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Cybersecurity · head to head

Salient CompleteView vs Tenable Nessus

Salient CompleteView logo

Salient CompleteView

Cybersecurity

Per-camera licensed video management software with unlimited client workstations

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Tenable Nessus logo

Tenable Nessus

Cybersecurity

Network vulnerability scanner

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Tenable Nessus has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Salient CompleteView the third-party integration ecosystem is much smaller than Milestone's, so a specialist analytics, LPR or access control requirement is more likely to need custom integration work.; 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: Salient CompleteView covers One licence per camera, Tenable Nessus covers Network scanning.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Salient CompleteView and Tenable Nessus actually diverge.

Attributes where Salient CompleteView and Tenable Nessus differ
AttributeSalient CompleteViewTenable Nessus
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotesubscription
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, Web, iOS, AndroidWindows, 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 Salient CompleteView

  • One licence per camera
  • Open camera support
  • Perpetual or subscription
  • Recording server architecture
  • Video wall
  • Cloud Services
  • Forensic search
  • First responder access

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.

Salient CompleteView

  • A school district where dozens of administrators and resource officers need viewing access without per-seat licencesnot Tenable Nessus
  • A hospital campus consolidating legacy recorders under one recording architecturenot Tenable Nessus
  • A city department needing first responder access to specific cameras during an incidentnot Tenable Nessus
  • An integrator deploying a mid-sized site where an enterprise VMS would be over-engineerednot Tenable Nessus

Tenable Nessus

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

Where each one falls short

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

Salient CompleteView

  • The third-party integration ecosystem is much smaller than Milestone's, so a specialist analytics, LPR or access control requirement is more likely to need custom integration work.
  • It is Windows server based with a conventional recording architecture, so it carries the server, storage and maintenance burden that cloud-native competitors remove entirely.
  • International presence is limited and the channel is concentrated in North America, so buyers elsewhere face thin support and few experienced integrators.
  • No current pricing is published; distribution list prices circulate but the actual number depends on the integrator, which makes competitive comparison slow.
  • Brand recognition is lower than the market leaders, which matters in public procurement where specifications are sometimes written around a named competitor and a substitution has to be argued.

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

Salient CompleteView

On request
  • CompleteView$undefined/one-time
    • One licence per IP camera, sold through distribution
    • No charge or licence for client workstations, unlimited clients
    • Perpetual and subscription licensing both available

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 Salient CompleteView if

  • You need one licence per camera.
  • You work on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want open camera support.
Salient CompleteView review

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.
Tenable Nessus review

Questions people ask

Is Salient CompleteView or Tenable Nessus better?
Neither clearly leads. Salient CompleteView 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, Salient CompleteView or Tenable Nessus?
Tenable Nessus has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Salient CompleteView and Free for Tenable Nessus.
Does Salient CompleteView or Tenable Nessus run on more platforms?
Salient CompleteView runs on Windows, Web, iOS, Android. 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. Salient CompleteView starts at On request.
What is Salient CompleteView best used for?
Salient CompleteView is most often used for a school district where dozens of administrators and resource officers need viewing access without per-seat licences, a hospital campus consolidating legacy recorders under one recording architecture, a city department needing first responder access to specific cameras during an incident, an integrator deploying a mid-sized site where an enterprise vms would be over-engineered. Of those, a school district where dozens of administrators and resource officers need viewing access without per-seat licences and a hospital campus consolidating legacy recorders under one recording architecture are not what Tenable Nessus is typically brought in for.
What can Salient CompleteView do that Tenable Nessus cannot?
Salient CompleteView covers One licence per camera, Open camera support, Perpetual or subscription, Recording server architecture. Tenable Nessus covers Network scanning, Vulnerability detection, Configuration assessment, Malware detection.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Salient CompleteView: Do I pay for client workstations?

No. CompleteView licenses one licence per IP camera with no additional charge or licence for clients and no limit on the number of client workstations.

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
Salient CompleteView: Is licensing perpetual or subscription?

Both are offered. Perpetual suits capital budgets; subscription suits organisations that prefer operating expenditure.

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
Salient CompleteView: Does it have a cloud option?

Yes, Salient Cloud Services, with free registration for an asset dashboard and paid upgrades for remote access, monitoring and first responder connectivity.

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
Salient CompleteView: What version is current?

CompleteView 8.0 is the current release line.

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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