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 8.2. HCLSoftware holds a 18.3% mindshare in DAST, compared to Rapid7’s 11.9% mindshare. Additionally, 83% 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

606 Views
478 Comparison Views

83% willing to recommend

Rapid7 InsightAppSec

Read 14 Rapid7 InsightAppSec reviews

362 Views
257 Comparison Views

100% 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: January 2025).

Buyer's Guide

HCL AppScan vs. Rapid7 InsightAppSec

January 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

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) category, the mindshare of HCL AppScan is 18.3%, down from 28.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Rapid7 InsightAppSec is 11.9%, down from 13.3% 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

"It highlights, with several grades of severity, the types of vulnerabilities, so we can focus on the most severe security vulnerabilities in the code."

"Usually when we deploy the application, there is a process for ethical hacking. The main benefit is that, the ethical hacking is almost clean, every time. So it's less cost, less effort, less time to production."

"The most valuable feature of HCL AppScan is its integration with the SDLC, particularly during the coding phase."

"For me, as a manager, it was the ease of use. Inserting security into the development process is not normally an easy project to do. The ability for the developer to actually use it and get results and focuses, that's what counted."

"The UI was very intuitive."

"It comes with all of the templates that we need. For example, we are a company that is regulated by PCI. In order to be PCI compliant, we have a lot of checks and procedures to which we have to comply."

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

"This is a stable solution."

More HCL AppScan pros

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

"I rate stability ten out of ten."

"It is very convenient to get reports from the tool, which offers high-level environmental statistics."

"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 paste the provided CDN into your metadata. Once connected, every piece of information, including vulnerabilities, can be accessed. It also offers demo sessions."

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

"The most valuable feature of this solution is the graphical interface."

"The templates feature is very easy. You just choose the kind of attack you want on your web application, and you run it against that template and receive a report. It's great."

More Rapid7 InsightAppSec pros

Cons

"Visibility is an issue for us. Our partners do not know we have integrations with some of IBM products."

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

"The penetration testing feature should be included."

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

"A desktop version should be added."

"They could add a software component analysis tool."

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

"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."

More HCL AppScan cons

"When you add new projects for the same product, it either duplicates or replaces the scan configuration. If I run a scan for the same product with a different scan configuration, it should keep the previous scan configuration and not replace it with the new scan configuration. It should just add the new scan configuration. That would be helpful. They do keep the results as it is, but the scan configuration keeps changing. For example, I have set a scan configuration to a full scan, and next week, I want to run a new scan for the same product with some changes or new functionalities. I want to run a partial scan. Currently, if I change the scan configuration to partial, it changes the old one also to partial. That should be improved."

"They should add more features. I would like to see them do a little more on static analysis and also interactivity analysis. Currently, it does very basic static analysis. It could do a little more static analysis, which is something that would help. A lot more interactivity analysis should also be there. It should basically look at security during interactivity."

"I would like more details of what the product can do."

"The number of web applications we can scan is limited."

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

"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."

"Currently, InsightAppSec lacks similar functionality. Customers must wait for remediation during the developers' preparation of a new version."

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

More Rapid7 InsightAppSec cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"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."

"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."

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

"The solution is moderately priced."

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

"The price is very expensive."

"HCL AppScan is expensive."

More HCL AppScan pricing and cost advice

"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."

"Rapid7 InsightAppSec is cheap."

"The price of this product is very cheap."

"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

10%

Computer Software Company

18%

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...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Rapid7 InsightAppSec?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Rapid7 InsightAppSec?

I use InsightAppSec with our customers. I help them create and realize scans in the environment. I also use the setup technology to scan our environment. I have experience as both a user and admini...

See all answers

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

HCL AppScan

February 2025

Download HCL AppScan product report

Buyer's Guide

Rapid7 InsightAppSec

February 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

January 2025

Free Report: HCL AppScan vs. Rapid7 InsightAppSec

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