Security & Cybersecurity · head to head
Nessus vs Authy
Nessus
Security & Cybersecurity
The most trusted vulnerability assessment solution
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Authy
Security & Cybersecurity
Simple to setup, secure cloud backup, multi device support
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Nessus nessus Professional is $4,790 for one year, with no free or low cost commercial tier; Authy free consumer app with no paid tier, so there is no vendor-stated enterprise SLA or support plan on the pricing side
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Nessus and Authy actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Security & Cybersecurity).
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 Nessus
- Vulnerability scanning
- Configuration auditing
- Malware detection
- Web application scanning
- Cloud scanning
- Compliance checks
- Patch auditing
- Pre-built policies
Only in Authy
Nothing recorded that Nessus does not also cover.
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Nessus
- Scanning hosts and applications for known vulnerabilities and misconfigurationsnot Authy
- Running compliance and configuration audits against a defined scopenot Authy
Authy
No use cases recorded yet. See the Authy review.
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Nessus
- Nessus Professional is $4,790 for one year, with no free or low cost commercial tier
- Multi year terms are the only discount route, at $9,330.95 for two years and $13,637.54 for three
- It is a single user scanner, so team workflows mean migrating to another Tenable product
- Tenable One vulnerability management is priced separately, starting at $3,500 a year for 100 assets
Authy
- Free consumer app with no paid tier, so there is no vendor-stated enterprise SLA or support plan on the pricing side
- Vendor markets multi-device sync as a core feature, meaning account security depends on cloud-backed codes rather than device-only storage
Pricing, plan by plan
Nessus
Free- Nessus Essentials (Free)Free
- 16 IP addresses
- Vulnerability scanning
- Configuration auditing
- Nessus Professional$2990/year
- Unlimited IPs
- Compliance checks
- Live results
- Nessus Expert$5290/year
- All Pro features
- External attack surface
- Cloud infrastructure scanning
Authy
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Authy review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Nessus if
- You need vulnerability scanning.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Desktop, Api.
- You also want configuration auditing.
Questions people ask
- Is Nessus or Authy better?
- Neither clearly leads. Nessus starts at Free and Authy at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Nessus or Authy?
- Nessus starts at Free and Authy at Free.
- Does Nessus or Authy run on more platforms?
- Nessus runs on Desktop, Api. Authy runs on Web.
- Can I use Nessus for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Nessus best used for?
- Nessus is most often used for scanning hosts and applications for known vulnerabilities and misconfigurations, running compliance and configuration audits against a defined scope. Of those, scanning hosts and applications for known vulnerabilities and misconfigurations and running compliance and configuration audits against a defined scope are not what Authy is typically brought in for.
- What can Nessus do that Authy cannot?
- Nessus covers Vulnerability scanning, Configuration auditing, Malware detection, Web application scanning.