HCL AppScan vs Rapid7 InsightAppSec comparison

HCLSoftware and Rapid7 are both solutions in the Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) category. HCLSoftware is ranked #1 with an average rating of 7.9, while Rapid7 is ranked #4 with an average rating of 7.9. HCLSoftware holds a 17.5% mindshare in DAST, compared to Rapid7’s 11.9% mindshare. Additionally, 83% of HCLSoftware users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of Rapid7 users who would recommend it.

HCL AppScan

Read 43 HCL AppScan reviews

592 Views
459 Comparison Views

83% willing to recommend

Rapid7 InsightAppSec

Read 17 Rapid7 InsightAppSec reviews

380 Views
264 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

HCL AppScan

Rapid7 InsightAppSec

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 13, 2024

HCL AppScan and Rapid7 InsightAppSec are two leading cybersecurity solutions. Rapid7 InsightAppSec seems to have the upper hand due to its superior features despite higher costs.

Features: HCL AppScan: Comprehensive scanning capabilities, integration options, and cost-effectiveness. Rapid7 InsightAppSec: Intuitive reporting features, ease of use, user-friendly interface.

Room for Improvement: HCL AppScan: Better reporting, more frequent updates, improved deployment process. Rapid7 InsightAppSec: Better API, improved technical support responsiveness, less areas for enhancement.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: HCL AppScan: Complicated deployment process, mixed customer service reviews. Rapid7 InsightAppSec: Smoother deployment, superior customer service.

Pricing and ROI: HCL AppScan: Cost-effective, good ROI. Rapid7 InsightAppSec: Higher upfront costs justified by richer feature set, higher perceived value.

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

Buyer's Guide

HCL AppScan vs. Rapid7 InsightAppSec

March 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 Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)

1st

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Security Tools (15th), Static Application Security Testing (SAST) (12th)

Rapid7 InsightAppSec

Ranking in Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)

4th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) category, the mindshare of HCL AppScan is 17.5%, down from 27.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Rapid7 InsightAppSec is 11.9%, down from 13.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)

Featured Reviews

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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Krzysztof Witko

IT Security Engineer at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees

Automated authorization streamlines security processes

The previous product, AppSpyder, had a virtual patching module where we could generate patches for third-party web application firewalls, such as Imperva or F5. Currently, InsightAppSec lacks similar functionality. Customers must wait for remediation during the developers' preparation of a new version. Virtual patching could help protect web pages shortly after finishing the scan process.

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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 HCL AppScan is scanning QR codes."

"It is a stable solution...It is a scalable solution...The initial setup or installation of HCL AppScan is easy."

"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."

"The product is useful, particularly in its sensitivity and scanning capabilities."

"We leverage it as a quality check against code."

"The solution offers services in a few specific development languages."

"It provides a better integration for our ecosystem."

"Technical support is helpful."

More HCL AppScan pros

"When considering DAST, it is not attributed to a singular feature but rather the capabilities of the engine that provides a genuine penetration testing experience and delivers insightful reports."

"Rapid7 InsightAppSec helps us in both regulatory compliance and in strengthening our security posture."

"It's very easy to use and user-friendly. It does the job."

"Dynamic application security scanning provides predefined templates and supports customization. The ability to scan external and internal applications, including on-premises ones, is precious. Additionally, it is a cloud platform, so we don't need to deploy servers or resources. This makes it time-efficient and cost-effective."

"It uses a signature-based method to check for problems with your code and will provide an alert if anything is found."

"It is a very robust solution."

"The solution is stable."

"The automatic automation of the automated authorization to the SCANNET environment is valuable."

More Rapid7 InsightAppSec pros

Cons

"In future releases, I would like to see more aggressive reports. I would also like to see less false positives."

"It's a little bit basic when you talk about the Web Services. If AppScan improved its maturity on Web Services testing, that would be good."

"IBM Security AppScan Source is rather hard to use."

"IBM Security AppScan needs to add performance optimization for quickly scanning the target web applications."

"We would like to see a check in the specific vulnerabilities in mobile applications or rooted devices, such as jailbreaking devices."

"Scans become slow on large websites."

