Nessus vs Qualys: Pricing, Features and Deployment

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Nessus and Qualys approach vulnerability assessment differently. Nessus Professional is a licensed assessment product with a published annual price, while Qualys uses a cloud platform whose pricing depends on selected apps, network addresses, web applications and user licenses. This comparison uses published information available on October 20, 2026.

Verdict#

Pick Nessus if your team wants a standalone vulnerability assessment license with a published price and flexible deployment. Pick Qualys if your team prefers a cloud platform with pricing shaped by assets, applications and user licenses, and wants cloud-based administration. Check Tenable pricing

Feature comparison#

Area	Tenable Nessus	Qualys	Source
Core assessment	Nessus Professional automates point-in-time assessments to identify software flaws, missing patches, malware and misconfigurations across operating systems, devices and applications.	Qualys defines assessment as evaluating systems and configurations to identify vulnerabilities or misconfigurations.	Nessus Professional
Scanning	Nessus Professional includes unlimited vulnerability scanning and pre-built policies for configuration and compliance audits.	Qualys subscriptions include unlimited scans and unlimited Cloud Agents for inventory.	Tenable pricing
Prioritization and reporting	Nessus Professional includes vulnerability scoring for prioritization and configurable reports.	Qualys includes interactive reports for security and configuration gaps, plus asset criticality scoring and QIDs in its product glossary.	Qualys product glossary
Additional capabilities	Nessus Expert adds web application scanning and external attack surface discovery scanning to Nessus Professional features.	Qualys describes Cloud Agents, asset inventory, connectors, policy controls and web application scanning terminology across its platform glossary.	Tenable pricing
Support	Standard Support is included with the purchase or subscription of Nessus. The listed Standard Support hours are 12x5, with a next-business-day response objective.	Qualys says subscriptions include free training and support, with 24/7/365 customer and technical support including telephone and online support.	Tenable support plans

Pricing at 3 team sizes#

Nessus Professional is licensed for one year at $4,790, rather than per user, so the list price does not change with a small, mid-size or large team headcount; the price is listed by Tenable on its purchase page. Tenable Nessus pricing The same page lists Nessus Expert at $6,790 for a one-year license. Tenable Nessus pricing

Qualys does not publish a current subscription amount in the sources we checked. Its pricing depends on the selected Cloud Platform Apps, number of network addresses, web applications and user licenses, so a small, mid-size or large team cannot be calculated from the published information. Qualys subscriptions

The Qualys article that publishes $2,995 per scanner annually and $4,995 per scanner annually describes Qualys Consultant packages, not a current general Qualys subscription price. Qualys Consultant article

Deployment and admin effort#

Nessus Professional offers flexible deployment, according to Tenable. Its data sheet describes point-in-time assessments, while the purchase page lists real-time vulnerability updates, unlimited scanning, pre-built audit policies, vulnerability scoring and configurable reports. Nessus Professional The sources we checked do not describe the specific installation steps or administration time required for a Nessus deployment.

Qualys describes its subscription as a cloud platform and says a free trial requires no software to download or install. Qualys subscriptions Its glossary defines Cloud Agents as lightweight services deployed on endpoints and cloud workloads, and connectors as interfaces for ingesting or pushing data to third-party platforms. Qualys product glossary

An older Qualys description of its Consultant product says consultants could scan, analyze and generate reports from a web console, with remotely managed virtual scanner appliances and no need to set up servers, install software or manage storage. Qualys Consultant article That description applies to Qualys Consultant and should not be treated as a complete deployment guide for every current Qualys subscription.

Migration notes#

The sources we checked do not publish a Nessus-to-Qualys migration procedure, an automated import path, or a supported way to transfer scan history between the products.

Before switching, document current scan scopes, schedules, policies, asset identifiers, reports and remediation workflows. This is planning guidance rather than a vendor-documented migration process. Qualys uses concepts such as assets, asset groups, tags, option profiles and QIDs, while Nessus Professional uses policies, vulnerability scoring and configurable reports. Qualys product glossary Tenable pricing

Run the existing and replacement workflows in parallel during a transition if operationally practical, then compare coverage and reporting using the same approved scope. The sources we checked do not publish a migration timeline or required parallel-run period.

FAQ#

Is Nessus licensed per user?

The Nessus Professional purchase page lists a one-year license price, not a per-user price. The sources we checked do not state a user limit for that license. Tenable pricing

Does Qualys publish a standard subscription price?

No current standard subscription amount is published in the sources we checked. Qualys says pricing depends on Cloud Platform Apps, network addresses, web applications and user licenses. Qualys subscriptions

Does Nessus include support?

Standard Support is included with the subscription or purchase of Nessus. Tenable lists Standard Support as 12x5 with a next-business-day response objective. Tenable support plans

Does Qualys require software installation?

The Qualys subscription page says its free trial requires no software to download or install. The sources also describe Cloud Agents and Cloud Platform Sensors, so deployment requirements can vary by the selected service. Qualys subscriptions Qualys product glossary

Can scan history be migrated between Nessus and Qualys?

A migration method or scan-history transfer process is not published in the sources we checked.