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Developer Tools · head to head

JFrog Artifactory vs Qualys VMDR

JFrog Artifactory logo

JFrog Artifactory

Developer Tools

The Universal Binary Repository

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
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

  • Only JFrog Artifactory has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: JFrog Artifactory pro tier limited-time pricing at $50/month (regular rate $150/month); overages charged per GB at tiered rates; 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 JFrog Artifactory and Qualys VMDR actually diverge.

Attributes where JFrog Artifactory and Qualys VMDR differ
AttributeJFrog ArtifactoryQualys VMDR
Starting priceFree$3/month
Pricing modelusage-basedsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebWeb, Cloud, Api
CategoryDeveloper ToolsCybersecurity
FoundedUnknown1999

Identical on both: 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 JFrog Artifactory

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.

JFrog Artifactory

  • Governing AI models and agents in single source of truthnot Qualys VMDR
  • Syncing artifacts across federated repositories in multiple sitesnot Qualys VMDR
  • Blocking risky and non-compliant open-source packages proactivelynot Qualys VMDR
  • Automating source code vulnerability remediation in real-timenot Qualys VMDR
  • Collecting compliance evidence throughout software lifecyclenot 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 JFrog Artifactory
  • PCI DSS external scanning where an approved scanning vendor report is a contractual requirementnot JFrog Artifactory
  • An estate spanning datacentre, multiple public clouds and endpoints that needs one vulnerability view rather than three toolsnot JFrog Artifactory
  • Organisations replacing a manual patch-verification process with agent-reported evidence that a fix actually landednot JFrog Artifactory

Where each one falls short

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

JFrog Artifactory

  • Pro tier limited-time pricing at $50/month (regular rate $150/month); overages charged per GB at tiered rates
  • Enterprise+ plan requires custom quote; specific pricing not published
  • Consumption-based model adds unpredictability to monthly costs for variable storage needs

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

JFrog Artifactory

Free
  • Pro$50/month
    • Limited-time offer pricing (regularly $150/month)
    • 25 GB storage included monthly
    • Tiered overage pricing: $1.25 per GB at 25-1,204 GB usage
  • Enterprise X$950/month
    • 125 GB storage included
    • High availability and artifact federation
    • SSO and advanced security scanning included

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 JFrog Artifactory if

  • You want to start without paying.
JFrog Artifactory 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 JFrog Artifactory or Qualys VMDR better?
Neither clearly leads. JFrog Artifactory starts at Free and Qualys VMDR at $3/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, JFrog Artifactory or Qualys VMDR?
JFrog Artifactory has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for JFrog Artifactory and $3/month for Qualys VMDR.
Does JFrog Artifactory or Qualys VMDR run on more platforms?
JFrog Artifactory runs on Web. Qualys VMDR runs on Web, Cloud, Api.
Can I use JFrog Artifactory for free?
Yes. JFrog Artifactory has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Qualys VMDR starts at $3/month.
What is JFrog Artifactory best used for?
JFrog Artifactory is most often used for governing ai models and agents in single source of truth, syncing artifacts across federated repositories in multiple sites, blocking risky and non-compliant open-source packages proactively, automating source code vulnerability remediation in real-time. Of those, governing ai models and agents in single source of truth and syncing artifacts across federated repositories in multiple sites are not what Qualys VMDR is typically brought in for.
What can JFrog Artifactory do that Qualys VMDR cannot?
Qualys VMDR covers Cloud Agent, Scanner appliances, Authenticated scanning, TruRisk scoring.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

JFrog Artifactory: How much does JFrog Artifactory cost?

JFrog Artifactory Pro is currently $50 per month (limited-time rate; regular $150/month) with 25 GB included and $1.25 per GB for overages. Enterprise X starts at $950 per month with 125 GB included. Enterprise+ plans use custom pricing available through sales.

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.

JFrog Artifactory: What are JFrog's data storage limits?

JFrog Artifactory charges based on consumption: Pro includes 25 GB monthly with tiered overage costs ($1.25/GB at 25-1,204 GB, $1.00/GB at 1,204-2,024 GB, $0.75/GB above 2,024 GB). Enterprise X includes 125 GB with similar tiered overages for additional storage.

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.

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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