Qualys Exposure Management vs Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes comparison

Qualys and Red Hat are both solutions in the Container Security category. Qualys is ranked #10 with an average rating of 8.5, while Red Hat is ranked #25 with an average rating of 8.0. Qualys holds a 2.1% mindshare in Container Security, compared to Red Hat’s 1.4% mindshare. Additionally, 95% of Qualys users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Red Hat users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 13, 2026

Qualys VMDR and Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes compete in the security sector, each excelling in specific domains. While Qualys focuses on robust vulnerability management and asset discovery, Red Hat excels in Kubernetes container security.

Features: Qualys VMDR excels in real-time asset discovery, vulnerability prioritization, and comprehensive patch management. It offers a risk-based approach to handling vulnerabilities, making it suitable for thorough security assessments. Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security integrates seamlessly with Kubernetes, providing visibility into container communications and node interactions. It benefits from advanced cluster security frameworks that strengthen its container security position.

Room for Improvement: Qualys VMDR could enhance its accuracy by minimizing false positives and improving asset tagging, alongside integrating more AI features. Simplifying agent deployment for large volumes of assets is also suggested. Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security would gain from better documentation and more streamlined command-line configurations. Additional visibility enhancements and implementing zero-trust models would further benefit the platform.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Qualys VMDR provides flexibility with deployment options spanning on-premises, public, and hybrid clouds, although customer service feedback varies from responsive to occasionally slow. Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security primarily focuses on on-premises and hybrid cloud environments, with noted excellent global support and minimal language barriers, though some users mention reliance on scripted responses.

Pricing and ROI: Qualys VMDR is recognized for its significant pricing, possibly surpassing $100,000 for mid-sized programs, offering strong ROI by reducing vulnerabilities and enhancing compliance, supported by various pricing models. Red Hat, while also viewed as costly, presents a bundled pricing option with its OpenShift Platform Plus, potentially offering more economical solutions depending on specific needs.

To learn more, read our detailed Qualys Exposure Management vs. Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes Report (Updated: June 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Qualys Exposure Management vs. Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes

June 2026

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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

Qualys TotalCloud

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Container Security category, the mindshare of Qualys TotalCloud is 1.6%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Qualys Exposure Management is 2.1%, down from 2.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes is 1.4%, down from 2.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Container Security Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Qualys Exposure Management	2.1%
Qualys TotalCloud	1.6%
Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes	1.4%
Other	94.9%

Container Security

Featured Reviews

Robert Orłowski

IT Security Expert at Alior Bank S.A.

Unified risk scoring has improved our cloud visibility and simplifies remediation priorities

Qualys TotalCloud provides unified vulnerability and threat assessment across both IAS and SaaS. This solution provides a single prioritized view of risk, which helps reduce the work I would have to do. We are no longer based on CVSS; we are based on Qualys risk scoring, which is based on CVSS plus internal findings made by Qualys, and then assigns its own score. The TruRisk insight feature has found a small number of assets with high vulnerability scores, though I am cautious since some information is classified. Qualys TotalCloud has positively impacted our bank's performance, and we have definitely seen benefits after implementing this solution.

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Ajay Paul

System Engineer at a outsourcing company with 10,001+ employees

Vulnerability management has prioritized high‑risk patching and simplified bulk system reporting

The primary issue is with the reporting functionality. Even though we fix vulnerabilities, the reports do not reflect the changes immediately. Sometimes we need to manually run a script to scan the systems before Qualys Enterprise TruRisk Management will update the scan results. The main issue is the reporting delay, and sometimes the Qualys Enterprise TruRisk Management agent will not scan the system, which means we do not receive accurate reports in a timely manner. Additionally, there are many metrics for calculating vulnerabilities, such as the Qualys ID, severity scores, CVSS scores, and other metrics. The abundance of information can be confusing. These two aspects are the most significant negatives I have experienced with this tool.

