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HCL AppScan vs Visual Studio Test Professional comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
43
Ranking in other categories
Application Security Tools (14th), Static Application Security Testing (SAST) (10th), Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) (1st)
Visual Studio Test Professi...
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
52
Ranking in other categories
Functional Testing Tools (6th), Test Management Tools (5th)
 

Mindshare comparison

While both are Quality Assurance solutions, they serve different purposes. HCL AppScan is designed for Application Security Tools and holds a mindshare of 2.6%, down 2.7% compared to last year.
Visual Studio Test Professional, on the other hand, focuses on Functional Testing Tools, holds 0.6% mindshare, down 0.9% since last year.
Application Security Tools
Functional Testing Tools
 

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…
ALFONSO LORENZO-RODRÍGUEZ - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides extensive extensions and plugins for seamless AI product development
Our primary use case for Visual Studio Test Professional is as a development tool. We develop software primarily in Python, specifically for applications related to artificial intelligence. We use frameworks like PyTorch for training models and developing applications using these models. This tool…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"AppScan is stable."
"The security and the dashboard are the most valuable features."
"It identifies all the URLs and domains on its own and then performs tests and provides the results."
"AppScan's most valuable features include its ability to identify vulnerabilities accurately, provide detailed remediation steps, and the newly introduced AI-powered features that enhance its functionality further."
"It has certainly helped us find vulnerabilities in our software, so this is priceless in the end."
"It highlights, with several grades of severity, the types of vulnerabilities, so we can focus on the most severe security vulnerabilities in the code."
"It's generally a very user-friendly tool. Anyone can easily learn how to scan"
"The most valuable feature of the solution is the scanning or security part."
"I was satisfied with the support given by customer service."
"Visual Studio Test Professional is a scalable solution."
"The most valuable feature has been to store all our packages in one place including SSIS packages, SQL tables, TFS and SSR."
"One of the best documentation in the world."
"Easy to use and easily scalable."
"The setup is easy and straightforward."
"Visual Studio Test Professional's most valuable feature is the rich IDE for doing code and test development."
"It is very easy to use. You can handle a lot of things together at once in one package, which is a good point for us."
 

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."
"​IBM Security AppScan Source is rather hard to use​."
"The pricing has 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. ​"
"HCL AppScan needs to improve security."
"We have experienced challenges when trying to integrate this solution with other products. When you compare it with the other SecOps products, the quality of the output is too low. It is not a new-age product. It is very outdated."
"AppScan needs to improve its handling of false positives."
"The solution should be cheaper."
"The solution's documentation could be improved because it keeps disappearing from the solution."
"The product must provide more automation."
"The database administration could be better; you should be able to choose new tools with the development environment in Visual Studio. It could be easier to use."
"I would appreciate some enhancements in the interface, maybe adding more color options."
"The Git extensions are very basic and can be more extensive compared to other software focused on Git, like GitTower or SmartGit."
"One of the problems with this solution is you need to be highly technically skilled to operate it, it is not for everyone."
"The Git extensions are very basic and can be more extensive compared to other software focused on Git, like GitTower or SmartGit."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Our clients are willing to pay the extra money. It is expensive."
"The solution is moderately priced."
"The product is moderately priced, though it's an investment due to extensive code analysis needs."
"HCL AppScan is expensive."
"The product has premium pricing and could be more competitive."
"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."
"Pricing was the main reason that we went ahead with this solution as they were the lowest in the market."
"The tool is affordable."
"We pay a yearly licensing fee for Visual Studio Test Professional, which is expensive."
"There is a paid version of the solution as well as a community version that is free."
"Visual Studio Test Professional is not an expensive solution."
"The product is very expensive."
"The tool is expensive in my region."
"Visual Studio Test Professional is a very expensive solution."
"Users have to pay a licensing fee for Visual Studio Test Professional."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
19%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Government
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
21%
Computer Software Company
17%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Real Estate/Law Firm
7%
 

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 Visual Studio Test Professional?
The most valuable features of the solution are its ease of use and availability.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Visual Studio Test Professional?
The tool is free, resulting in no costs associated with its use. The absence of price makes it cost-effective.
What needs improvement with Visual Studio Test Professional?
The product needs contextual help integrated within its interface. Currently, I need to search online to find out how to use certain functions. This feature would save time by providing direct assi...
 

Also Known As

IBM Security AppScan, Rational AppScan, AppScan
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Essex Technology Group Inc., Cisco, West Virginia University, APIS IT
Transport for Greater Manchester, Ordina, Bluegarden A/S, CLEAResult, Jet.com, OSIsoft, Australian Taxation Office, BookedOut, Tracasa
Find out what your peers are saying about Sonar, Veracode, Checkmarx and others in Application Security Tools. Updated: March 2025.
845,040 professionals have used our research since 2012.