Amazon Inspector vs Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management comparison

Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Qualys are both solutions in the Vulnerability Management category. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is ranked #18 with an average rating of 8.4, while Qualys is ranked #8 with an average rating of 9.1. Amazon Web Services (AWS) holds a 2.6% mindshare in VM, compared to Qualys’s 1.2% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of Amazon Web Services (AWS) users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Qualys users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 27, 2025

Amazon Inspector and Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management are both leading solutions in cybersecurity, focusing on vulnerability management and asset tracking. Amazon Inspector is particularly strong for AWS environments due to its seamless integration and effective vulnerability detection, whereas Qualys offers broader capabilities across diverse infrastructures.

Features: Amazon Inspector offers features like automated vulnerability assessments, seamless AWS environment integration, and CIS benchmark support, providing analysis and categorization of vulnerabilities in various AWS resources such as instances, container images, and Lambda functions. Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management delivers comprehensive asset discovery through cloud agents and IP-based scanning, automated tag management for assets, and dynamic rules that ensure compliance and risk management across diverse hardware and software environments.

Room for Improvement: Amazon Inspector can improve by offering more flexibility in defining custom compliance rules and expanding integration beyond AWS-specific environments. Additionally, enhancing manual vulnerability management and reporting features could boost its offerings. For Qualys, improvements could include streamlining the integration with external tools to reduce setup complexity, refining user interfaces for enhanced usability, and developing more intuitive compliance and policy management options to address diverse organizational needs.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Amazon Inspector provides AWS-centric deployment ease, making it ideal for organizations with a major AWS footprint, supported by seamless AWS service integration. Customer service aligns well with AWS, offering comprehensive support tailored to the AWS framework. Qualys, however, excels with flexible deployment across varied environments and provides extensive documentation, support channels, and a responsive customer service team, accommodating organizations with complex and diverse IT ecosystems.

Pricing and ROI: Amazon Inspector's pricing aligns with AWS's consumption-based billing, presenting a cost-effective solution for AWS-exclusive users, yielding a favorable ROI. Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management requires a higher investment due to its extensive functionality covering multiple environments, but justifies this with its broad asset management capabilities and extensive visibility, offering significant value for enterprises needing extensive asset management across platforms.

To learn more, read our detailed Amazon Inspector vs. Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Amazon Inspector vs. Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management

September 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

Zafran Security

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Vulnerability Management category, the mindshare of Zafran Security is 1.0%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Amazon Inspector is 2.6%, up from 2.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management is 1.2%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Vulnerability Management Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management	1.2%
Zafran Security	1.0%
Amazon Inspector	2.6%
Other	95.2%

Vulnerability Management

Featured Reviews

Israel Cavazos Landini

Associate Director IT Security Operations at a pharma/biotech company with 10,001+ employees

Weekly insights and risk analysis facilitate informed security decisions

I appreciate the weekly insights Zafran provides, which include critical topics for networks and IT security, allowing us to evaluate which insights apply to our environment. The organization score feature is valuable to keep the leadership team updated on how our infrastructure fares security-wise. The applicable risk level versus base risk level feature is beneficial because prior to Zafran, we only used the base risk level, but now understand that risk depends on the asset itself. Zafran is an excellent tool.

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Abdalla Kenawy

AWS DevOps SRE/Infrastructure Engineer at Capgemini

Automated insights streamline data security assessment

For Amazon Inspector, we have many EC2 or virtual machines deployed inside our AWS environment, and the problem is that the existing package deployed inside this EC2 instance has already outdated packages. As we progress with time, this package needs to be updated for security enhancement, which requires us to uninstall the package, install the new version, and then we should be fine. However, the challenge comes with how to scan all our EC2 instances for security vulnerabilities, which is currently managed by Amazon Inspector. Amazon Inspector can scan EC2 instances or ECR, which is the ECR registry where we can save artifacts Docker images. Amazon Inspector can also scan Docker images uploaded to ECR for Elastic Registry service, and it can scan databases and S3 based on the latest updates. I noticed this from a couple of months ago, and it provides huge benefits for security. Regarding the best features of Amazon Inspector, it gives us a list of all existing outdated packages as part of a deployed package on EC2 instances or specific Python packages that are part of the Docker file and the Docker image itself, which are causing security concerns. Amazon Inspector can list these security concerns and offer guidance on how we can remediate it by updating the package to a specific upper version or something similar.