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John-Riley

Cybersecurity Architect/System Security Engineer at General Dynamics Mission Systems–Canada

Provides network mapping feature for visualizing container communication but complex setup

There is room for improvement in the setup process. All these tools come down to how you're integrating into your environment and having good knowledge of the tool. So that's the biggest problem with all these security tools – you gotta have knowledgeable people to build, integrate, and really flesh them out in your environment to make them work as they should.

Read full review

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 is extensibility."

"I depend heavily on the reports that I have from this tool."

"Its dashboards are brilliant. It provides in-depth insights."

"The agent and agentless scanning in TotalCloud, particularly the FlexScan method, is incredibly valuable. With traditional scanning approaches, we had to give IP ranges and whitelist IPs. All that is now simplified. FlexScan requires minimal intervention, and after configuration, it automatically collects data and performs necessary scans."

"The best part I like is the on-demand scans."

"I like the web API security and IoT scanning features the most. The user-friendly design of TotalCloud's interface enables customers to navigate it and use its full potential easily"

"By integrating TotalCloud, we have significantly reduced vulnerabilities in our deployment pipeline."

"With TotalCloud, we can scan through the API. If we are not able to deploy cloud agents on the machine, we can use the API."

More Qualys TotalCloud pros

"The advantage with Qualys is that you get a lot of features because it has been a market leader for quite a long time."

"Qualys VMDR has positively impacted my organization by reducing vulnerability exposure time through faster detection and patching, and it has improved compliance reporting with accurate and up-to-date data."

"I would definitely recommmend using this product, as this is very simple and yet an effective way to do vulnerability assessment."

"Before we were taking eight hours, now we're taking around 30 minutes to respond to any incident, security and such."

"Overall, this is a good product and I recommend it, mainly because of the capabilities and the management using a single console."

"It's a good product. After the scan our internet works well. It scans our security posture."

"The Qualys Agent is most valuable for getting insight into what is happening on what device with all its metadata."

"It is a stable solution."

More Qualys Exposure Management pros

"The technical support is good."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is its monitoring feature."

"It is easy to install and manage."

"The benefit of working with the solution is the fact that it's very straightforward...It is a perfectly stable product since the details are very accurate."

"Segmentation is the most powerful feature."

"I am impressed with the tool's visibility."

"I like virtualization and all those tools that come with OpenShift. I also like Advanced Cluster Management and the built-in security."

"The most valuable feature is the ability to share resources."

More Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes pros

Cons

"One of the things that could be improved is the alerts. Qualys is a fantastic tool, especially with the TruRisk feature, but one challenge that most leaders face involves alert fatigue."

"Areas that need improvement in every solution include the remediation part. The remediation steps should be simple enough for everyone to understand."

"Qualys TotalCloud needs to enhance its scanning capabilities in the IP domain, as it currently lacks the functionality to resolve IPs to their corresponding domain names."

"In my opinion, what can be improved in Qualys TotalCloud includes pricing and container scanning."

"TotalCloud could improve the classification of vulnerabilities. Specifically, it could enhance the categorization of what aspects fall under patches resolved by OS or software updates and what pertains to configuration adjustments."

"To improve the user experience, reporting could be simplified for better comprehension by end users and project managers, facilitating issue resolution."

"Two areas for improvement in Qualys TotalCloud are the speed of the public cloud platform and vulnerability detection."

"Qualys TotalCloud has the potential to improve by integrating a hybrid platform for comprehensive management of both on-premises and cloud infrastructures."

More Qualys TotalCloud cons

"I think the only area to improve it is the way the scores are calculated."

"I would like to see more accuracy in detections, better reporting capabilities, and better dashboard download capabilities."

"The feature where the solutions to issues are mentioned in the reports could be improved."

"Integration could be better. When you think about scanning, it's not used just with this product alone but with other Qualys products. If you think about the bundle, the product itself is good. But integration with other products and packages has space for improvement. They should also offer a better price for bundles."

"Streamline PCI integration and attestation."

