Qualys VMDR 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 #23 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, 94% 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 Jun 3, 2026

Qualys VMDR and Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes compete in the cybersecurity space, focusing on vulnerability management and security for Kubernetes environments, respectively. Qualys VMDR holds a minor advantage due to its comprehensive vulnerability management features and scalability, appealing to organizations with diverse infrastructure needs.

Features: Qualys VMDR excels in vulnerability management by using cloud agents for real-time insight and detailed threat reports. It provides integrated patch management for efficient remediation and a global asset view for wide visibility. Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security focuses on Kubernetes environments, offering features like network mapping for enhanced visibility, integration with Red Hat services for streamlined operations, and an emphasis on container and node access controls.

Room for Improvement: Qualys VMDR could enhance its vulnerability database to minimize false positives and improve asset tagging for better management. Additionally, expanding IT standards compliance and refining reporting capabilities are beneficial. Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security would benefit from better documentation for easier onboarding, improving command-line tools for advanced users, and enhancing stability during deployment.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Qualys VMDR accommodates on-premises and hybrid cloud environments, offering deployment flexibility but receiving mixed feedback on its technical support responsiveness. Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security is praised for excellent technical support with global reach, lowering dependency on local partners, despite its primary focus on on-premises deployments.

Pricing and ROI: Qualys VMDR is deemed expensive, particularly for mid-sized programs, due to its yearly licensing model and additional costs for advanced features. Despite this, users report good ROI through improved vulnerability and compliance management. Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security uses a more moderate subscription pricing, offering bundled options with OpenShift, perceived as economical, with a positive ROI by aiding in service availability and asset protection.

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

Buyer's Guide

Qualys VMDR 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 1.7%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Qualys VMDR 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 VMDR	2.1%
Qualys TotalCloud	1.7%
Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes	1.4%
Other	94.8%

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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Vaibhav Ghule

Soc Lead & Edr Administration at Persistent Systems

Continuous risk-based monitoring has strengthened incident response and vulnerability prioritization

I haven't explored Qualys VMDR's vulnerability lifecycle automation yet. One of my analysts mentioned that queries lack grouping operators in Qualys VMDR. From my experience, I would appreciate improvements in the query options in Qualys VMDR, specifically in the query-building process where I would need more features and operators. Additionally, we have been facing issues with Qualys on the cloud level. We cannot download the configuration profile from the cloud agent, and it is showing a pending action for download. During 2025, we noticed outages of Qualys a couple of times. I want to mention that there is an issue with receiving timely RCA deliveries. While this is not necessarily about the tool, it relates to support. The support has not been very responsive, and we are receiving RCAs a little delayed whenever we raise support cases or communicate with the TAMs. Additionally, the UI has a slight latency, which I and my team have experienced. They have also reported this latency issue when navigating through different pages.

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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

"I appreciate Qualys TotalCloud's ability to onboard any type of device with ease, including containers."

"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."

"One of Qualys' best features is its categorization, which allows us to see the types of assets, their security postures, and the AI-powered version of the tool."

"Qualys TotalCloud's most valuable features are its security capabilities that help identify and mitigate risk factors."

"If I had to say something positive about the product that brings me the biggest benefit, I would say it has accurate reports, gets new update CVEs, zero-day attack detection, and is easy to manage with its GUI."

"Qualys TotalCloud has helped us view our risk structure, vulnerabilities, and security posture."

"Qualys TotalCloud's most valuable features are its cloud security posture management, Kubernetes, and container security capabilities."

"The best feature would be the ability to create policies. It is easy to control and update policies as required."

More Qualys TotalCloud pros

"The most valuable feature is that this solution is very lightweight."

"It is a stable solution."

"The most valuable features of Qualys VM are its ability to do proper vulnerability assessment. It has a lot of updates for all the vulnerability databases from all over the globe. It's an amazing solution when it comes to the versatility of the features it has. Additionally, the reports are very good. It generates very detailed reports about the vulnerabilities inside the environment"

"I like the Qualys Cloud Agent because it's very easy to use."

"Qualys VM has improved the way the organization functions."

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

"There are many features. Its reliability, ease of installation, ease of use, and the richness of the information provided are the most valuable features."

"It's also highly customizable, allowing us to tailor it to our needs."

