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Fortify WebInspect vs HCL AppScan comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 13, 2024

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

Fortify WebInspect
Ranking in Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)
2nd
Average Rating
7.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
20
Ranking in other categories
DevSecOps (7th)
HCL AppScan
Ranking in Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)
1st
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
43
Ranking in other categories
Application Security Tools (14th), Static Application Security Testing (SAST) (10th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) category, the mindshare of Fortify WebInspect is 23.9%, down from 32.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of HCL AppScan is 16.3%, down from 27.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)
 

Featured Reviews

Navin N - PeerSpot reviewer
Effective scanning of diverse file extensions with fast reporting and issue resolution
We develop software packages for clients, and these clients are mostly in the BFSI sector. The packages need to be scanned, and we engage Fortify WebInspect for this.  Customers typically perform their own application pen tests, but in some cases, we have engagements where customers want us to scan…
Rishi Anupam - PeerSpot reviewer
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…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution is able to detect a wide range of vulnerabilities. It's better at it than other products."
"The accuracy of its scans is great."
"Reporting, centralized dashboard, and bird's eye view of all vulnerabilities are the most valuable features."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is the ability to make our customers more secure."
"The most valuable feature is the static analysis."
"The feature that has been most influential in identifying vulnerabilities is its ability to crawl the website, understand the structure, and analyze the network packets sent and received."
"The user interface is ok and it is very simple to use."
"When we are integrating it with SSC, we're able to scan and trace and see all of the vulnerabilities. Comparison is easy in SSC."
"It is easy it is to use. It is quick to find things, because of the code scanning tools. It's quite simple to use and it is very good the way it reports the findings."
"We are now deploying less defects to production."
"We leverage it as a quality check against code."
"AppScan is stable."
"The most valuable feature of HCL AppScan is scanning QR codes."
"The product has valuable features for static and dynamic testing."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is the scanning or security part."
"The product is useful, particularly in its sensitivity and scanning capabilities."
 

Cons

"The solution needs better integration with Microsoft's Azure Cloud or an extension of Azure DevOps. In fact, it should better integrate with any cloud provider. Right now, it's quite difficult to integrate with that solution, from the cloud perspective."
"It requires improvement in terms of scanning. The application scan heavily utilizes the resources of an on-premise server. 32 GB RAM is very high for an enterprise web application."
"We have had a problem with authentification."
"Fortify WebInspect could improve user-friendliness. Additionally, it is very bulky to use."
"There are some file extensions, like .SER, that Fortify WebInspect doesn't scan."
"Lately, we've seen more false negatives."
"One thing I would like to see them introduce is a cloud-based platform."
"The initial setup was complex."
"I would love to see more containers. Many of the tools are great, they require an amount of configuration, setup and infrastructure. If most the applications were in a container, I think everything would be a little bit faster, because all our clients are now using containers."
"​IBM Security AppScan Source is rather hard to use​."
"Improvement can be done as per customer requirements."
"AppScan is too complicated and should be made more user-friendly."
"We have experienced challenges when trying to integrate this solution with other products. When you compare it with the other SecOps products, the quality of the output is too low. It is not a new-age product. It is very outdated."
"They could add a software component analysis tool."
"AppScan needs to improve its handling of false positives."
"HCL AppScan needs to improve security."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing is not clear and while it is not high, it is difficult to understand."
"It’s a fair price for the solution."
"The price is okay."
"Fortify WebInspect is a very expensive product."
"This solution is very expensive."
"Its price is almost similar to the price of AppScan. Both of them are very costly. Its price could be reduced because it can be very costly for unlimited IT scans, etc. I'm not sure, but it can go up to $40,000 to $50,000 or more than that."
"Our licensing is such that you can only run one scan at a time, which is inconvenient."
"Our clients are willing to pay the extra money. It is expensive."
"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."
"The price is very expensive."
"The solution is moderately priced."
"The product is moderately priced, though it's an investment due to extensive code analysis needs."
"The tool was expensive."
"AppScan is a little bit expensive. IBM needs to work a little bit on the pricing model, decreasing the license cost."
"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."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
18%
Computer Software Company
15%
Government
14%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Computer Software Company
19%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Government
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Fortify WebInspect?
The solution's technical support was very helpful.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortify WebInspect?
Fortify WebInspect can be a bit expensive. However, considering its stability and reliability in meeting current standards, the cost is justified. Still, making the cost more affordable for multipl...
What needs improvement with Fortify WebInspect?
I would like WebInspect's scanning capability to be quicker. Specifically, being able to scan a particular flow or part of an application more rapidly would be beneficial. Additionally, the cost of...
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.
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...
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...
 

Also Known As

Micro Focus WebInspect, WebInspect
IBM Security AppScan, Rational AppScan, AppScan
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Aaron's
Essex Technology Group Inc., Cisco, West Virginia University, APIS IT
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortify WebInspect vs. HCL AppScan and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
845,040 professionals have used our research since 2012.