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HackerOne vs Tenable Nessus comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 29, 2026

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
4.4
HackerOne offers varying returns; some gain significantly without cost, while others find limited returns due to time investment.
Sentiment score
3.0
Tenable Nessus boosts security by enhancing threat visibility, reducing vulnerabilities, saving costs, and achieving high user satisfaction.
We receive rewards without needing to invest any money, so the return on investment is substantial.
dApp Auditor at Hacken
For someone who is starting or in the middle, it is very difficult because you can spend 20 hours sending 20 reports but none of them gets anything.
QA Engineering Lead at kintsugi
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.2
HackerOne offers responsive, tiered technical support with quick, detailed assistance, especially for higher-tier clients and priority issues.
Sentiment score
3.9
Tenable Nessus support is praised for responsiveness and efficiency, with mixed feedback on response times and depth for advanced queries.
We have priority support because we are a higher tier, and with high report volumes, the turnaround time is very good.
Senior software developer at Simplifyvms
Technical support at HackerOne has slowed down considerably compared to four years ago.
dApp Auditor at Hacken
The ease of collaboration with ethical hackers on HackerOne has been quite good.
Senior Security Professional at Oportun, Inc.
We received support within one to three hours.
CIO at a insurance company with 201-500 employees
Whenever any issue arises, we contact the support, and they are always there for us.
Information security engineer at Cyberisk
The technical support is good yet could improve in terms of response time.
SOC Engineer at a outsourcing company with 10,001+ employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.4
HackerOne efficiently manages diverse programs, supporting scalable growth and increased submissions, while accommodating numerous hackers for security needs.
Sentiment score
5.2
Tenable Nessus is scalable and flexible for most organizations but may face limitations with very large enterprises.
It is a large platform with many programs and clients.
dApp Auditor at Hacken
HackerOne is very scalable because we can put bounties for any number of hackers at the same time and test thoroughly.
Senior software developer at Simplifyvms
Whether managing 50 servers today or 500 tomorrow, performance or capacity are not hindered.
SOC Engineer at a outsourcing company with 10,001+ employees
Tenable Nessus is definitely scalable, especially for license formats designed for scalability.
Security Center Coordinator at a comms service provider with 1-10 employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.0
HackerOne generally maintains consistent reliability, with most users experiencing stability despite occasional downtime and minor bugs.
Sentiment score
5.8
Tenable Nessus is praised for stability and reliability, with high user satisfaction despite minor setup and update issues.
HackerOne was down for some time and the response was not good.
QA Engineering Lead at kintsugi
We have not encountered any issues with missing network items or errors in API and webhook interactions.
SOC Engineer at a outsourcing company with 10,001+ employees
The stability of Tenable Nessus is extraordinary.
Founder at Cipheroot
 

Room For Improvement

HackerOne struggles with triage delays, communication issues, and biases, needing improvements in automation, integration, and event inclusion.
Tenable Nessus requires enhanced reporting, better integration, modern UI, faster scans, accurate detection, and comprehensive IT asset coverage.
There are no clear guidelines for being invited to programs and conferences.
dApp Auditor at Hacken
Sometimes new users don't receive invites just because they are new, despite potentially being very skilled hackers, so I feel new users should get more chances and opportunities.
Senior ICT Security Consultant at Applied Principles Limited
When reporting something, the platform should indicate that it was reported in the previous year or on a specific date, which would give us more insight into what action we have taken on that issue.
Senior Security Professional at Oportun, Inc.
This is Tenable's property. They want to sell Tenable Security Center, and they closed all the API capability for Tenable Nessus Professional.
Co-Founder at RSU Consultancy
An AI feature that helps them discover options without requiring them to deep dive into all features or guides them through advisory functions would be beneficial.
Freelancer And CEO at a tech vendor with 1-10 employees
The documentation is not well-organized, which can be confusing when searching for solutions or specific information related to Tenable Nessus Professional.
SOC Engineer at a outsourcing company with 10,001+ employees
 

Setup Cost

HackerOne offers a free option for bug hunters and subscription plans for enterprises, with a 20% award fee.
Tenable Nessus is valued for affordability and flexibility, though costs vary by organization size, IP count, and region.
The cost is rated as one since there is no need to pay anything, not even a fee or commission.
dApp Auditor at Hacken
I have not experienced any costs since I use HackerOne independently, just logging into the site, hunting bugs, and submitting them without any expenses.
Senior ICT Security Consultant at Applied Principles Limited
The pricing for Tenable Nessus has increased significantly, tripling over the last few years.
Security Center Coordinator at a comms service provider with 1-10 employees
Tenable Nessus's pricing is adequate if it is fully utilized.
SOC Engineer at a outsourcing company with 10,001+ employees
When we compare it to other solutions, it is more difficult for us to negotiate the price for Tenable Nessus than to negotiate the price with Rapid7.
Freelancer And CEO at a tech vendor with 1-10 employees
 

