HCL AppScan vs Rapid7 AppSpider comparison

HCLSoftware and Rapid7 are both solutions in the Static Application Security Testing (SAST) category. HCLSoftware is ranked #15 with an average rating of 8.3, while Rapid7 is ranked #32. HCLSoftware holds a 2.5% mindshare in SAST, compared to Rapid7’s 0.5% mindshare. Additionally, 84% of HCLSoftware users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Rapid7 users who would recommend it.

HCL AppScan

Read 43 HCL AppScan reviews

4,583 Views
3,666 Comparison Views

84% willing to recommend

Rapid7 AppSpider

Read 14 Rapid7 AppSpider reviews

1,416 Views
765 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

HCL AppScan

Rapid7 AppSpider

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024

HCL AppScan and Rapid7 AppSpider are both competing in web application security testing. Based on user feedback, HCL AppScan is preferred for pricing and support, while Rapid7 AppSpider stands out for its features, making it appealing to those who prioritize functionality over cost.

Features: HCL AppScan offers comprehensive application security testing, ease of integration with workflows, and user-friendly interfaces. Rapid7 AppSpider provides dynamic scanning capabilities, robust reporting features, and flexible configurations. Users find Rapid7 AppSpider's features slightly more advanced due to its depth and flexibility.

Room for Improvement: HCL AppScan users express a need for enhanced scanning speed, better documentation, and improved UI. Rapid7 AppSpider users seek better false-positive management, additional configuration options, and more intuitive interfaces. HCL AppScan's issues with scan speed and documentation are frequently noted.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: HCL AppScan offers a straightforward deployment process and reliable customer service. Rapid7 AppSpider provides a flexible deployment model but faces mixed reviews regarding customer support responsiveness. HCL AppScan tends to satisfy users more in setup and support accessibility.

Pricing and ROI: HCL AppScan is viewed as cost-effective with a favorable ROI, balancing cost and value well. Rapid7 AppSpider is generally more expensive but is considered a worthwhile investment for those valuing its advanced capabilities. Users perceive Rapid7 AppSpider's pricing as justified given its feature set.

To learn more, read our detailed HCL AppScan vs. Rapid7 AppSpider Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

HCL AppScan vs. Rapid7 AppSpider

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

HCL AppScan

Ranking in Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

15th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

5.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Security Tools (15th), Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) (1st)

Rapid7 AppSpider

Ranking in Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

32nd

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Static Application Security Testing (SAST) category, the mindshare of HCL AppScan is 2.5%, down from 2.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Rapid7 AppSpider is 0.5%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Static Application Security Testing (SAST) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
HCL AppScan	2.5%
Rapid7 AppSpider	0.5%
Other	97.0%

Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

Featured Reviews

Gladwin Christian

QA manager at SmartStream Technologies ltd.

A useful tool to scan applications that can be easily installed

Given that we have been using HCL AppScan for many years, I think the setup process is not difficult at all. Sometimes, some issues stop or prevent my company from moving forward with the product's setup phase. We have to call HCL's support team and engage in long discussions to smoothly carry out the setup phase. In general, the product's setup phase is not difficult in our company. The solution is deployed on an on-premises model. The licenses for the solution are available only on cloud deployments nowadays. The solution is already installed in our environment. Every time a new release or software comes out from HCL, our company does a scan, which takes maybe a day or two.

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Rizwan-Alam

Head Information Security at Akhtar Fuiou Technologies

Easy automated web app scanning, but gives many false positives and isn't always stable

One of the challenges I have with AppSpider is that it gives you a lot of false positives, especially when compared to other solutions. This is the main aspect that I hope to see Rapid7 improve on. Beyond reducing false positives, I would also like to see them implement better reporting features, particularly in the executive summary type of reports which need to be user-friendly and easily understood by non-technical people. The recommendations and solutions on these reports could always be improved to make them more relevant, too. Lastly, the stability isn't that great, and sometimes it becomes non-responsive. I feel like the stability of the application is very average and currently needs more work.

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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 valuable feature of the solution is Postman."

"The solution is easy to install. I would rate the product's setup between six to seven out of ten. The deployment time depends on the applications that need to be scanned. We have a development and operations team to take care of the product's maintenance."

