Software · head to head
Nessus vs Darktrace
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; Darktrace listed on UK G-Cloud at £2.50 per user per month for the Darktrace Active AI Security Platform, via reseller Bytes Software Services Limited
- They diverge on capability: Nessus covers Vulnerability scanning, Darktrace covers Self-learning AI.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Nessus and Darktrace actually diverge.
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 Darktrace
- Self-learning AI
- Network anomaly detection
- Autonomous response
- Behavioral analysis
- Threat model visualization
- Email security
- Application control
- Incident response automation
Both cover
- Splunk
- 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 Darktrace
- Running compliance and configuration audits against a defined scopenot Darktrace
Darktrace
- Threat Detectionnot Nessus
- Ndrnot Nessus
- Incident Responsenot 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
Darktrace
- Listed on UK G-Cloud at £2.50 per user per month for the Darktrace Active AI Security Platform, via reseller Bytes Software Services Limited
- Also listed on UK G-Cloud by reseller Grove Information Systems at £1,500 to £12,500 per device per month for the Malicious Network Activity Detection tool
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
Darktrace
$20000/year- Detect$20000/year
- Network anomaly detection
- AI-powered threat detection
- Compliance reporting
- Detect & Respond$35000/year
- All Detect features
- Autonomous response
- Email security
- Enterprise$50000/year
- All features
- Dedicated support
- Custom training
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 Darktrace if
- You need self-learning ai.
- You work on Network, Cloud, Email.
- You also want network anomaly detection.
Questions people ask
- Is Nessus or Darktrace better?
- Neither clearly leads. Nessus starts at Free and Darktrace at $20000/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Nessus or Darktrace?
- Nessus has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Nessus and $20000/year for Darktrace.
- Does Nessus or Darktrace run on more platforms?
- Nessus runs on Desktop, Api. Darktrace runs on Network, Cloud, Email.
- Can I use Nessus for free?
- Yes. Nessus has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Darktrace starts at $20000/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 Darktrace is typically brought in for.
- What can Nessus do that Darktrace cannot?
- Nessus covers Vulnerability scanning, Configuration auditing, Malware detection, Web application scanning. Darktrace covers Self-learning AI, Network anomaly detection, Autonomous response, Behavioral analysis. Both handle Splunk, Cloud deployment.