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Cybersecurity · head to head

Omada Identity vs Tenable Nessus

Omada Identity logo

Omada Identity

Cybersecurity

Identity governance and administration focused on access certification and compliance evidence

From
On request
Rated
-
Tenable Nessus logo

Tenable Nessus

Cybersecurity

Network vulnerability scanner

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only Tenable Nessus has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Omada Identity pricing is per managed identity, so organisations with large numbers of contractors, service accounts or seasonal staff pay governance fees on identities nobody is really governing.; 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: Omada Identity covers Access certification, Tenable Nessus covers Network scanning.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Omada Identity and Tenable Nessus actually diverge.

Attributes where Omada Identity and Tenable Nessus differ
AttributeOmada IdentityTenable Nessus
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotesubscription
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWindows, Linux, Macos, Cloud
FoundedUnknown2002

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (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 Omada Identity

  • Access certification
  • Joiner mover leaver
  • Role modelling
  • Segregation of duties
  • Access request
  • Connectors

Only in Tenable Nessus

  • Network scanning
  • Vulnerability detection
  • Configuration assessment
  • Malware detection
  • Compliance checking
  • Cloud security assessment
  • Mobile scanning
  • API access

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Omada Identity

  • An organisation whose auditors flagged that access recertification is run on spreadsheets and cannot be evidencednot Tenable Nessus
  • A company with high staff turnover where leavers keep access to systems weeks after their last daynot Tenable Nessus
  • A regulated firm needing documented segregation of duties across finance and ERP entitlementsnot Tenable Nessus
  • A business that abandoned a previous multi-year IGA implementation and needs something that reaches production this yearnot Tenable Nessus

Tenable Nessus

  • Vulnerability scanning of servers, network devices and web applicationsnot Omada Identity
  • Configuration and compliance auditing against hardening benchmarksnot Omada Identity
  • Point in time assessments by consultants and penetration testersnot Omada Identity

Where each one falls short

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

Omada Identity

  • Pricing is per managed identity, so organisations with large numbers of contractors, service accounts or seasonal staff pay governance fees on identities nobody is really governing.
  • It governs access but provides no single sign-on, multi-factor authentication or privileged session management, so it is always a second or third identity subscription rather than a consolidation.
  • The fast-deployment promise depends on accepting its standard process model; organisations with genuinely unusual entitlement structures end up in custom work and the timeline advantage disappears.
  • Connector coverage is strong for mainstream enterprise systems and thin for bespoke or industry-specific applications, and each custom connector is a project with ongoing maintenance.
  • Data quality in the HR system determines whether joiner mover leaver automation works, so companies with messy HR records find the tool exposes that problem rather than solving it.

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

Omada Identity

On request
  • Omada Identity Cloud$undefined/year
    • Priced per managed identity per year
    • SaaS on Microsoft Azure with regional deployment options
    • Implementation delivered on a defined methodology, quoted separately

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 Omada Identity if

  • You need access certification.
  • You also want joiner mover leaver.

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 Omada Identity or Tenable Nessus better?
Neither clearly leads. Omada Identity starts at On request and Tenable Nessus at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Omada Identity or Tenable Nessus?
Tenable Nessus has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Omada Identity and Free for Tenable Nessus.
Does Omada Identity or Tenable Nessus run on more platforms?
Omada Identity runs on Web. Tenable Nessus runs on Windows, Linux, Macos, Cloud.
Can I use Tenable Nessus for free?
Yes. Tenable Nessus has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Omada Identity starts at On request.
What is Omada Identity best used for?
Omada Identity is most often used for an organisation whose auditors flagged that access recertification is run on spreadsheets and cannot be evidenced, a company with high staff turnover where leavers keep access to systems weeks after their last day, a regulated firm needing documented segregation of duties across finance and erp entitlements, a business that abandoned a previous multi-year iga implementation and needs something that reaches production this year. Of those, an organisation whose auditors flagged that access recertification is run on spreadsheets and cannot be evidenced and a company with high staff turnover where leavers keep access to systems weeks after their last day are not what Tenable Nessus is typically brought in for.
What can Omada Identity do that Tenable Nessus cannot?
Omada Identity covers Access certification, Joiner mover leaver, Role modelling, Segregation of duties. Tenable Nessus covers Network scanning, Vulnerability detection, Configuration assessment, Malware detection.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Omada Identity: Does it provide single sign-on?

No. Omada is governance only. You still need Entra ID, Okta or equivalent for authentication.

Tenable Nessus: What are the three Nessus offerings?

Nessus Essentials is a free introductory offering for educators, students, and career starters, limited to 16 IPs for scanning. Nessus Professional is designed for consultants and SMBs, providing unlimited IT scans across any location. Nessus Expert is the premium offering extending Professional with web application scanning, infrastructure-as-code scanning, and external attack surface assessment up to 5 domains.

Source
Omada Identity: How is it licensed?

Per managed identity per year. Count contractors and service accounts before you compare quotes, because they usually count.

Tenable Nessus: What OS platforms does Nessus support?

Nessus runs on Debian/Kali Linux, Fedora, FreeBSD, Mac OS X, Red Hat/CentOS, SUSE Linux, Ubuntu, and various Windows versions including Server 2008, 2012, and Windows 7-10.

Source
Omada Identity: How long does deployment take?

Months rather than years is the positioning, and it is achievable if you accept the standard process model. Heavy customisation returns you to traditional IGA timelines.

Tenable Nessus: Can I use Nessus to scan third-party networks as a consultant?

Yes, Tenable permits you to use Nessus to scan third-party networks. Nessus Professional is ideal for consultants.

Source
Tenable Nessus: Can Nessus perform PCI external scanning?

Yes, you can use Nessus Professional to perform external network scans as required by the PCI DSS 11.2.2 requirement.

Source
Tenable Nessus: What additional features does Nessus Expert provide?

Web application scanning, which is dynamic application security testing (DAST) providing comprehensive visibility and insight into web application security issues; scanning code repositories for vulnerabilities; and assessing external attack surface with subdomain discovery.

Source
Tenable Nessus: What support options exist for Nessus Professional?

Standard Support includes software upgrades, patches, plugin access, and 24x7 support via chat and community portal. Advanced Support adds 24x7 phone access and committed SLAs: P1 less than 2 hours, P2 less than 4 hours, P3 less than 12 hours, P4 less than 24 hours.

Source
Tenable Nessus: How frequently are Nessus plugins updated?

Nessus plugins are updated daily, based on when vendors and security research sites publish new vulnerabilities.

Source
Tenable Nessus: How does licensing work in virtual machine environments?

Whether you are using Nessus in a physical or a virtual environment, the IP addresses or hosts that you are scanning from must be licensed.

Source
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