Security & Cybersecurity · head to head
Nessus vs Tenable Nessus
Nessus
Security & Cybersecurity
The most trusted vulnerability assessment solution
- 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; Tenable Nessus nessus Professional is $4,790 for one year, sold as an annual licence rather than a per scan or usage based fee
- They diverge on capability: Nessus covers Vulnerability scanning, Tenable Nessus covers Network scanning.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Nessus and Tenable Nessus actually diverge.
| Attribute | Nessus | Tenable Nessus |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Desktop, Api | Windows, Linux, Macos, Cloud |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (subscription), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Security & Cybersecurity), founded (2002).
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
- Web application scanning
- Cloud scanning
- Compliance checks
- Patch auditing
- Pre-built policies
- JIRA
Only in Tenable Nessus
- Network scanning
- Vulnerability detection
- Configuration assessment
- Compliance checking
- Cloud security assessment
- Mobile scanning
- API access
- Jira
Both cover
- Malware detection
- ServiceNow
- Splunk
- AWS
- Azure
- Google Cloud
- 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 Tenable Nessus
- Running compliance and configuration audits against a defined scopenot Tenable Nessus
Tenable Nessus
- Vulnerability scanning of servers, network devices and web applicationsnot Nessus
- Configuration and compliance auditing against hardening benchmarksnot Nessus
- Point in time assessments by consultants and penetration testersnot 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
Tenable Nessus
- Nessus Professional is $4,790 for one year, sold as an annual licence rather than a per scan or usage based fee
- Support beyond the base entitlement costs an extra $400 per year for Advanced Support with 24x365 phone and chat access
- The on demand training course is a separate $275 purchase for a single person for one year
- Multi year discounts require paying for two or three years up front
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
Tenable Nessus
Free- Nessus EssentialsFree
- Up to 16 ips
- Network scanning
- Vulnerability assessment
- Nessus Professional$2600/year
- Unlimited targets
- Enterprise features
- Advanced analytics
- Nessus Expert$5200/year
- All Professional features
- Cloud integration
- Advanced reporting
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 Tenable Nessus if
- You need network scanning.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows, Linux, Macos, Cloud.
- You also want vulnerability detection.
Questions people ask
- Is Nessus or Tenable Nessus better?
- Neither clearly leads. Nessus starts at Free and Tenable Nessus at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Nessus or Tenable Nessus?
- Nessus starts at Free and Tenable Nessus at Free.
- Does Nessus or Tenable Nessus run on more platforms?
- Nessus runs on Desktop, Api. Tenable Nessus runs on Windows, Linux, Macos, Cloud.
- 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 Tenable Nessus is typically brought in for.
- What can Nessus do that Tenable Nessus cannot?
- Nessus covers Vulnerability scanning, Configuration auditing, Web application scanning, Cloud scanning. Tenable Nessus covers Network scanning, Vulnerability detection, Configuration assessment, Compliance checking. Both handle Malware detection, ServiceNow, Splunk, AWS.