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Cybersecurity · head to head

Qualys VMDR vs SysCloud

Qualys VMDR logo

Qualys VMDR

Cybersecurity

Cloud-delivered vulnerability management licensed per asset, using scanner appliances and a lightweight agent.

From
$3/month
Free plan
No
Visit Qualys VMDRFull review
SysCloud logo

SysCloud

Backup

Backup and security for Google Workspace and Microsoft 365

From
$4/month
Free plan
No
Visit SysCloudFull review

The short version

  • Qualys VMDR starts at $3/mo, SysCloud at $4/mo.
  • Only Qualys VMDR lists cloud Agent; only SysCloud lists automated backup.
  • Where SysCloud falls short: does not backup all Google Workspace data, such as Google Chat information.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Qualys VMDR and SysCloud actually diverge.

Attributes where Qualys VMDR and SysCloud differ
AttributeQualys VMDRSysCloud
Starting price$3/month$4/month
PlatformsWeb, APIWeb
CategoryCybersecurityBackup
Founded19992013

Identical on both: free tier (No).

Not yet recorded: pricing model for SysCloud.

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 Qualys VMDR

  • Cloud Agent
  • Scanner appliances
  • Authenticated scanning
  • TruRisk scoring
  • Asset inventory
  • Patch Management
  • Cloud connectors
  • Container sensor

Only in SysCloud

  • Automated backup
  • Ransomware protection
  • Cross-user restore
  • Data migration
  • DLP
  • Compliance archiving
  • Google Workspace
  • Microsoft 365

What people use each for

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

Qualys VMDR

  • A hybrid workforce where scheduled network scans miss most laptops and continuous agent-based assessment is the only way to get real coveragenot SysCloud
  • PCI DSS external scanning where an approved scanning vendor report is a contractual requirementnot SysCloud
  • An estate spanning datacentre, multiple public clouds and endpoints that needs one vulnerability view rather than three toolsnot SysCloud
  • Organisations replacing a manual patch-verification process with agent-reported evidence that a fix actually landednot SysCloud

SysCloud

  • Data protectionnot Qualys VMDR
  • Disaster recoverynot Qualys VMDR
  • Business continuitynot Qualys VMDR
  • Ransomware protectionnot Qualys VMDR
  • Compliancenot Qualys VMDR

Where each one falls short

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

Qualys VMDR

  • Licensing is per asset and each capability is its own subscription, so patch management, endpoint detection, web application scanning, container security and policy compliance are separate line items, and the platform demonstrated in a proof of concept is rarely the platform in the quote
  • Ephemeral cloud instances consume asset entitlement until they age out of inventory, so an autoscaling group that creates and destroys hosts hourly can burn licence capacity on machines that existed for minutes, and controlling that means tuning purge policies rather than tuning the cloud
  • Authenticated scanning produces materially better results than unauthenticated, but it requires storing and rotating privileged credentials for every target platform, which is a security project in its own right, and teams that skip it receive reports full of unconfirmed potential findings that nobody trusts
  • The console is a set of modules with separate interfaces, search syntaxes and report engines, so an analyst moving between vulnerability management, policy compliance and web application scanning learns each one, and cross-module reporting usually ends in a spreadsheet or a script against the API
  • The tool surfaces findings far faster than any organisation can remediate them, and it does not solve the ownership problem: without an agreed prioritisation policy and a named owner in IT operations, a first scan producing tens of thousands of findings becomes a dashboard that everyone learns to ignore

SysCloud

  • Does not backup all Google Workspace data, such as Google Chat information
  • Can be slow with live data and large datasets
  • Difficult user interface for non-technical users
  • Limited backup frequency and capped storage on some plans

Pricing, plan by plan

Qualys VMDR

$3/month
  • VMDR$3/mo
    • Per asset
    • Vulnerability scanning
    • Detection
  • VMDR+$5/mo
    • All VMDR features
    • Advanced analytics
    • Cloud integration
  • VMDR Complete$7/mo
    • All VMDR+ features
    • Threat intel
    • Response automation

SysCloud

$4/month
  • Custom Plans$4/user/mo
    • Starts at $4 per user per month
    • Discounts for yearly plans
    • Bulk purchase discounts

Which should you pick?

Choose Qualys VMDR if

  • You need cloud agent.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want scanner appliances.
Qualys VMDR review

Choose SysCloud if

  • You need automated backup.
  • You also want ransomware protection.
SysCloud review

Questions people ask

Is Qualys VMDR or SysCloud better?
Neither clearly leads. Qualys VMDR starts at $3/month and SysCloud at $4/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Qualys VMDR or SysCloud?
Qualys VMDR starts at $3/month and SysCloud at $4/month.
Does Qualys VMDR or SysCloud run on more platforms?
Qualys VMDR runs on Web, API. SysCloud runs on Web.
What is Qualys VMDR best used for?
Qualys VMDR is most often used for a hybrid workforce where scheduled network scans miss most laptops and continuous agent-based assessment is the only way to get real coverage, pci dss external scanning where an approved scanning vendor report is a contractual requirement, an estate spanning datacentre, multiple public clouds and endpoints that needs one vulnerability view rather than three tools, organisations replacing a manual patch-verification process with agent-reported evidence that a fix actually landed. Of those, a hybrid workforce where scheduled network scans miss most laptops and continuous agent-based assessment is the only way to get real coverage and pci dss external scanning where an approved scanning vendor report is a contractual requirement are not what SysCloud is typically brought in for.
What can Qualys VMDR do that SysCloud cannot?
Qualys VMDR covers Cloud Agent, Scanner appliances, Authenticated scanning, TruRisk scoring. SysCloud covers Automated backup, Ransomware protection, Cross-user restore, Data migration.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Qualys VMDR: Agent or scanner: which do I need?

Usually both. The agent covers endpoints and servers you control and gives continuous data; scanners cover devices you cannot install an agent on, such as network gear, printers and appliances, and provide the external perimeter view.

SysCloud: What applications does SysCloud backup?

SysCloud backs up Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Google Classroom, Slack, HubSpot, QuickBooks Online, Salesforce, Box, and Xero with automated daily backups.

Source
Qualys VMDR: Does it patch as well as detect?

Yes, through the Patch Management module, which is a separate subscription using the same agent. Core VMDR detects and prioritises but does not deploy fixes.

SysCloud: Does SysCloud have a free trial?

Yes, SysCloud offers a 30-day free trial to evaluate the platform before committing to a paid plan.

Source
Qualys VMDR: How are assets counted for licensing?

By the number of assets in inventory, which includes cloud instances and containers depending on the modules in use. Short-lived cloud assets count until they are purged, so purge settings directly affect what you consume.

SysCloud: What is SysCloud's uptime guarantee?

SysCloud operates on AWS infrastructure with 99.99% availability, running backups 365 days per year.

Source
Qualys VMDR: Can I keep the data in a specific region?

Yes. Qualys operates several regional platform instances and you choose which one your subscription lives on. Moving between them later is not trivial, so decide before onboarding.

SysCloud: How does SysCloud detect ransomware?

SysCloud can identify files encrypted by ransomware and restore a safe version, helping protect against data loss from ransomware attacks.

Source
Qualys VMDR: Does it scan web applications?

Web Application Scanning is a separate module licensed per application, not part of core VMDR, and it is a dynamic scanner with the usual limits around authenticated flows in single-page applications.

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