"Improving usability could enhance the overall experience with AppScan. It would be beneficial to make the solution more user-friendly, ensuring that everyone can easily navigate and utilize its features."

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

More HCL AppScan cons

"In the future, if they can have integration with a lot of ticketing systems then it would be amazing."

"The interface should be a little bit easier to manage. Sometimes, the logic that they use is kind of strange. They need to work a little bit more on their interface to make it more understandable. The interface is the only problem. I'm using Rapid7, which is very intuitive. There are other applications available in the market with a better interface. They can include more techniques or options to test different types of security because the templates are limited. It would be great to see them follow the MITRE ATT&CK framework or what is there in tools like Veracode and Synopsys."

"The reporting is definitely an aspect of the solution that's in need of some work. We found that we'd try to use widgets, but often getting them to work for us wasn't very clear. They need to be more user friendly or offer better instructions."

"The dynamic scanning feature has simplified and improved the security testing process. I suggest adding a SaaS feature to the solution to support scanning SaaS applications, making it more comprehensive. It would be beneficial if the solution could also scan mobile applications. It only scans web applications and should also cover mobile applications, including firmware recommendations."

"The only concern I have with Rapid7 is that it does not provide enough information about vulnerabilities within AppSec."

"There is room for improvement in Rapid7 InsightAppSec by giving clients the ability for extra columns on reports and enabling the extraction of remediation reports into a CSV format. Currently, the PDF format is cumbersome to go through when dealing with thousands of pages."

"We get a lot of false positives during the tests."

"We'd like to see integrations with WAF solutions."

More Rapid7 InsightAppSec 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 product is moderately priced, though it's an investment due to extensive code analysis needs."

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

"The tool was expensive."

"The price is very 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."

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

"I would rate the product's pricing a nine out of ten. The product's pricing is expensive compared to the features that they offer."

More HCL AppScan pricing and cost advice

"Rapid7 InsightAppSec is cheap."

"The price of this product is very cheap."

"Its price is competitive. It is not expensive."

"They offer a good price, but I don't remember its cost. It is fair as compared to the competition. We have opted for project-based licensing, not user-based. We can add any number of users. That doesn't matter. It is worth the money."

"I'm not sure how much it costs exactly, but I know it's expensive."

"I rate Rapid7 InsightAppSec’s pricing an eight out of ten."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

19%

Financial Services Firm

15%

Government

11%

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

16%

Financial Services Firm

14%

Manufacturing Company

12%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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...

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What do you like most about Rapid7 InsightAppSec?

In Rapid7 InsightAppSec, a distinctive feature is the provision of a CDM for integrating web servers and web applications. To establish the connection between these applications, you only need to p...

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What needs improvement with Rapid7 InsightAppSec?

The reporting feature of Rapid7 InsightAppSec needs improvement as it currently provides basic reports. It would be beneficial if there were an option for customers to customize reports to include ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Rapid7 InsightAppSec?

We primarily use Rapid7 InsightAppSec for application security within our organization. We perform penetration testing on our in-house-built, Java-based web applications to comply with regulatory s...

See all answers

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

HCL AppScan

March 2025

Download HCL AppScan product report

Buyer's Guide

Rapid7 InsightAppSec

March 2025

Download Rapid7 InsightAppSec product report

Also Known As

IBM Security AppScan, Rational AppScan, AppScan

InsightAppSec

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

Your web applications may be complex, but your application security testing tool doesn’t need to be. InsightAppSec brings Rapid7’s proven Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) technology to the Insight platform, combining powerful application crawling and attack capabilities, flexibility in scan scope and scheduling, and accuracy in results with a modern UI, intuitive workflows, and sensible data organization. This enables you to identify XSS, SQL injection, CSRF, and other vulnerabilities with unparalleled ease. The best part? All of these capabilities are delivered via the cloud so that you’re up and running in minutes to identify the critical security risks that exist in your applications.

Rapid7

Sample Customers

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

CenterPoint Energy, CPA Australia, Hypertherm, First American Financial Corporation, Rackspace

Buyer's Guide

HCL AppScan vs. Rapid7 InsightAppSec

March 2025

Free Report: HCL AppScan vs. Rapid7 InsightAppSec

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