Qualys Web Application Scanning vs Rapid7 AppSpider comparison

Qualys Web Application Scanning vs. Rapid7 AppSpider

Download the complete report

Helped 842,592 peers since 2012

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 Web Application Scan...

Ranking in Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

11th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Security Tools (14th)

Rapid7 AppSpider

Ranking in Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

29th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Static Application Security Testing (SAST) category, the mindshare of Qualys Web Application Scanning is 2.2%, down from 2.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Rapid7 AppSpider is 0.4%, down from 0.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

Featured Reviews

SubhajitAich

Security Consultant at Cognizant

A stable solution that can be used for infrastructure vulnerability scanning and web application scanning

Qualys Web Application Scanning is very complex to use, and its graphical interface is not very user-friendly. Compared to other solutions like Tenable and Rapid7, you need to navigate a lot to get the actual results out of Qualys Web Application Scanning. If I have to search for one thing within the entire console, I have to look for it randomly. It's not very easy and very comfortable to find something. Overall, it's a very good solution, but it will be very good if the tool is more user-friendly.

Read full review

Andrei Bigdan

Executive Manager at B2B-Solutions LLC

Useful vulnerability reporting data, flexible, and simple implementation

I have had some stability problems but it could be the Microsoft Windows operating system. I found that closing other applications helps with stability. It is helpful to have as much memory as possible, such as eight gigabytes. The more pages being processed the more resources you need. I rate the stability of Rapid7 AppSpider a nine out of ten.

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

"It scans web applications to identify vulnerabilities during deployment."

"We have experienced quick customer support. They have a complete list of our previous issues along with our history, which makes it faster for them to solve issues."

"Its most valuable features are patch management, vulnerability management, and PCI compliance."

"Qualys Web Application Scanning is user-friendly, easy to understand, easy to use, and easy to deploy."

"The most valuable feature is that we are able to scan the services and put credentials like a user ID password. We can verify the vulnerability level."

"Qualys Web Application Scanning has multiple features like threat protection and container security scanning in one box."

"The vulnerability management feature is a strong one. And also the patch management feature."

"With our vulnerabilities under control, it's putting our services in compliance and minimizing our risk for exposure."

More Qualys Web Application Scanning pros

"The setup is usually straightforward."

"Rapid7 AppSpider is good at managing different applications. It uses applets and generates reports to cover the PCA/GDPR compliance requirements."

"It scans all the components developed within a web application."

"I would say that it is stable, as I am not aware of any major issues."

"AppSpider's most valuable feature is reporting - everything is stored in the local database so it can be sent to other machines."

"The initial deployment is very straightforward and simple. The product is stable if configured properly."

"The entire solution is interactive and has a point-and-click user experience, which makes it easy to find items or drill down on information. You don't need specialized skills to use the product."

"What I like most about AppSpider is that it's easy to use and its automated scan gives me all the details I need to know when it comes to vulnerabilities and their solutions."

More Rapid7 AppSpider pros

Cons

"They should try to include business logic vulnerabilities in the scanner testing."

"One area for improvement is the user interface. The new UI, which was recently upgraded, feels more complex and less user-friendly than the old version."

"The support could be faster."

"There could be better management and faster scanning."

"The scanner reports a lot of false positives, which is something that needs to be improved."

"The pricing does not seem to be competitive."

"The UI is not user-friendly and you don't have a yearly reporting facility where you can slice and dice in different jobs."

"New features need to be added, specifically LLM-based solutions."

More Qualys Web Application Scanning cons

"There are some glitches with stability, and it is an area for improvement."

"The performance of the solution could improve. When I compare the speed it is slower than others on the market. There are some tricks we use to help speed up the solution."

"The product should offer a GUI in Japanese and provide Japanese reports for end-users."

"The product needs to be able to scale for large companies, like ours. We have millions of IP addresses that need to be scanned, and the scalability is not great."

"One of the challenges I have with AppSpider is that it gives you a lot of false positives, especially when compared to other solutions."

"The tech support is responsive but issues remain unresolved."

"The dashboard and interface are crucial and they need some improvement."

"For Japanese customers, localization is needed. The product should offer a GUI in Japanese and provide Japanese reports for end-users."

More Rapid7 AppSpider cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Qualys WAS' pricing is competitive."

"The product is expensive, at least initially, in comparison to other products in this category."

"It is an expensive platform."

"Qualys Web Application Scanning's pricing is a bit expensive compared to other solutions available in the market."

"There are different options available with respect to licensing."

"Licensing was based on the number of assets that you want to scan on your network. You can also do licensing on subscription. On subscription, it is easier and more flexible. You tell Qualys that you want to move from the 1000 to 2000 band or the 3000 or 5000 band, then they will give you the quotation for it. Once you pay for it, applying the licensing is quite easy and effective."

"I rate the software’s pricing a six out of ten."

"Try the free trial of the product to understand the basic working mechanisms."

More Qualys Web Application Scanning pricing and cost advice

"The price of Rapid7 AppSpider cost 9,000 annually but there is limited usage. Large companies are able to negotiate a better price or a better deal for the usage with the vendor."

"The licensing cost depends on the number of users."

"It is expensive if you want to buy the Enterprise version that is able to scan multiple applications at once."

"The price is pretty fair."

"AppSpider is closed-source software and you need to acquire a license in order to use it."

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Static Application Security Testing (SAST) solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

842,592 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

17%

Financial Services Firm

15%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Government

Financial Services Firm

16%

Computer Software Company

14%

Healthcare Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Qualys Web Application Scanning?

