan and quick detection of vulnerabilities.

    P.K., a senior software developer at a tech vendor, writes, "The feature that I have found most valuable is the progressive scan. It is good. It's done in 24 hours."

    Nagaraj S., lead cybersecurity engineer at a tech service company, notes, "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."

    Sample Customers
    Joomla!, Digicure, Team Random, Credit Suisse, Samsung, Air New Zealand
    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.
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Financial Services Firm33%
    Computer Software Company13%
    Comms Service Provider13%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company17%
    Financial Services Firm11%
    Government9%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    REVIEWERS
    Financial Services Firm36%
    Computer Software Company14%
    Educational Organization14%
    Comms Service Provider7%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company16%
    Financial Services Firm15%
    Manufacturing Company9%
    Government8%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business42%
    Midsize Enterprise19%
    Large Enterprise38%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business22%
    Midsize Enterprise19%
    Large Enterprise59%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business19%
    Midsize Enterprise16%
    Large Enterprise66%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business18%
    Midsize Enterprise14%
    Large Enterprise68%
    Buyer's Guide
    Acunetix vs. Qualys Web Application Scanning
    May 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Acunetix vs. Qualys Web Application Scanning and other solutions. Updated: May 2024.
    771,157 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Acunetix is ranked 17th in Application Security Tools with 26 reviews while Qualys Web Application Scanning is ranked 18th in Application Security Tools with 31 reviews. Acunetix is rated 7.6, while Qualys Web Application Scanning is rated 7.8. The top reviewer of Acunetix writes "Fantastic reporting features hindered by slow scanning ". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Qualys Web Application Scanning writes "A stable solution that can be used for infrastructure vulnerability scanning and web application scanning". Acunetix is most compared with OWASP Zap, Tenable.io Web Application Scanning, PortSwigger Burp Suite Professional, HCL AppScan and Checkmarx One, whereas Qualys Web Application Scanning is most compared with OWASP Zap, Veracode, SonarQube, PortSwigger Burp Suite Professional and HCL AppScan. See our Acunetix vs. Qualys Web Application Scanning report.

    See our list of best Application Security Tools vendors and best Static Application Security Testing (SAST) 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.