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Nicki Møller

Information Security Engineer at a manufacturing company with 5,001-10,000 employees

Enables automation and quick access to necessary information

One of the significant challenges Qualys is discovery, which I know Microsoft excels at. I can't recall how well Qualys performs this function; it seems I might be missing some details. However, if there's one key aspect to focus on, it's discovery—the ability to identify assets that you are not aware of, even when you can see they are present. Understanding what those assets are is crucial. With Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management, it was very difficult to extract detections from the system. The features within Qualys are limited to what they have developed. Sometimes a complete overview is needed to push to a Power BI dashboard, Splunk, ServiceNow, or other platforms. The export process is incredibly challenging. We needed a developer to write a hundred-line Python script that would loop over certain assets due to export limitations. Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management could improve its integration capabilities. While it generates substantial data, correlating it with other data sources can be challenging. The export process is difficult, and pre-built integrations with other tools could be enhanced for better process implementation.

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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

"Zafran is an excellent tool."

"We are able to see the real risk of a vulnerability on our environment with our security tools."

"Overall, we have seen about eighty-seven percent reduction of the number of vulnerabilities that require urgency to remediate, specifically the number of criticals."

"We saw benefits from Zafran Security almost immediately after deploying it."

"Zafran has become an indispensable tool in our cybersecurity arsenal."

"My experience with AWS technical support is very good, I didn't face any specific challenges, and even the documentation of AWS is good for both Microsoft, which is Azure, and AWS."

"The assessment reports provided by Amazon Inspector have helped me in identifying security vulnerabilities in my cloud applications by giving us a nicely designed dashboard that provides all the security information we need to work on remediation."

"Amazon Inspector is highly stable, rated ten out of ten, and this stability impacts business security and administration positively."

"The vulnerability discovery is valuable, and they also rank those vulnerabilities for you. So, you could rapidly attack some of the higher, severe vulnerabilities as they pop up, if they do pop up."

"The most valuable feature of Amazon Inspector is the categorization of findings, which filters vulnerabilities by instance, container image, container repository, and Lambda function."

"The automated vulnerability detection aspect is most valuable."

"The findings dashboards are neat and easy to understand, offering clear demarcations for different types of findings and detailed insights into specific vulnerabilities and their associated instances. It is not a place where everything is dumped together. It offers an easy-to-understand layout."

"The scalability of the solution itself is unparalleled."

More Amazon Inspector pros

"I appreciate the feature that simplifies cloud security posture, offering insights into vulnerabilities, and reducing the complexity of managing the security program."

"I would rate the Qualys CSAM a ten out of ten for its overall performance."

"The end-of-life and end-of-service software and hardware are some of my favorite features."

"Authorized and unauthorized software visibility is the best feature for me."

"I like the EASM part because it provides visibility into unmanaged assets that are public-facing."

"My favourite feature of Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management is its ability to target missing software."

"I would rate Qualys CSAM a ten out of ten."

"Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management is definitely good for a big company; it really helps you keep an eye on your whole environment rather than little pieces here and there throughout your tech stack."

More Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management pros

Cons

"Initially, we were somewhat concerned about the scalability of Zafran due to our large asset count and the substantial amount of information we needed to process."

"I think the ability to have some enhanced reporting capabilities is something they can improve on, as they have good reports but we have asked for some specific reporting enhancements."

"The dashboarding and reporting functionality of Zafran Security is an area that definitely could use some improvements."

"The other point is that the reporting features of Inspector need improvement. For example, I am in an organization with millions of CVEs, and getting an overview of all this is challenging."

"There is room for improvement in the scanning capabilities. I'd like to see broader coverage in terms of the vulnerabilities detected."

"There isn't too much to improve right now. Scanning on demand or as a part of the pipeline versus a post pipeline solution would be good, but it is not a deal breaker by any means."

"There are challenges associated with the interdependencies in AWS services, like requiring an Active Directory for other services, resulting in additional charges."

