Acunetix vs HCL AppScan comparison

Invicti and HCLSoftware are both solutions in the Application Security Tools category. Invicti is ranked #16 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

3,499 Views
2,796 Comparison Views

86% willing to recommend

HCL AppScan

Read 43 HCL AppScan reviews

4,024 Views
3,053 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: January 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Acunetix vs. HCL AppScan

January 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

16th

Ranking in Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

13th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Vulnerability Management (22nd), 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 February 2025, in the Application Security Tools category, the mindshare of Acunetix is 2.6%, up from 2.4% 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

"The most important feature is that it's a web-based graphical user interface. That is a great addition. Also, the ability to schedule scans is great."

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

"The product is really easy to use."

"By integrating with CI/CD tools, it enables a shift-left approach in the development process."

"It comes equipped with an internal applicator, which automatically identifies and addresses vulnerabilities within the program."

"The scalability is good. The scalability is more than good because it can operate both as a standalone and it can be integrated as part of applications. So that really makes it a very, very versatile solution to have."

"I find it to be one of the most comprehensive tools, with support for manual intervention."

"Our developers can run the attacks directly from their environments, desktops."

More Acunetix pros

"The solution is easy to use."

"The UI was very intuitive."

"AppScan's most valuable features include its ability to identify vulnerabilities accurately, provide detailed remediation steps, and the newly introduced AI-powered features that enhance its functionality further."

"It provides a better integration for our ecosystem."

"We are now deploying less defects to production."

"Usually when we deploy the application, there is a process for ethical hacking. The main benefit is that, the ethical hacking is almost clean, every time. So it's less cost, less effort, less time to production."

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

"For me, as a manager, it was the ease of use. Inserting security into the development process is not normally an easy project to do. The ability for the developer to actually use it and get results and focuses, that's what counted."

More HCL AppScan pros

Cons

"The solution is generally stable, however, there might be room for improvement regarding glitches or bugs."

"The only problem that they have is the price. It is a bit expensive, and you cannot change the number of applications for the whole year."

"Currently only supports web scanning."

"There was an issue related to updates from the internet."

"There is room for improvement in the pricing."

"The vulnerability identification speed should be improved."

"The solution can be improved by adding the ability to scan subdomains automatically, and by providing reports that can be exported to external databases to share with other solutions."

"Integration into other tools is very limited for Acunetix. While we're trying to incorporate a CI/CD process where we're integrating with JIRA and we're integrating with Jenkins and Chef, it becomes problematic. Other tools give you a high integration capability to connect into different solutions that you may already have, like JIRA."

More Acunetix cons

"There is room for improvement in the pricing model."

"We would like to integrate with some of the other reporting tools that we're planning to use in the future."

"One thing which I think can be improved is the CI/CD Integration"

"Sometimes it doesn't work so well."

"The solution needs to improve in some areas. The tool needs to add more languages. It also needs to improve its speed."

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

"HCL AppScan needs to improve security."

"A desktop version should be added."

More HCL AppScan cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"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."

"I would say that Acunetix is expensive because there are products on the market with similar features that are equally or better-priced."

"All things considered, I think it has a good price/value ratio."

"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."

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

"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."

"The solution is expensive."

More Acunetix pricing and cost advice

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

"The price is very expensive."

"The solution is cheap."

"The product is moderately priced, though it's an investment due to extensive code analysis needs."

"AppScan is a little bit expensive. IBM needs to work a little bit on the pricing model, decreasing the license cost."

"The tool was expensive."

"The price of HCL AppScan is okay, in my opinion. You just buy HCL AppScan and don't pay anything anymore, meaning it is just a one-time purchase."

"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."

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

10%

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 7% of the time

PortSwigger Burp Suite Enterprise Edition vs Acunetix

Compared 6% of the time

Invicti 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 11% of the time

Fortify on Demand vs HCL AppScan

Compared 8% of the time

OWASP Zap vs HCL AppScan

Compared 8% of the time

PortSwigger Burp Suite Professional vs HCL AppScan

Compared 7% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Acunetix

February 2025

Download Acunetix product report

Buyer's Guide

HCL AppScan

January 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

January 2025

Free Report: Acunetix vs. HCL AppScan

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