Security & Cybersecurity · head to head
Nessus vs Cybereason Defense Platform
Nessus
Security & Cybersecurity
The most trusted vulnerability assessment solution
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Cybereason Defense Platform
Security & Cybersecurity
AI-driven endpoint protection and detection
- From
- $50/year
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Nessus has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Nessus nessus Professional is $4,790 for one year, with no free or low cost commercial tier; Cybereason Defense Platform the pricing page names three tiers, Enterprise, Enterprise Advanced and Enterprise Complete, and publishes no figure for any of them, routing every one to a demo request
- They diverge on capability: Nessus covers Vulnerability scanning, Cybereason Defense Platform covers Next-gen antivirus.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Nessus and Cybereason Defense Platform actually diverge.
| Attribute | Nessus | Cybereason Defense Platform |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | $50/year |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Desktop, Api | Windows, Macos, Linux, Mobile |
| Founded | 2002 | 2012 |
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), 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 Cybereason Defense Platform
- Next-gen antivirus
- Endpoint detection and response
- Machine learning detection
- Behavioral analysis
- Threat hunting
- Automated remediation
- XDR integration
- Ransomware protection
Both cover
- ServiceNow
- Splunk
- On-premise deployment
- Cloud deployment
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 Cybereason Defense Platform
- Running compliance and configuration audits against a defined scopenot Cybereason Defense Platform
Cybereason Defense Platform
- Endpoint detection and response for enterprise security teamsnot Nessus
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
Cybereason Defense Platform
- The pricing page names three tiers, Enterprise, Enterprise Advanced and Enterprise Complete, and publishes no figure for any of them, routing every one to a demo request
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
Cybereason Defense Platform
$50/year- Cybereason NGAV$50/year
- Next-gen antivirus
- Machine learning detection
- Ransomware protection
- Cybereason EDR$85/year
- All NGAV features
- Endpoint detection
- Automated response
- Cybereason Complete$150/year
- All EDR features
- Managed detection
- 24/7 SOC support
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.
Choose Cybereason Defense Platform if
- You need next-gen antivirus.
- You work on Windows, Macos, Linux, Mobile.
- You also want endpoint detection and response.
Questions people ask
- Is Nessus or Cybereason Defense Platform better?
- Neither clearly leads. Nessus starts at Free and Cybereason Defense Platform at $50/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Nessus or Cybereason Defense Platform?
- Nessus has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Nessus and $50/year for Cybereason Defense Platform.
- Does Nessus or Cybereason Defense Platform run on more platforms?
- Nessus runs on Desktop, Api. Cybereason Defense Platform runs on Windows, Macos, Linux, Mobile.
- Can I use Nessus for free?
- Yes. Nessus has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Cybereason Defense Platform starts at $50/year.
- 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 Cybereason Defense Platform is typically brought in for.
- What can Nessus do that Cybereason Defense Platform cannot?
- Nessus covers Vulnerability scanning, Configuration auditing, Malware detection, Web application scanning. Cybereason Defense Platform covers Next-gen antivirus, Endpoint detection and response, Machine learning detection, Behavioral analysis. Both handle ServiceNow, Splunk, On-premise deployment, Cloud deployment.