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Cybersecurity · head to head

Tenable Nessus vs Veracode

Tenable Nessus logo

Tenable Nessus

Cybersecurity

Network vulnerability scanner

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Veracode logo

Veracode

Cybersecurity

Application risk management platform for finding and fixing software vulnerabilities.

From
On request
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: Tenable Nessus nessus Professional is $4,790 for one year, sold as an annual licence rather than a per scan or usage based fee; Veracode no public pricing; customers must request a demo and custom quote.
  • They diverge on capability: Tenable Nessus covers Network scanning, Veracode covers Static analysis (SAST).
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Tenable Nessus and Veracode differ
AttributeTenable NessusVeracode
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWindows, Linux, Macos, Cloudweb, api
Founded2002Unknown

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 Tenable Nessus

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

Only in Veracode

  • Static analysis (SAST)
  • Dynamic analysis (DAST)
  • Software composition analysis
  • AI-driven code remediation
  • Container security
  • Risk Manager (ASPM)

What people use each for

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

Tenable Nessus

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

Veracode

  • Scanning applications for vulnerabilities across the SDLCnot Tenable Nessus
  • Automating remediation of flagged security flaws with AInot Tenable Nessus
  • Securing containerized workloads before deploymentnot Tenable Nessus
  • Running penetration tests as a managed servicenot Tenable Nessus
  • Enforcing security policy governance across many applicationsnot Tenable Nessus

Where each one falls short

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

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

Veracode

  • No public pricing; customers must request a demo and custom quote.
  • Full platform capability spans many modules, which can require significant onboarding.
  • Package Firewall and PTaaS are separate add-ons rather than included by default.
  • Primarily built for enterprise scale, less suited to small individual projects.

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Veracode

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Veracode review.

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Veracode if

  • You need static analysis (sast).
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want dynamic analysis (dast).
Veracode review

Questions people ask

Is Tenable Nessus or Veracode better?
Neither clearly leads. Tenable Nessus starts at Free and Veracode at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Tenable Nessus or Veracode?
Tenable Nessus has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Tenable Nessus and On request for Veracode.
Does Tenable Nessus or Veracode run on more platforms?
Tenable Nessus runs on Windows, Linux, Macos, Cloud. Veracode runs on web, api.
Can I use Tenable Nessus for free?
Yes. Tenable Nessus has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Veracode starts at On request.
What is Tenable Nessus best used for?
Tenable Nessus is most often used for vulnerability scanning of servers, network devices and web applications, configuration and compliance auditing against hardening benchmarks, point in time assessments by consultants and penetration testers. Of those, vulnerability scanning of servers, network devices and web applications and configuration and compliance auditing against hardening benchmarks are not what Veracode is typically brought in for.
What can Tenable Nessus do that Veracode cannot?
Tenable Nessus covers Network scanning, Vulnerability detection, Configuration assessment, Malware detection. Veracode covers Static analysis (SAST), Dynamic analysis (DAST), Software composition analysis, AI-driven code remediation.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
Veracode: How does Veracode pricing work?

Veracode does not publish pricing on their website. Organizations must request a personalized demo or contact sales to receive quotes tailored to their specific needs and usage volume.

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
Veracode: Does Veracode offer a free trial or free version?

No information about free trials or free versions is provided on Veracode's public website. Organizations must contact sales to discuss trial options.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Tenable Nessus: How frequently are Nessus plugins updated?

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

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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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