Cybersecurity · head to head
Tenable vs Ory Kratos
Tenable
Cybersecurity
AI-powered exposure management platform for unified security visibility
- From
- $3500/year
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Ory Kratos has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Tenable pricing starts at $3500/year for Tenable One VM, expensive for small organizations; Ory Kratos headless means you build every screen, which is significant work compared with a hosted login page
- They diverge on capability: Tenable covers Unified attack surface mapping, Ory Kratos covers Headless API.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Tenable and Ory Kratos actually diverge.
| Attribute | Tenable | Ory Kratos |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $3500/year | Free |
| Pricing model | subscription | Open-source self-hosted, with a paid managed network |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Cloud, Web | Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Self-hosted |
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
- Unified attack surface mapping
- Exposure intelligence enrichment
- Tenable Hexa AI orchestration
- Cloud Exposure (CNAPP)
- OT Exposure
- Identity Exposure
- Vulnerability Management
- Attack Surface Management
Only in Ory Kratos
- Headless API
- Self-service flows
- Multi-factor authentication
- Pluggable identity schemas
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Tenable
- Comprehensive vulnerability scanning for enterprise networksnot Ory Kratos
- Cloud security monitoring and compliance for AWS, Azure, GCPnot Ory Kratos
- Identity and access management risk assessmentnot Ory Kratos
- Operational technology security for industrial systemsnot Ory Kratos
- Attack surface management for third-party risknot Ory Kratos
Ory Kratos
- Products needing complete control over the look and flow of authenticationnot Tenable
- Applications that must not hand user identity data to a third partynot Tenable
- Teams building identity as infrastructure across several servicesnot Tenable
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Tenable
- Pricing starts at $3500/year for Tenable One VM, expensive for small organizations
- Many enterprise features require custom quote and sales engagement
- Cloud Exposure, OT Exposure, and other modules have no published pricing
- Multi-year contracts common, limiting flexibility
- Setup and configuration complexity for enterprise deployments
Ory Kratos
- Headless means you build every screen, which is significant work compared with a hosted login page
- More moving parts than a monolithic IAM: Kratos handles identity, and OAuth2 needs Ory Hydra alongside
- Documentation assumes real familiarity with identity concepts and is not a gentle introduction
- Self-hosting identity carries the security and availability burden that hosted providers absorb
Pricing, plan by plan
Tenable
$3500/year- Tenable One Vulnerability Management$3500/year
- Per 100 assets
- Multi-year discounts available
- Tenable One Web App Scanning$3578/year
- Per 5 FQDNs
- Annual subscription
- Nessus Professional$4790/year
- Vulnerability scanning
- Multi-year discounts available
- Optional advanced support: $400/year
- Nessus Expert$6790/year
- Advanced vulnerability scanning
- Multi-year discounts available
- Optional advanced support: $400/year
Ory Kratos
Free- Self-hostedFree
- Full identity server
- All flows
- Community support
Which should you pick?
Choose Tenable if
- You need unified attack surface mapping.
- You work on Cloud, Web.
- You also want exposure intelligence enrichment.
Choose Ory Kratos if
- You need headless api.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Self-hosted.
- You also want self-service flows.
Questions people ask
- Is Tenable or Ory Kratos better?
- Neither clearly leads. Tenable starts at $3500/year and Ory Kratos at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Tenable or Ory Kratos?
- Ory Kratos has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $3500/year for Tenable and Free for Ory Kratos.
- Does Tenable or Ory Kratos run on more platforms?
- Tenable runs on Cloud, Web. Ory Kratos runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Self-hosted.
- Can I use Ory Kratos for free?
- Yes. Ory Kratos has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Tenable starts at $3500/year.
- What is Tenable best used for?
- Tenable is most often used for comprehensive vulnerability scanning for enterprise networks, cloud security monitoring and compliance for aws, azure, gcp, identity and access management risk assessment, operational technology security for industrial systems. Of those, comprehensive vulnerability scanning for enterprise networks and cloud security monitoring and compliance for aws, azure, gcp are not what Ory Kratos is typically brought in for.
- What can Tenable do that Ory Kratos cannot?
- Tenable covers Unified attack surface mapping, Exposure intelligence enrichment, Tenable Hexa AI orchestration, Cloud Exposure (CNAPP). Ory Kratos covers Headless API, Self-service flows, Multi-factor authentication, Pluggable identity schemas.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Tenable: How is Tenable One pricing structured?
Tenable One Vulnerability Management costs $3500/year per 100 assets. Web App Scanning is $3578/year per 5 FQDNs. Multi-year discounts are available.
SourceOry Kratos: Is Ory Kratos free?
Yes, open source and free to self-host. Ory Network is a paid managed service.
Tenable: What is the difference between Nessus Professional and Nessus Expert?
Nessus Professional costs $4790/year and provides core vulnerability scanning. Nessus Expert costs $6790/year and offers advanced scanning capabilities.
SourceOry Kratos: What does headless mean here?
Kratos provides identity flows as APIs and no user interface. You build the login, registration and recovery screens yourself.
Tenable: Are custom support and training available for Tenable?
Yes. Optional advanced support is available for $400/year. Training courses range from $275-$385/year.
SourceOry Kratos: Does Kratos do OAuth2?
No. Kratos handles user identity; OAuth2 and OpenID Connect provider functionality is Ory Hydra, a separate component.
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