The vulnerability management feature is a strong one. And also the patch management feature.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Qualys Web Application Scanning?

The product pricing is fair and reasonably priced.

What needs improvement with Qualys Web Application Scanning?

One area for improvement is the user interface. The new UI, which was recently upgraded, feels more complex and less user-friendly than the old version. However, as we continue to use it, we antici...

What do you like most about Rapid7 AppSpider?

The most valuable feature of Rapid7 AppSpider is the vulnerability reporting data. Additionally, the data is reported in a convenient way rather than seeing them as a PDF. We are able to generate a...

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Rapid7 AppSpider?

The price is not high, but for Japanese customers, localization may incur additional costs.

What needs improvement with Rapid7 AppSpider?

For Japanese customers, localization is needed. The product should offer a GUI in Japanese and provide Japanese reports for end-users.

OWASP Zap vs Qualys Web Application Scanning

Comparisons

Compared 18% of the time

SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) vs Qualys Web Application Scanning

Compared 12% of the time

Veracode vs Qualys Web Application Scanning

Compared 9% of the time

Acunetix vs Qualys Web Application Scanning

Compared 7% of the time

Fortify WebInspect vs Qualys Web Application Scanning

Compared 6% of the time

More Qualys Web Application Scanning Competitors

Rapid7 InsightAppSec vs Rapid7 AppSpider

Compared 50% of the time

Acunetix vs Rapid7 AppSpider

Compared 11% of the time

Invicti vs Rapid7 AppSpider

Compared 10% of the time

OWASP Zap vs Rapid7 AppSpider

Compared 8% of the time

HCL AppScan vs Rapid7 AppSpider

Compared 6% of the time

More Rapid7 AppSpider Competitors

Product Reports

Qualys Web Application Scanning

Download Qualys Web Application Scanning product report

Rapid7 AppSpider

Download Rapid7 AppSpider product report

Also Known As

Qualys WAS

AppSpider

Overview

Qualys Web Application Scanning (WAS) is a fully cloud-based web application security scanner. The scanner will automatically crawl periodically and test web applications to discover potential vulnerabilities, including cross-site scripting (XSS) and SQL injection. The consistent testing equips the automated service to generate consistent results, lessen false positives, and offer the ability to scale to protect thousands of websites effortlessly.

Qualys Web Application Scanning is bundled with different scanning technology to carefully scan websites for malware infections and will send notifications to website owners to assist in preventing blacklisting and brand reputation damage. As digital transformation takes place in various organizations, Qualys WAS gives organizations the ability to track and document their web app security status through its interactive reporting capabilities.

Qualys WAS empowers organizations to remediate any web application vulnerabilities quickly. Some of the key tools offered are:

Deep Scanning: All apps and APIs on your internal network and public cloud are covered by Qualys WAS deep scanning to show you any visible vulnerabilities.
DevSec Ops Tool: Detect security issues in your code while still in app development stages and generate comprehensive reports.
Comprehensive Discovery: Discover and catalog new and unknown web apps in your network.
Malware Detection: Scan a website, identify vulnerabilities, and receive alerts to any infections.

Benefits of Qualys Web Application Scanning

Qualys Web Application Scanning offers many benefits, including:

Quick Deployment: Requires no infrastructure or software to upkeep.
Effortless Scalability: Effortlessly launch a deep scan and protect thousands of websites.
Centralized Management: Manage and mend all web app vulnerabilities through a single interface.
Excellent Integration Capabilities: Integrates with Qualys Web App Firewall (WAF) for a single-click virtual patching of found vulnerabilities.
Respond to Threats Immediately: Qualys Continuous Monitoring offers the user a hands-free service by automatically launching scanning and sending notifications of a potential threat.
Cost-effective Solution: Data is analyzed in real time as Qualys WAS is an end-to-end solution; this helps avoid costs associated with managing multiple security vendors.

Reviews from Real Users

Qualys Web Application Scanning stands out among its competitors for a variety of reasons. Two of those reasons are its progressive scan and quick detection of vulnerabilities.

P.K., a senior software developer at a tech vendor, writes, "The feature that I have found most valuable is the progressive scan. It is good. It's done in 24 hours."

Nagaraj S., lead cybersecurity engineer at a tech service company, notes, "I have found the detection of vulnerabilities tool thorough with good results and the graphical display output to be wonderful and full of colors. It allows many types of outputs, such as bar and chart previews."

Qualys

SPAs, APIs, mobile—the evolution of application technology is measured in months, not years. Is your web application security testing tool designed to keep up? AppSpider lets you collect all the information needed to test all the apps so that you aren’t left with gaping application risks.

Our dynamic application security testing (DAST) solution crawls to the deepest, darkest corners of even the most modern and complex apps to effectively test for risk and get you the insight you need to remediate faster. With AppSpider on your side (or, rather, all of your sides), you’ll be able to scan all the apps today and always be ready for whatever comes next.

Rapid7

Sample Customers

BskyB, Cartagena, ClearPoint Learning Systems, Connect Group, du, Fortrex Technologies, HBOR, HDI, Highlights for Children, The Lithuanian State Enterprise Centre of Registers, City of Miami Beach, Microsoft, MidlandHR, MSCI Inc., Northern Arizona University, Ofgem, Olympus Europa, PhoneFactor, RTL Nederland, ThousandEyes, VGZ Organisatie B.V.

Microsoft

Qualys Web Application Scanning vs. Rapid7 AppSpider