"It's quite complex on the way it is set up, so it takes a fair bit of time in order to get your head around it in order to deploy it. Once you've deployed it, then you're never confident on the versions of the browsers and the SSL certificates, etc. You have to always go back into Qualys and check."

"For a beginning, the initial setup is complex. You have to have some knowledge for setting it up and using it."

"It is more expensive vs. other products on the market."

More Qualys Exposure Management cons

"I do see that some features associated with the IAST part are not included in the tool, making it an area where improvements are required."

"Red Hat is somewhat expensive."

"The initial setup is pretty complex. There's a learning curve, and its cost varies across different environments. It's difficult."

"The testing process could be improved."

"The documentation about Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security available online is very limited... So it's very limited to the documentation."

"They're trying to convert it to the platform as a source. They are moving in the direction of Cloud Foundry so it can be easier for a developer to deploy it."

"The solution lacks features when compared to some of the competitors such as Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks and has room for improvement."

"The deprecation of APIs is a concern since the deprecation of APIs will cause issues for us every time we upgrade."

More Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Qualys TotalCloud is expensive, but it offers a premier solution with no headaches."

"Qualys TotalCloud is cost-efficient and was selected for its value compared to other products."

"TotalCloud's price is about right where I would expect it to be."

"Qualys TotalCloud is expensive."

"Qualys TotalCloud offers competitive pricing given its comprehensive suite of features, including integration, assessment, remediation, and detection capabilities, all within a single platform."

"The pricing for TotalCloud is attractive and competitive in the market. Given the features, especially the dashboard, I have no concerns regarding pricing."

"Although Qualys TotalCloud is relatively expensive due to its unique automation features, its cost-effectiveness is rated an eight out of ten, with ten being the most costly."

"Qualys TotalCloud offers cost-effective licensing flexibility."

More Qualys TotalCloud pricing and cost advice

"It's very expensive, especially if you want to use multiple modules of Qualys."

"In Nigerian Naira, we spend about roughly four to five million to use this solution and this is expensive compared to solutions like Nessus."

"The product is more expensive than that of any other vendor."

"It is different for every company, but for us, it's every three years."

"The solution is costly."

"They have recently changed the pricing model, which is now better than it was before."

"Qualys VM is better suited for medium to large companies because the price can be too much for smaller customers."

"There is a license for the use of this solution. We pay annually instead of monthly to receive a better discount on the price."

More Qualys Exposure Management pricing and cost advice

"Red Hat offers two pricing options for their solution: a separate price, and a bundled price under the OpenShift Platform Plus."

"It's a costly solution"

"The pricing model is moderate, meaning it is not very expensive."

"The price of Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes is better than Palo Alto Prisma."

"We purchase a yearly basis license for the solution."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

13%

Outsourcing Company

11%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Financial Services Firm

14%

Manufacturing Company

Outsourcing Company

Construction Company

Financial Services Firm

27%

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

Insurance Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	11
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	30

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	21
Midsize Enterprise	12
Large Enterprise	74

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	4

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Qualys TotalCloud?

The price is very expensive, actually.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Qualys TotalCloud?

To be totally honest, I do not have any best features because I have had a bad experience using this tool, especially...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Qualys TotalCloud?

My main use case for Qualys TotalCloud is vulnerability management and exposure management. I use this tool to evalua...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Qualys VMDR?

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing shows that we can consider both time and money saved.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Qualys VMDR?

I haven't explored Qualys VMDR's vulnerability lifecycle automation yet. One of my analysts mentioned that queries la...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Qualys VMDR?

I have some understanding about PeerSpot, and I have visited the website. PeerSpot is similar to TrustRadius. It take...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes?

From an improvement perspective, I would like to create new policies in the tool, especially if it is deployed for th...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes?

I use the solution in my company for vulnerability management, configuration management, compliance, safety handling,...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes?