More Qualys VMDR pros

"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."

"One of the most valuable features I found was the ability of this solution to map the network and show you the communication between your containers and your different nodes."

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

"It is easy to install and manage."

"The technical support is good."

"Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten."

"Segmentation is the most powerful feature."

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

More Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes pros

Cons

"The patching process with Qualys Patch Management, which is part of TotalCloud, does not cover installing certain prerequisites on the servers or workstations. This shortcoming means we must rely on SCCM when any service stack updates or additional prerequisites are needed."

"Qualys's ticketing system can be confusing when assigning tasks to individuals, and support could be improved by offering instant call solutions with engineers in addition to ticket replies."

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

"There is room for improvement in the support."

"Qualys TotalCloud needs to improve its accuracy for non-Windows operating systems."

"The areas in the solution that have room for improvement include the UI/UX design, which should be improved, and they should integrate more artificial intelligence into the product."

"Overall, we are satisfied with it. However, the response part of the Cloud Detection and Response (CDR) module can be improved. It is not yet in place according to requirements; it is not completely available even though the module has been released."

"The price is very expensive, actually."

More Qualys TotalCloud cons

"The price could be better. Asset view is still a legacy feature. I'm not able to extract the information about the asset with complete details. It would be better if they fixed that in the next release. I know Qualys is already working on it, so I'm hopeful it will be available in the next five or six months. That would be something that's changed where I seek improvement."

"Support could be a little bit faster."

"The tool needs to improve the adding assets and report generation features. I would like to see the policy scan of offline appliances in the product's future releases."

"The reporting and the GUI need improvements. Tenable dominated in these two areas: reporting and graphical user interface."

"The disadvantage of working with Qualys is that the graphical interface is quite outdated."

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

"In terms of improvement for the web application console, in the older version, things were more segregated and presented in a brief format."

"Its integration with ServiceNow and other similar products is complicated and can be improved."

More Qualys VMDR cons

"The tool's command line and configuration are hard for us to understand and make deployment complex. It should also include zero trust, access control features and database connectivity."

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

"The solution's price could be better."

"Red Hat is somewhat expensive."

"The support and specifications need to be up to date for the cluster technologies"

"The testing process could be improved."

"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."

"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."

More Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I am not sure about the pricing. From what I understand, it is a bit on the higher side, but I do not have the exact numbers."

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

"Qualys TotalCloud is expensive."

"It isn't cheap, but it's reasonable. It helps us to manage things with very few resources."

"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."

"Its price seems higher compared to other tools, but it is worth it. If they could adjust the pricing and make it comparable with other tools, that would be great."

"The cost is high, but it meets our organizational needs."

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

More Qualys TotalCloud pricing and cost advice

"An annual license for a single scanner costs around $3,000."

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

"There are no additional fees in addition to the standard licensing fees."

"It is a high cost product. Compared to the other solutions, it is around 15 to 20% higher in cost."

"I used to work there, so I never paid for the product. As an employee, we get a lifetime license for personal use, and that's what I'm using. It is a comprehensive platform, so there is a lot more to it. There could be other solutions that are probably a little bit cheaper, but it depends on what people need. Different people have different needs. It offers many things on the same platform. If you add all the things up, it should be cheaper, but I have not done any analysis specifically."

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

"The tool's pricing is expensive and I would rate the pricing a seven out of ten."

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

More Qualys VMDR pricing and cost advice

"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."

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

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

13%

Outsourcing Company

12%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Financial Services Firm

15%

Manufacturing Company

Construction Company

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

28%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Government

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	20
Midsize Enterprise	12
Large Enterprise	70

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

Wiz vs Qualys TotalCloud

Compared 10% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Cloud vs Qualys TotalCloud

Compared 8% of the time

JupiterOne vs Qualys TotalCloud

Compared 7% of the time

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 VMDR

Compared 5% of the time

Tenable Nessus vs Qualys VMDR

Compared 4% of the time

Tenable Security Center vs Qualys VMDR

Compared 4% of the time

Rapid7 Metasploit vs Qualys VMDR

Compared 3% of the time

Wiz vs Qualys VMDR

Compared 3% 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 VMDR

July 2026

Download Qualys VMDR 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 VMDR vs. Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes

June 2026

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

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

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