"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."

"There's extensive functionality with custom rules and a custom knowledge base."

"This is a stable solution."

"The product has valuable features for static and dynamic testing."

"The security and the dashboard are the most valuable features."

"It was easy to set up."

More HCL AppScan pros

"I would say that it is stable, as I am not aware of any major issues."

"AppSpider's most valuable feature is reporting - everything is stored in the local database so it can be sent to other machines."

"The solution is highly stable, rated at ten out of ten."

"The entire solution is interactive and has a point-and-click user experience, which makes it easy to find items or drill down on information. You don't need specialized skills to use the product."

"One of the most valuable features of AppSpider is its broad range of authentication identification, which is a key reason for its utilization."

"It is really accurate and the rate of false positives is very low."

"Rapid7 AppSpider is good at managing different applications. It uses applets and generates reports to cover the PCA/GDPR compliance requirements."

"The most valuable feature is the reporting, which is compliant with international standards."

More Rapid7 AppSpider pros

Cons

"If HCL AppScan is able to alert the clients over email once the scan is complete, it would be great. Right now, HCL AppScan doesn't let me know if the scanning part is finished or not, because of which I have to come back and check mostly."

"AppScan needs to improve its handling of false positives."

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

"The databases for HCL are small and have room for improvement."

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

"They should have a better UI for dashboards."

"I would like to see the roadmap for this product. We are still waiting to see it as we have only so many resources."

"The dashboard, for AppScan or the Fortified fast tool, which we use needs to be improved."

More HCL AppScan cons

"AppSpider could improve in the area of integration. They need to add more integration opportunities."

"Support response times are slow and can be improved."

"The enterprise interface is too simple. It should be more customizable."

"Integration could be better."

"The dashboard and interface are crucial and they need some improvement."

"The tech support is responsive but issues remain unresolved."

"The product needs to be able to scale for large companies, like ours. We have millions of IP addresses that need to be scanned, and the scalability is not great."

"The performance of the solution could improve. When I compare the speed it is slower than others on the market. There are some tricks we use to help speed up the solution."

More Rapid7 AppSpider cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"The solution is moderately priced."

"HCL AppScan is expensive."

"The solution is cheap."

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

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

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

More HCL AppScan pricing and cost advice

"AppSpider is closed-source software and you need to acquire a license in order to use it."

"The licensing cost depends on the number of users."

"The price is pretty fair."

"It is expensive if you want to buy the Enterprise version that is able to scan multiple applications at once."

"The price of Rapid7 AppSpider cost 9,000 annually but there is limited usage. Large companies are able to negotiate a better price or a better deal for the usage with the vendor."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

16%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Government

11%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

14%

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

Healthcare Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	13
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	31

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	11
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	1

Questions from the Community

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

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Rapid7 AppSpider?

The price is not high, but for Japanese customers, localization may incur additional costs.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Rapid7 AppSpider?

For Japanese customers, localization is needed. The product should offer a GUI in Japanese and provide Japanese reports for end-users.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Rapid7 AppSpider?

Our clients use AppSpider to address security concerns for their websites. It is particularly used by customers who require security assessments.

See all answers

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

HCL AppScan

September 2025

Download HCL AppScan product report

Buyer's Guide

Rapid7 AppSpider

August 2025

Download Rapid7 AppSpider product report

Also Known As

IBM Security AppScan, Rational AppScan, AppScan

AppSpider

Overview

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

SPAs, APIs, mobile—the evolution of application technology is measured in months, not years. Is your web application security testing tool designed to keep up? AppSpider lets you collect all the information needed to test all the apps so that you aren’t left with gaping application risks.

Our dynamic application security testing (DAST) solution crawls to the deepest, darkest corners of even the most modern and complex apps to effectively test for risk and get you the insight you need to remediate faster. With AppSpider on your side (or, rather, all of your sides), you’ll be able to scan all the apps today and always be ready for whatever comes next.

Rapid7

Sample Customers

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

Microsoft

Buyer's Guide

HCL AppScan vs. Rapid7 AppSpider

September 2025

Free Report: HCL AppScan vs. Rapid7 AppSpider

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