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Cybersecurity · head to head

SentinelOne vs Tenable Nessus

SentinelOne logo

SentinelOne

Cybersecurity

Autonomous endpoint protection and response

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: SentinelOne enterprise pricing requires contacting sales; 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: SentinelOne covers AI-powered detection, Tenable Nessus covers Network scanning.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where SentinelOne and Tenable Nessus differ
AttributeSentinelOneTenable Nessus
Starting priceOn requestFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, Macos, Linux, Ios, AndroidWindows, Linux, Macos, Cloud
Founded20132002

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), 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 SentinelOne

  • AI-powered detection
  • Autonomous response
  • Behavioral threat intelligence
  • Root cause analysis
  • Threat hunting automation
  • Ransomware protection
  • Container security
  • Mobile endpoint protection

Only in Tenable Nessus

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

Both cover

  • Jira
  • ServiceNow
  • Splunk
  • ISO 27001
  • SOC2 Type 2
  • GDPR
  • Cloud deployment

What people use each for

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

SentinelOne

  • Endpoint detection and responsenot Tenable Nessus
  • AI-powered threat huntingnot Tenable Nessus
  • Cloud workload securitynot Tenable Nessus

Tenable Nessus

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

Where each one falls short

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

SentinelOne

  • Enterprise pricing requires contacting sales
  • Prices shown for 5-100 workstations may differ for larger deployments
  • Purchases must be made through authorized third-party partners

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

SentinelOne

On request
  • Singularity Complete$179.99/year
    • Per endpoint pricing
    • AI-driven endpoint and cloud workload protection
    • Real-time threat detection and response
  • Singularity Commercial$229.99/year
    • Per endpoint pricing
    • All Complete features plus Identity Detection and Response
    • 90-day data retention
  • Singularity Enterprise$null/custom
    • Per endpoint pricing
    • All Commercial features plus Agentic AI SOC Analyst
    • Full Visibility and Forensics

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 SentinelOne if

  • You need ai-powered detection.
  • You work on Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android.
  • You also want autonomous response.
SentinelOne 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 SentinelOne or Tenable Nessus better?
Neither clearly leads. SentinelOne 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, SentinelOne or Tenable Nessus?
Tenable Nessus has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for SentinelOne and Free for Tenable Nessus.
Does SentinelOne or Tenable Nessus run on more platforms?
SentinelOne runs on Windows, Macos, Linux, 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. SentinelOne starts at On request.
What is SentinelOne best used for?
SentinelOne is most often used for endpoint detection and response, ai-powered threat hunting, cloud workload security. Of those, endpoint detection and response and ai-powered threat hunting are not what Tenable Nessus is typically brought in for.
What can SentinelOne do that Tenable Nessus cannot?
SentinelOne covers AI-powered detection, Autonomous response, Behavioral threat intelligence, Root cause analysis. Tenable Nessus covers Network scanning, Vulnerability detection, Configuration assessment, Malware detection. Both handle Jira, ServiceNow, Splunk, ISO 27001.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

SentinelOne: What is SentinelOne Singularity Complete pricing?

Singularity Complete costs $179.99 per endpoint per year and includes AI-driven endpoint and cloud workload protection, real-time threat detection and response, 14-day data retention, and AI Security Assistant. Pricing shown for 5-100 workstations.

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
SentinelOne: What features distinguish SentinelOne Commercial from Complete?

Singularity Commercial costs $229.99 per endpoint per year (versus $179.99 for Complete) and adds Identity Detection and Response, 90-day data retention (compared to 14-day), and Managed Threat Hunting services.

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
SentinelOne: How does partner pricing affect SentinelOne costs?

All SentinelOne purchases are made through authorized third-party partners, and partner pricing may differ from published rates. Customers should verify pricing with their authorized reseller.

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
SentinelOne: What does SentinelOne Enterprise include?

Singularity Enterprise (custom pricing, contact sales) adds Agentic AI SOC Analyst and Full Visibility and Forensics capabilities to all Commercial features, plus expert-led onboarding and training.

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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