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HCL AppScan vs SonarQube Cloud (formerly SonarCloud) comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 30, 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

HCL AppScan
Ranking in Static Application Security Testing (SAST)
12th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
43
Ranking in other categories
Application Security Tools (15th), Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) (1st)
SonarQube Cloud (formerly S...
Ranking in Static Application Security Testing (SAST)
10th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
12
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the Static Application Security Testing (SAST) category, the mindshare of HCL AppScan is 2.8%, up from 2.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonarQube Cloud (formerly SonarCloud) is 6.7%, down from 6.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Static Application Security Testing (SAST)
 

Featured Reviews

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…
Diego Moreo - PeerSpot reviewer
Enhanced code quality with data consolidation needs and good pipeline integration
We have SonarCloud integrated into our pipeline. It is used as a tool for checking code quality, clean code, bugs, and security issues. It acts as a quality gate for production, helping decide if our code can be applied SonarCloud aids us in checking major issues in legacy systems and helps…

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 the scanning or security part."
"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 most valuable feature of HCL AppScan is scanning QR codes."
"The solution is easy to use."
"The most valuable feature of HCL AppScan is its integration with the SDLC, particularly during the coding phase."
"The security and the dashboard are the most valuable features."
"The UI was very intuitive."
"The HCL AppScan turnaround time for Burp Suite or any new feature request is pretty good, and that is why we are sticking with the HCL."
"The reports from SonarCloud are very good."
"The SaaS solution for checking code without execution and dealing with security issues is valuable."
"I find SonarQube Cloud very easy to use and simple to integrate initially."
"SonarCloud is overall a good tool for identifying code smells, bugs, and code duplication, but we've found that using Android Lint is more effective for our needs."
"The solution can be installed locally."
"The most valuable feature of SonarCloud is its overall performance."
"For what it is meant to do, it works pretty well."
"I'm not implementing the solutions. However, I've talked to the people who deploy the tools, and they are happy with how easy setting up SonarCloud is."
 

Cons

"The databases for HCL are small and have room for improvement."
"The penetration testing feature should be included."
"There are so many lines of code with so many different categories that I am likely to get lost. ​"
"IBM Security AppScan needs to add performance optimization for quickly scanning the target web applications."
"One thing which I think can be improved is the CI/CD Integration"
"They could add a software component analysis tool."
"There is not a central management for static and dynamic."
"Many silly false positives are produced."
"SonarCloud's UI needs enhancement."
"CI/CD pipeline is part of a whole chain of design, development, and production, and it's becoming increasingly crucial to optimize the various tools across different stages. However, it's still a silo approach because the full integration is missing. This isn't just an issue with SonarCloud. It's a general problem with tooling."
"The reports could improve by providing more information. We are not able to use the reports in our operation until they are improved. Additionally, if the vendor provided more customization capabilities it would be a benefit."
"The documentation needs improvement on optimizing build time for seamless CI/CD integration with our Android apps."
"SonarQube Cloud could improve its vulnerability detection compared to Veracode. Additionally, it has fewer capabilities, which prompted us to use Veracode."
"Reporting features are missing in SonarCloud."
"It would be helpful if notifications could go out to an extra person."
"We had some issues with the scanner."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."
"Pricing was the main reason that we went ahead with this solution as they were the lowest in the market."
"The solution is moderately priced."
"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 solution is cheap."
"The product has premium pricing and could be more competitive."
"AppScan is a little bit expensive. IBM needs to work a little bit on the pricing model, decreasing the license cost."
"The tool was expensive."
"Previously, the pricing was 17,000 euros for five million lines analyzed. However, they now charge $15,000 per one million lines, significantly increasing the cost."
"The current pricing is quite cheap."
"I am using the free version of the solution."
"The price of SonarCloud is not expensive, it goes by the lines of code. 1 million lines per code are approximately 4,000 USD per year. If you need 2 million lines of code you would double the annual cost."
"While not extremely cheap, it aligns well with market standards and offers good value."
"I rate the pricing a five out of ten."
"The price of SonarCloud could be less expensive. We are using the community version and the price should be more reasonable."
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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
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Insurance Company
5%
 

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.
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...
What do you like most about SonarCloud?
Recently, they introduced support for mono reports and microservices, which is a noteworthy development as it provides a more detailed view of each service.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SonarCloud?
Previously, the pricing was 17,000 euros for five million lines analyzed. However, they now charge $15,000 per one million lines, significantly increasing the cost.
What needs improvement with SonarCloud?
Reporting features are missing in SonarCloud. We do not have a way to consolidate data within the tool, requiring us to extract data and use Power BI for reports.
 

Also Known As

IBM Security AppScan, Rational AppScan, AppScan
No data available
 

Interactive Demo

Demo not available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Essex Technology Group Inc., Cisco, West Virginia University, APIS IT
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about HCL AppScan vs. SonarQube Cloud (formerly SonarCloud) and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
838,713 professionals have used our research since 2012.