"It has a limited scope. So, AWS Inspector primarily focuses on the security of the EC2 instance. So, if your architecture includes other AWS services, then you may need to use additional tools for your comprehensive security assessment. So that is one con. Another is, like, we have a dependency on agents."

"One major area for improvement is remediation. My team works on remediating findings over time, likely using available patches. However, easier integration with Amazon's patching services would be very helpful."

"The most challenging aspect I faced with Amazon Inspector during integration was automating the remediation process."

"The false positive rate of Amazon Inspector is a little high, and it is not covering all different applications and scanning."

More Amazon Inspector cons

"We have had challenges modifying the agent configuration. Particularly, when we want to change the tenant that the agent is pointing to, we have had difficulties making that reliable and working properly."

"There can be further simplification to reduce the overall noise and provide ESAM-related data."

"In my opinion, the area that needs improvement is the role-based access control (RBAC). The access privilege management needs to be more robust and streamlined to enhance user access management."

"Integration of Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management, particularly with ServiceNow, takes a very long time, and it needs prioritization of patch rules based on vulnerability risk."

"In our reporting, we faced a challenge syncing with cloud devices."

"With Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management, it was very difficult to extract detections from the system."

"As of now, the support, results, and low false positives do not necessitate changes."

"Sometimes both updates and software types appear together on one list, making it hard to differentiate."

More Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"The lowest cost would be around $10 for a few small accounts, however, for thousands of accounts, it could be around $5000 to $6000 dollars per month."

"It is scaled as you go. There are probably a certain number of scans per month, and there are tiers. If you're under a certain tier, it is free. The second level is pennies, and then all the way up to like a million. So, it has a tiered pricing program. They're pretty good with your initial scanning, and there is room to scale based on being affordable, but it is fairly cheap. There are no additional costs. They pretty much think about it as a pay-per-scan type model."

"The pricing is very transparent and clear."

"It's priced according to market standards for its services."

"Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management can be expensive, especially if we already have VMDR."

"The pricing for Qualys CSAM is nominal."

"Though the solution is considered expensive, if bundled with other services such as VMDR or cloud agents, its value would significantly increase. It is currently a bit costly, but with bundling, it could become attractive to more customers."

"The cost for Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management is high."

"The pricing is reasonable relative to the features provided, as it collects all module data and operates as a main, centralized inventory, making it a cost-effective solution."

"The pricing for Qualys Cybersecurity Asset Management is reasonable, with an annual subscription costing around $1,000 per year or a monthly subscription starting at approximately $72 per month, depending on the specific package and features included."

"Qualys offers excellent value for money."

"The pricing is market-competitive."

More Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

11%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Government

Financial Services Firm

14%

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

14%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	3
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	5

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	22

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zafran Security?

Since we stood Zafran Security up in our private cloud, we handle the maintenance on our side. As we opted not to use...

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What needs improvement with Zafran Security?

In terms of areas for improvement, Zafran Security is doing a really great job as a new and emerging company. Oftenti...

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What is your primary use case for Zafran Security?

My use cases for Zafran Security revolve around two primary areas. One is around vulnerability management and priorit...

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What do you like most about Amazon Inspector?

The integration of Amazon Inspector with other AWS services has enhanced our security. Security Hub is a major asset...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Amazon Inspector?

I manage pricing and purchase reserved instances, yet face challenges due to dependencies and lack of options for res...

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What needs improvement with Amazon Inspector?

I would like to see improvements in Amazon Inspector, specifically the support for scanning attached EBS storage for ...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management?

For vulnerability management, we have a good price. We have a solid deal in place for the first and second years. How...

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What needs improvement with Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management?

Integration of Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management, particularly with ServiceNow, takes a very long time, and it ne...

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What is your primary use case for Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management?

We use Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management mainly for asset management consolidation because we are using different...

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Zafran Security

September 2025

Download Zafran Security product report

Buyer's Guide

Amazon Inspector

October 2025

Download Amazon Inspector product report

Buyer's Guide

Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management

October 2025

Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management report

Download Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management product report

Overview

Zafran Security integrates with existing security tools to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities effectively, proving that most critical vulnerabilities are not exploitable, optimizing threat management.