The tool's policy management supports our company's compliance efforts since any corporate entity or enterprise must ...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks vs Qualys TotalCloud

Compared 6% of the time

Amazon Inspector vs Qualys TotalCloud

Compared 2% of the time

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Rapid7 InsightVM vs Qualys Exposure Management

Compared 5% of the time

Tenable Nessus vs Qualys Exposure Management

Compared 4% of the time

Tenable Security Center vs Qualys Exposure Management

Compared 3% of the time

Rapid7 Metasploit vs Qualys Exposure Management

Compared 3% of the time

Wiz vs Qualys Exposure Management

Compared 2% of the time

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Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks vs Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes

Compared 11% of the time

Tenable.io Container Security vs Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes

Compared 11% of the time

Aqua Cloud Security Platform vs Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes

Compared 10% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Cloud vs Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes

Compared 5% of the time

SUSE NeuVector vs Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes

Compared 4% of the time

More Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Qualys TotalCloud

July 2026

Download Qualys TotalCloud product report

Buyer's Guide

Qualys Exposure Management

July 2026

Download Qualys Exposure Management product report

Buyer's Guide

Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes

July 2026

Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes report

Download Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes product report

Also Known As

Qualys TotalCloud with FlexScan

Qualys VM, QualysGuard VM, Qualys Asset Inventory, Qualys Container Security

StackRox

Overview

Qualys TotalCloud enhances security posture across cloud environments with continuous monitoring, vulnerability management, and risk visualization, ensuring efficient threat assessment and automated remediation for improved cyber risk reduction.

Qualys TotalCloud offers a robust suite of security tools essential for organizations managing multi-cloud infrastructures. By integrating cloud accounts and automating workflows, it supports AWS, Azure, and GCP, offering comprehensive vulnerability management and zero-day detection. The platform's user-friendly design, combined with its extensive risk management and unified threat assessment capabilities, enables organizations to prioritize and remediate vulnerabilities effectively. TruRisk Insights provides clear insights on cyber risks, while the automation options streamline patch management and scanning processes. API integration across IaaS and SaaS environments further enhances resource allocation efficiency and saves time, addressing misconfigurations across cloud environments.

What are the most important features of Qualys TotalCloud?

Accurate Vulnerability Reports: Delivers precise and actionable insights for risk mitigation.
Zero-Day Detection: Identifies and addresses zero-day vulnerabilities proactively.
Unified Threat Assessment: Offers comprehensive evaluation of threats across the environment.
Extensive Risk Management: Manages risks effectively with advanced insights and prioritization.
Continuous Monitoring: Provides non-stop surveillance for vulnerabilities and threats.
Cloud-Native Automation: Streamlines processes and reduces manual efforts using automation.
FlexScan for Internet-Facing VMs: Scans external VMs efficiently to detect vulnerabilities.
Dashboard Risk Visualization: Clear visualization helps prioritize vulnerabilities.

What benefits and ROI should users look for?

Improved Security Posture: Enhances threat detection and response across clouds.
Time Savings: Automation reduces time spent on manual vulnerability management.
Resource Efficiency: Better allocation of resources through streamlined workflows.
Enhanced Risk Prioritization: Focus on critical vulnerabilities for effective mitigation.
Integrated Cloud Accounts: Facilitates seamless cloud management and security.

Qualys TotalCloud is deployed in sectors needing rigorous vulnerability management, such as finance and healthcare. Companies utilize it to secure multi-cloud environments like AWS, Azure, and GCP, focus on compliance, and integrate security into CI/CD pipelines to detect and remedy threats pre-deployment.

Qualys

Qualys VMDR is a comprehensive cybersecurity tool offering vulnerability management, patch management, and continuous monitoring with real-time asset discovery. It delivers scalable, cloud-based solutions that enhance security operations without additional infrastructure.

