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Cybersecurity · head to head

RoboForm vs Tenable Nessus

RoboForm logo

RoboForm

Cybersecurity

Password manager and form filler

From
Free
Rated
-
Tenable Nessus logo

Tenable Nessus

Cybersecurity

Network vulnerability scanner

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: RoboForm free plan is restricted to a single device; syncing across multiple devices requires the Premium plan; Tenable Nessus nessus Professional is $4,790 for one year, sold as an annual licence rather than a per scan or usage based fee
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which RoboForm and Tenable Nessus actually diverge.

Attributes where RoboForm and Tenable Nessus differ
AttributeRoboFormTenable Nessus
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
PlatformsWebWindows, Linux, Macos, Cloud
FoundedUnknown2002

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 RoboForm

Nothing recorded that Tenable Nessus does not also cover.

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.

RoboForm

  • Auto-filling passwords across multiple devices and websitesnot Tenable Nessus
  • Sharing family passwords securely with household membersnot Tenable Nessus
  • Receiving alerts when credentials appear in data breachesnot Tenable Nessus
  • Granting emergency access to trusted contacts for account recoverynot Tenable Nessus
  • Enforcing multi-factor authentication across online accountsnot Tenable Nessus

Tenable Nessus

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

Where each one falls short

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

RoboForm

  • Free plan is restricted to a single device; syncing across multiple devices requires the Premium plan
  • Premium's advertised $2.49 per month rate is a first-year discount that renews at $29.88 per year
  • Family plan covers only up to 5 accounts and likewise renews at a higher $47.75 per year after the first-year discount

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

RoboForm

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited passwords on single device
    • Advanced 2FA
    • Password breach monitoring 5 emails
  • Premium$2.49/month
    • Billed annually
    • All Free features
    • Unlimited devices
  • Family$3.98/month
    • Billed annually
    • Up to 5 Premium accounts
    • 30-day money-back guarantee

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 RoboForm if

  • You want to start without paying.

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 RoboForm or Tenable Nessus better?
Neither clearly leads. RoboForm 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, RoboForm or Tenable Nessus?
RoboForm starts at Free and Tenable Nessus at Free.
Does RoboForm or Tenable Nessus run on more platforms?
RoboForm runs on Web. Tenable Nessus runs on Windows, Linux, Macos, Cloud.
Can I use RoboForm for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is RoboForm best used for?
RoboForm is most often used for auto-filling passwords across multiple devices and websites, sharing family passwords securely with household members, receiving alerts when credentials appear in data breaches, granting emergency access to trusted contacts for account recovery. Of those, auto-filling passwords across multiple devices and websites and sharing family passwords securely with household members are not what Tenable Nessus is typically brought in for.
What can RoboForm do that Tenable Nessus cannot?
Tenable Nessus covers Network scanning, Vulnerability detection, Configuration assessment, Malware detection.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

RoboForm: How much does RoboForm cost?

Premium plan is $2.49 per month when billed annually ($29.88/year renewal rate). Family plan supports up to 5 Premium accounts at $3.98 per month annual. Free plan is available with basic password management.

Source
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
RoboForm: Is there a money-back guarantee?

Yes, RoboForm offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on all paid plans.

Source
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
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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