Zafran Security introduces an innovative operating model for managing security threats and vulnerabilities. By leveraging the threat exposure management platform, it pinpoints and prioritizes exploitable vulnerabilities, reducing risk through immediate remediation. This platform enhances your hybrid cloud security by normalizing vulnerability signals and integrating specific IT context data, such as CVE runtime presence and internet asset reachability, into its analysis. No longer reliant on patch windows, Zafran Security allows you to manage risks actively.

What are the key features of Zafran Security?

Threat Exposure Management: Utilizes existing tools to prioritize vulnerabilities and manage threats.
Integrative Analysis: Combines security data with IT context for precise vulnerability management.
Real-time Risk Reduction: Enables immediate risk management without waiting for patches.
Hybrid Cloud Compatibility: Functions across diverse cloud environments for comprehensive security.

What benefits can users expect from Zafran Security?

Improved Security: Enhances protection by efficiently identifying and mitigating risks.
Cost Efficiency: Reduces unnecessary patching expenses by confirming non-exploitable vulnerabilities.
Time Savings: Frees developers to focus on root causes by handling immediate threats.
Comprehensive Insight: Offers a holistic view of security threats and vulnerabilities.

In industries where security is paramount, such as finance and healthcare, Zafran Security provides invaluable protection by ensuring that only exploitable vulnerabilities are addressed. It allows entities to maintain robust security measures while allocating resources efficiently, fitting seamlessly into existing security strategies.

Zafran Security

Amazon Inspector is an automated security assessment service that helps improve the security and compliance of applications deployed on AWS. Amazon Inspector automatically assesses applications for exposure, vulnerabilities, and deviations from best practices. After performing an assessment, Amazon Inspector produces a detailed list of security findings prioritized by level of severity. These findings can be reviewed directly or as part of detailed assessment reports which are available via the Amazon Inspector console or API.

Amazon Inspector security assessments help you check for unintended network accessibility of your Amazon EC2 instances and for vulnerabilities on those EC2 instances. Amazon Inspector assessments are offered to you as pre-defined rules packages mapped to common security best practices and vulnerability definitions. Examples of built-in rules include checking for access to your EC2 instances from the internet, remote root login being enabled, or vulnerable software versions installed. These rules are regularly updated by AWS security researchers.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management provides advanced real-time asset visibility, dynamic tagging, and External Attack Surface Management. It streamlines asset discovery and management using cloud agents and IP-based scanning, enhancing risk management and software lifecycle tracking.

Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management offers a comprehensive solution for managing asset inventories and tracking software lifecycle states. It facilitates network visibility and supports zero-day vulnerability solutions, enhancing security posture through efficient monitoring. Users benefit from its cloud-based interface, which provides in-depth asset configurations and insights. Key features include automated vulnerability scanning and unauthorized software management, reducing manual efforts. The platform also emphasizes the importance of timely remediation and ongoing risk mitigation across multiple environments. Despite its strengths, users note the need for enhanced integration with additional CMDBs beyond ServiceNow, as well as cost efficiency improvements. Requests also include better report customization, more scan control, and a simplified UI.

What are the key features of Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management?

Real-time Visibility: Offers continuous insight into asset status and condition.
Dynamic Tagging: Allows for flexible organization and assessment of assets.
External Attack Surface Management: Identifies potential threats from external sources.
Automated Vulnerability Scanning: Reduces manual scanning efforts and identifies vulnerabilities instantly.
Unauthorized Software Management: Detects and manages software not approved for use.
Asset Purge Rule: Automates the removal of obsolete assets from the inventory.

What benefits should users look for in reviews?

Enhanced Security Posture: Gains stronger defense through effective asset monitoring.
Efficient Risk Management: Identifies threats quickly, enabling timely resolutions.
Improved Compliance: Assists in meeting industry standards and regulations.
Reduced Manual Effort: Automates repetitive tasks, saving time and resources.
Comprehensive Insight: Provides detailed data for informed decision making.

In industries like finance, healthcare, and manufacturing, Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management enhances asset control by offering visibility into hardware and software configurations. It aids in maintaining security compliance and identifying unauthorized software, crucial for sectors with strict regulatory requirements.

Qualys

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

betterment, caplinked, flatiron, university of nutri dame

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Amazon Inspector vs. Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management

September 2025

Free Report: Amazon Inspector vs. Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management

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