Valuable Features

HackerOne provides a collaborative platform with customizable features, fast responses, and access to skilled hackers for varied security needs.
Tenable Nessus excels in vulnerability detection, user-friendliness, scalability, real-time monitoring, integration, compliance reporting, and remediation advice.
It has a very simple user interface, and it gives you a quick response—if you submit a bug, someone reaches out to you within minutes, telling you they will verify the bug, and it can be verified in just a few days, sometimes even less than a day, which stands out for me.
Senior ICT Security Consultant at Applied Principles Limited
HackerOne is a very good platform with the trust of different companies including Shopify, PayPal, and Uber.
Senior software developer at Simplifyvms
HackerOne is larger than WebCloud and has a better reputation than BugCloud, which results in a smoother process.
dApp Auditor at Hacken
I mostly use the configuration audit feature for the audit configuration as a scan policy, and I will use it for credential audit, which helps me scan credentials access such as local administrator or root access, performing a deeper and more accurate check of local configuration settings and file systems, making it a highly recommended feature.
Founder at Cipheroot
The scanning and reporting features are the most valuable aspects of Tenable Nessus.
SOC Engineer at a outsourcing company with 10,001+ employees
The most valuable features of Tenable Nessus include its ease of access and quick usability.
Security Center Coordinator at a comms service provider with 1-10 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

HackerOne
Ranking in Vulnerability Management
30th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
9
Ranking in other categories
Application Security Tools (18th), Bug Bounty Platforms (2nd), Penetration Testing Services (2nd), Attack Surface Management (ASM) (8th), AI Observability (12th)
Tenable Nessus
Ranking in Vulnerability Management
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.0
Number of Reviews
88
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2026, in the Vulnerability Management category, the mindshare of HackerOne is 0.7%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Tenable Nessus is 4.2%, down from 9.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Vulnerability Management Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Tenable Nessus4.2%
HackerOne0.7%
Other95.1%
Vulnerability Management
 

Featured Reviews

Ruphus Muita - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior ICT Security Consultant at Applied Principles Limited
Has improved my motivation to submit bugs consistently through fast response and clear filtering
I think HackerOne can be improved by allowing new users to gain access to certain programs that are only open to known, renowned users. Sometimes new users don't receive invites just because they are new, despite potentially being very skilled hackers, so I feel new users should get more chances and opportunities. I am currently satisfied with the rewards, response time, and other aspects of the platform, so I don't have anything else to add about the necessary improvements. I give HackerOne a nine out of ten because if new hackers are given more opportunities, it could be a perfect 10 for me. However, the reason I gave a nine is that I don't have much to complain about; I specifically love the program and don't have many concerns.
MohammedJaffir - PeerSpot reviewer
Founder at Cipheroot
Has enabled me to reduce false positives and perform deep credential auditing with seamless integrations
I mostly use the configuration audit feature for the audit configuration as a scan policy, and I will use it for credential audit, which helps me scan credentials access such as local administrator or root access, performing a deeper and more accurate check of local configuration settings and file systems, making it a highly recommended feature. Regarding integration capabilities, we can integrate Tenable Nessus with SIM tools such as Splunk, IBM QRadar, and Azure Sentinel, as well as with ticketing systems such as ServiceNow, Jira, and Slack. There is no complexity as it is very easy to integrate everything. In terms of the reporting feature, while vulnerability scanning can throw some false positives, Tenable Nessus has very few, achieving a reduction of 75% to 80% false positives with manual analysis needed. We can generate standard Nessus reports that typically include host summaries and vulnerabilities by host and plugin, alongside solutions and remediation recommendations. The main benefits I get from Tenable Nessus are complete asset inventory and comprehensive attack surface management, allowing us to prioritize vulnerabilities based on risk, focusing on true risk and threat path analysis.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
12%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Government
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business6
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise4
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business40
Midsize Enterprise19
Large Enterprise35
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for HackerOne?
I have not experienced any costs since I use HackerOne independently, just logging into the site, hunting bugs, and submitting them without any expenses.
What needs improvement with HackerOne?
HackerOne has trust from companies such as Shopify, PayPal, and Uber, which provides a stronger brand perception and competitive market positioning. However, I reduced my rating by one mark because...
What is your primary use case for HackerOne?
I use HackerOne for the bug bounty platform to find security issues. When we discover vulnerabilities, we receive awards for them. Before testing any new payment API for public release, we can have...
How would you choose between Rapid7 InsightVM and Tenable Nessus?
You have full visibility across cloud, network, virtual, and containerized infrastructures with Rapid7 Insight VM. You can easily prioritize vulnerabilities using attacker analytics. Overall, Rapid...
What's the difference between Tenable Nessus and Tenable.io Vulnerability Management?
Tenable Nessus is a vulnerability assessment solution that is both easy to deploy and easy to manage. The design of the program is such that if a company should desire to handle the installation t...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Tenable Nessus?
Based on my experience, the pricing for Tenable Nessus is somewhat higher, but customers still want to pay for it, so it remains acceptable. The annual price increase of six to seven percent could ...
 

Also Known As

HackerOne Assets, HackerOne Pentesting Services, HackerOne Security Assessments, HackerOne Vulnerability Management
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Anthropic, Crypto.com, General Motors, GitHub, Goldman Sachs, Uber, and the U.S. Department of Defense
Bitbrains, Tesla, Just Eat, Crosskey Banking Solutions, Covenant Health, Youngstown State University
Find out what your peers are saying about HackerOne vs. Tenable Nessus and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.
886,077 professionals have used our research since 2012.