Acunetix vs HCL AppScan comparison

Invicti and HCLSoftware are both solutions in the Application Security Tools category. Invicti is ranked #17 with an average rating of 8.3, while HCLSoftware is ranked #15 with an average rating of 7.9. Invicti holds a 2.6% mindshare in AS, compared to HCLSoftware ’s 2.6% mindshare. Additionally, 86% of Invicti users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 83% of HCLSoftware users who would recommend it.

Acunetix

Read 31 Acunetix reviews

3,404 Views
2,713 Comparison Views

86% willing to recommend

HCL AppScan

Read 43 HCL AppScan reviews

3,931 Views
2,974 Comparison Views

83% willing to recommend

Acunetix

HCL AppScan

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024

HCL AppScan and Acunetix compete in the application security market. HCL AppScan has an edge due to its robust support and cost-effectiveness, whereas Acunetix stands out with its feature comprehensiveness.

Features: HCL AppScan offers extensive integration capabilities, detailed security analysis, and strong support. Acunetix provides accurate scanning, a wide vulnerability coverage, and quick results.

Room for Improvement: HCL AppScan could enhance scan speed, workflow intuitiveness, and integration features. Acunetix might improve scalability, proactive integrations, and user interface.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: HCL AppScan has streamlined deployment and reliable customer support. Acunetix provides both cloud and on-premise solutions with responsive assistance.

Pricing and ROI: HCL AppScan is cost-effective with compelling ROI due to low setup costs. Acunetix offers high ROI justifying its higher initial costs with its features.

To learn more, read our detailed Acunetix vs. HCL AppScan Report (Updated: March 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Acunetix vs. HCL AppScan

March 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Acunetix

Ranking in Application Security Tools

17th

Ranking in Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

14th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Vulnerability Management (23rd), DevSecOps (6th)

HCL AppScan

Ranking in Application Security Tools

15th

Ranking in Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

12th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) (1st)

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Application Security Tools category, the mindshare of Acunetix is 2.6%, up from 2.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of HCL AppScan is 2.6%, down from 2.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Security Tools

Featured Reviews

AnubhavGoswami

Compliance Manager at Compunnel

Attractive automated reports with boost user productivity and an easy setup

The primary use is mainly related to vulnerability assessment, including both public and internal IP addresses By using this tool, we have reduced the workload and increased the productivity of users. It generates automated reports. This feature is beneficial when sharing reports with clients as…

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Rishi Anupam

Senior Manager at Airtel

A stable and scalable scanning solution with good reporting feature

The solution is used for the vulnerabilities scan on the network side The reporting part is the most valuable feature. The penetration testing feature should be included. I have been using the solution for four years. It is a stable solution. I rate it seven out of ten. It is a scalable…

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"Acunetix is the best service in the world. It is easy to manage. It gives a lot of information to the users to see and identify problems in their site or applications. It works very well."

"The solution is highly stable."

"Their technical support has been very active. If I have an issue, I can reach out to them and get an answer pretty quick."

"It can operate both as a standalone and it can be integrated with other applications, which makes it a very versatile solution to have."

"Picks up weaknesses in our app setups."

"We use the solution for the scanning of vulnerabilities like SQL injections."

"The automated approach to these repetitive discovery attempts would take days to do manually and therefore it helps reduce the time needed to do an assessment."

"We are able to create a report which shows the PCI DSS scoring and share it with the application teams. Then, they can correlate and see exactly what they need to fix, and why."

More Acunetix pros

"Compared to other tools only AppScan supports special language."

"The most valuable feature of HCL AppScan is its integration with the SDLC, particularly during the coding phase."

"The solution is easy to use."

"IBM AppScan has made our work easy, as we can do four to five scans of websites at a time, which saves time when it comes to vulnerability."

"AppScan is stable."

"Technical support is helpful."

"The solution is cheap."

"The solution offers services in a few specific development languages."

More HCL AppScan pros

Cons

"When monitoring the traffic we always have issues with the bandwidth consumption and the throttling of traffic."

"The solution limits the number of scans. It would be much better if we could have unlimited scans."

"There is room for improvement in the pricing."

"I had some issues with the JSON parameters where it found some strange vulnerabilities, but it didn't alert the person using it or me about these vulnerabilities, e.g., an error for SQL injection."

"There are some versions of the solution that are not as stable as others."

"Acunetix needs to include agent analysis."

"In terms of what needs improvement, the way the licensing model is currently is not very convenient for us because initially, when we bought it, the licensing model was very flexible, but now it restricts us."

"It is difficult to create a proxy connection."

More Acunetix cons

"Visibility is an issue for us. Our partners do not know we have integrations with some of IBM products."

"There is not a central management for static and dynamic."