Qualys VMDR provides a robust platform for enterprise security, integrating vulnerability management, compliance, and asset inventory for full visibility across cloud and on-premises environments. It features a comprehensive dashboard with threat intelligence-driven prioritization and remediation capabilities. Users benefit from accurate assessments via agent-based scanning and appreciate the intuitive, customizable scanning and reporting interface. However, there's room for improvement in false positive reduction, UI simplification, and integration capabilities, along with enhancements in asset management for large-scale deployments and the vulnerability database. Enhancing technical support speed, patch management, compliance standards, and inter-module navigation would further enrich user experience.

What are the key features of Qualys VMDR?

Vulnerability Management: Identifies and manages security vulnerabilities across environments.
Patch Management: Ensures systems are updated with the latest patches.
Continuous Monitoring: Offers real-time insights into security posture.
Asset Discovery: Provides up-to-date asset inventory and visibility.
Threat Intelligence: Enhances prioritization and remediation processes.
Customizable Dashboard: Facilitates easier scanning and reporting through an intuitive interface.

What benefits can users expect when evaluating Qualys VMDR?

Scalability: Cloud-based deployment offers easy, cost-effective expansion.
Accurate Assessment: Agent-based scanning keeps security data current.
Enhanced Security Operations: Comprehensive features streamline vulnerability management.
Advanced Reporting: Facilitates detailed insights for better security decision-making.

Qualys VMDR is widely used in industries needing stringent security and compliance measures, offering comprehensive vulnerability and compliance management. It is deployed to secure web applications, servers, and crucial assets, supporting a wide range of sectors by ensuring policy adherence and vulnerability tracking through its powerful cloud platform.

Qualys

Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes empowers organizations with robust capabilities in container security, vulnerability management, and workload transition, seamlessly integrated with OpenShift for optimal orchestration.

Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes stands out with its comprehensive features like authentication, authorization, and API integration. Users appreciate resource sharing, segmentation, and virtualization capabilities, all facilitated by a user-friendly Cockpit web interface and command administration. The system's strengths are visible through effective security protocols, such as secure UPI images, container networking, and built-in security features. Its advanced cluster management and monitoring ensure efficiency, while focus on vulnerability and configuration management addresses key concerns. However, improvements in documentation, web UI, and API flexibility are needed, with challenges in command line configuration and deployment also noted. Stability issues due to API deprecation and the need for enhanced zero trust, access control, and database connectivity present room for growth.

What are the key features of Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes?

API Integration: Seamless integration capabilities with APIs for enhanced automation.
Resource Sharing: Effective resource distribution within clustered environments.
Secure UPI Images: Encrypted images for heightened security and safety.
Container Networking: Modern networking protocols for efficient container communication.
Communication Mapping: Detailed network traffic visualization and analysis.

What benefits and ROI can users expect from Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes?

Vulnerability Management: In-depth identification and mitigation of security threats.
Compliance Management: Ensures adherence to regulatory standards and practices.
Integration with OpenShift: Streamlined orchestration for enhanced deployment flexibility.
Threat Detection: Advanced capabilities for monitoring and responding to potential security breaches.

Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes is implemented across various industries to facilitate the transition from traditional monolithic applications to dynamic containerized environments. Organizations in sectors such as finance, healthcare, and technology benefit from its robust segmentation, monitoring abilities, and behavior analysis. With the integration of Istio and GRPC, industries achieve secure microservices communication and improved visibility for comprehensive threat monitoring.

Red Hat

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Agrokor Group, American Specialty Health, American State Bank, Arval, Life:), Axway, Bank of the West, Blueport Commerce, BSkyB, Brinks, CaixaBank, Cartagena, Catholic Health System, CEC Bank, Cegedim, CIGNA, Clickability, Colby-Sawyer College, Commercial Bank of Dubai, University of Utah, eBay Inc., ING Singapore, National Theatre, OTP Bank, Sodexo, WebEx

City National Bank, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Buyer's Guide

Qualys Exposure Management vs. Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes

June 2026

Free Report: Qualys Exposure Management vs. Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes

Find out what your peers are saying about Qualys Exposure Management vs. Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.

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