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Developer Tools · head to head

IAR Embedded Workbench vs Qualys VMDR

IAR Embedded Workbench logo

IAR Embedded Workbench

Developer Tools

Complete toolchain for embedded software development

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Qualys VMDR logo

Qualys VMDR

Cybersecurity

Cloud-delivered vulnerability management licensed per asset, using scanner appliances and a lightweight agent.

From
$3/month
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: IAR Embedded Workbench no pricing information published on product page; prospective customers directed to free trial or sales contact only; Qualys VMDR licensing is per asset and each capability is its own subscription, so patch management, endpoint detection, web application scanning, container security and policy compliance are separate line items, and the platform demonstrated in a proof of concept is rarely the platform in the quote.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which IAR Embedded Workbench and Qualys VMDR actually diverge.

Attributes where IAR Embedded Workbench and Qualys VMDR differ
AttributeIAR Embedded WorkbenchQualys VMDR
Starting priceOn request$3/month
Pricing modelquotesubscription
PlatformsWebWeb, Cloud, Api
CategoryDeveloper ToolsCybersecurity
FoundedUnknown1999

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in IAR Embedded Workbench

Nothing recorded that Qualys VMDR does not also cover.

Only in Qualys VMDR

  • Cloud Agent
  • Scanner appliances
  • Authenticated scanning
  • TruRisk scoring
  • Asset inventory
  • Patch Management
  • Cloud connectors
  • Container sensor

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

IAR Embedded Workbench

  • Embedded software development and debuggingnot Qualys VMDR
  • Compiler and linker tools for embedded systemsnot Qualys VMDR
  • Multi-architecture embedded development supportnot Qualys VMDR

Qualys VMDR

  • A hybrid workforce where scheduled network scans miss most laptops and continuous agent-based assessment is the only way to get real coveragenot IAR Embedded Workbench
  • PCI DSS external scanning where an approved scanning vendor report is a contractual requirementnot IAR Embedded Workbench
  • An estate spanning datacentre, multiple public clouds and endpoints that needs one vulnerability view rather than three toolsnot IAR Embedded Workbench
  • Organisations replacing a manual patch-verification process with agent-reported evidence that a fix actually landednot IAR Embedded Workbench

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

IAR Embedded Workbench

  • No pricing information published on product page; prospective customers directed to free trial or sales contact only
  • Pricing model not specified; customers must request quote or try free trial to understand licensing costs
  • Embedded development tools typically require expensive licenses, but specific IAR costs unavailable online

Qualys VMDR

  • Licensing is per asset and each capability is its own subscription, so patch management, endpoint detection, web application scanning, container security and policy compliance are separate line items, and the platform demonstrated in a proof of concept is rarely the platform in the quote.
  • Ephemeral cloud instances consume asset entitlement until they age out of inventory, so an autoscaling group that creates and destroys hosts hourly can burn licence capacity on machines that existed for minutes, and controlling that means tuning purge policies rather than tuning the cloud.
  • Authenticated scanning produces materially better results than unauthenticated, but it requires storing and rotating privileged credentials for every target platform, which is a security project in its own right, and teams that skip it receive reports full of unconfirmed potential findings that nobody trusts.
  • The console is a set of modules with separate interfaces, search syntaxes and report engines, so an analyst moving between vulnerability management, policy compliance and web application scanning learns each one, and cross-module reporting usually ends in a spreadsheet or a script against the API.
  • The tool surfaces findings far faster than any organisation can remediate them, and it does not solve the ownership problem: without an agreed prioritisation policy and a named owner in IT operations, a first scan producing tens of thousands of findings becomes a dashboard that everyone learns to ignore.

Pricing, plan by plan

IAR Embedded Workbench

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the IAR Embedded Workbench review.

Qualys VMDR

$3/month
  • VMDR$3/month
    • Per asset
    • Vulnerability scanning
    • Detection
  • VMDR+$5/month
    • All VMDR features
    • Advanced analytics
    • Cloud integration
  • VMDR Complete$7/month
    • All VMDR+ features
    • Threat intel
    • Response automation

Which should you pick?

Choose IAR Embedded Workbench if

Nothing in the data separates IAR Embedded Workbench from Qualys VMDR on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

IAR Embedded Workbench review

Choose Qualys VMDR if

  • You need cloud agent.
  • You work on Web, Cloud, Api.
  • You also want scanner appliances.
Qualys VMDR review

Questions people ask

Is IAR Embedded Workbench or Qualys VMDR better?
Neither clearly leads. IAR Embedded Workbench starts at On request and Qualys VMDR at $3/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, IAR Embedded Workbench or Qualys VMDR?
IAR Embedded Workbench starts at On request and Qualys VMDR at $3/month.
Does IAR Embedded Workbench or Qualys VMDR run on more platforms?
IAR Embedded Workbench runs on Web. Qualys VMDR runs on Web, Cloud, Api.
What is IAR Embedded Workbench best used for?
IAR Embedded Workbench is most often used for embedded software development and debugging, compiler and linker tools for embedded systems, multi-architecture embedded development support. Of those, embedded software development and debugging and compiler and linker tools for embedded systems are not what Qualys VMDR is typically brought in for.
What can IAR Embedded Workbench do that Qualys VMDR cannot?
Qualys VMDR covers Cloud Agent, Scanner appliances, Authenticated scanning, TruRisk scoring.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

IAR Embedded Workbench: How much does IAR Embedded Workbench cost?

IAR Embedded Workbench pricing is not published on the product page. Prospective customers are directed to free trials or must contact the sales team to request pricing.

Source
Qualys VMDR: Agent or scanner: which do I need?

Usually both. The agent covers endpoints and servers you control and gives continuous data; scanners cover devices you cannot install an agent on, such as network gear, printers and appliances, and provide the external perimeter view.

IAR Embedded Workbench: Does IAR Embedded Workbench offer a free trial?

Free trials are available for IAR Embedded Workbench evaluation at https://www.iar.com/embedded-development-tools/free-trials, though specific trial length and limitations are not detailed on the product page.

Source
Qualys VMDR: Does it patch as well as detect?

Yes, through the Patch Management module, which is a separate subscription using the same agent. Core VMDR detects and prioritises but does not deploy fixes.

IAR Embedded Workbench: What is the pricing model for IAR Embedded Workbench?

The pricing model is not disclosed on the product page. Customers must contact the sales team to obtain quotes and understand licensing terms.

Source
Qualys VMDR: How are assets counted for licensing?

By the number of assets in inventory, which includes cloud instances and containers depending on the modules in use. Short-lived cloud assets count until they are purged, so purge settings directly affect what you consume.

Qualys VMDR: Can I keep the data in a specific region?

Yes. Qualys operates several regional platform instances and you choose which one your subscription lives on. Moving between them later is not trivial, so decide before onboarding.

Qualys VMDR: Does it scan web applications?

Web Application Scanning is a separate module licensed per application, not part of core VMDR, and it is a dynamic scanner with the usual limits around authenticated flows in single-page applications.

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