"The solution often has a high number of false positives. It's an aspect they really need to improve upon."

"They could incorporate AI to enhance vulnerability detection and improve the product's reporting capabilities."

"AppScan is too complicated and should be made more user-friendly."

"The solution's scalability can be a matter of concern because one license runs on one machine only."

"The solution could improve by having a mobile version."

"They should have a better UI for dashboards."

More HCL AppScan cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Acunetix was around the same price as all the other vendors we looked at, nothing special."

"The costs aren't very expensive. It costs around $3000 or $4000."

"The cost is based on two types of licenses, ConsultLite, and ConsultPlus, as well as the number of domains that are scanned."

"Implementing Acunetix needs a medium or larger business agency, because you need some money to get Acunetix. It is costly, but if you care about your agency's security, then maybe it's a cost that might help you in the future."

"When compared with other products, the pricing is a little bit high. But it gives value for the price. It serves the purpose and is worthwhile for the price we pay."

"It is a bit expensive. If you need to check five applications, you have to pay almost 14,000. It is an agreement for two years at 7,000 per year for only five applications. You cannot change the applications in the license. So, you are stuck with the same license for the five applications for one full year."

"The pricing is a little high, and moreover, it's kind of domain-based."

"When we looked at all other vendors and what they were asking for, to provide a third of what Acunetix was capable of doing, it was an easy decision... But now that it's coming to a cost where it's line with market value, it becomes more of a competition... Acunetix is raising the cost of licensing. It's 3.5 times what we were initially quoted."

More Acunetix pricing and cost advice

"With the features, that they offer, and the support, they offer, AppScan pricing is on a higher level."

"The solution is moderately priced."

"The solution is cheap."

"I rate the product's price a seven on a scale of one to ten, where one is low, and ten is high. HCL AppScan is an expensive tool."

"Pricing was the main reason that we went ahead with this solution as they were the lowest in the market."

"The product has premium pricing and could be more competitive."

"The price is very expensive."

"HCL AppScan is expensive."

More HCL AppScan pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

17%

Financial Services Firm

13%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

19%

Financial Services Firm

14%

Government

11%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Acunetix Vulnerability Scanner?

The tool's most valuable feature is scan configurations. We use it for external physical applications. The scanning time depends on the application's code.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Acunetix Vulnerability Scanner?

I use Acunetix for penetration testing purposes. This is the primary use case.

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Acunetix Vulnerability Scanner?

I rate the overall solution nine out of ten. I prefer Acunetix for its more precise and accurate results.

See all answers

What do you like most about HCL AppScan?

The most valuable feature of HCL AppScan is its integration with the SDLC, particularly during the coding phase.

See all answers

What needs improvement with HCL AppScan?

AppScan needs to improve its handling of false positives. It also requires enhancements in customer support, similar to what Veracode provides. Regularly scheduling calls with clients to discuss fe...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for HCL AppScan?

The primary use case for AppScan is for security purposes. I compare AppScan with other tools such as Veracode. We use AppScan for vulnerability detection and auto-remediation of vulnerabilities wi...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 16% of the time

PortSwigger Burp Suite Professional vs Acunetix

Compared 12% of the time

Tenable.io Web Application Scanning vs Acunetix

Compared 7% of the time

Invicti vs Acunetix

Compared 6% of the time

PortSwigger Burp Suite Enterprise Edition vs Acunetix

Compared 6% of the time

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SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) vs HCL AppScan

Compared 12% of the time

Veracode vs HCL AppScan

Compared 9% of the time

Fortify on Demand vs HCL AppScan

Compared 8% of the time

OWASP Zap vs HCL AppScan

Compared 7% of the time

PortSwigger Burp Suite Professional vs HCL AppScan

Compared 6% of the time

More HCL AppScan Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Acunetix

March 2025

Download Acunetix product report

Buyer's Guide

HCL AppScan

March 2025

Download HCL AppScan product report

Also Known As

AcuSensor

IBM Security AppScan, Rational AppScan, AppScan

Overview

Acunetix Web Vulnerability Scanner is an automated web application security testing tool that audits your web applications by checking for vulnerabilities like SQL Injection, Cross site scripting, and other exploitable vulnerabilities.

Invicti

IBM Security AppScan enhances web application security and mobile application security, improves application security program management and strengthens regulatory compliance. By scanning your web and mobile applications prior to deployment, AppScan enables you to identify security vulnerabilities and generate reports and fix recommendations.

HCLSoftware

Sample Customers

Joomla!, Digicure, Team Random, Credit Suisse, Samsung, Air New Zealand

Essex Technology Group Inc., Cisco, West Virginia University, APIS IT

Buyer's Guide

Acunetix vs. HCL AppScan

March 2025

Free Report: Acunetix vs. HCL AppScan

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