Qualys Web Application Scanning vs Rapid7 InsightAppSec comparison

Why PeerSpot?

The compared Qualys and Rapid7 solutions aren't in the same category. Qualys is ranked #18 in AS , with an average rating of 7.2, and holds a 1.8% mindshare in the category. Rapid7 is ranked #3 in DAST , with an average rating of 7.7, and holds a 5.5% mindshare. Additionally, 88% of Qualys users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of Rapid7 users who would recommend it.

Qualys Web Application Scan...

Read 40 Qualys Web Application Scanning reviews

7,868 Views
5,036 Comparison Views

88% willing to recommend

Rapid7 InsightAppSec

Read 21 Rapid7 InsightAppSec reviews

3,952 Views
1,936 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

Qualys Web Application Scan...

Rapid7 InsightAppSec

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Qualys Web Application Scanning and Rapid7 InsightAppSec based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about SonarSource Sàrl, Checkmarx, Veracode and others in Application Security Tools.

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Application Security Tools

October 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 Web Application Scan...

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Security Tools (18th), Static Application Security Testing (SAST) (10th)

Rapid7 InsightAppSec

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) (3rd), AI Observability (22nd)

Mindshare comparison

While both are Quality Assurance solutions, they serve different purposes. Qualys Web Application Scanning is designed for Application Security Tools and holds a mindshare of 1.8%, down 2.0% compared to last year.
Rapid7 InsightAppSec, on the other hand, focuses on Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST), holds 5.5% mindshare, up 5.1% since last year.

Application Security Tools Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Qualys Web Application Scanning	1.8%
SonarQube	10.2%
Checkmarx One	6.8%
Other	81.2%

Application Security Tools

Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Rapid7 InsightAppSec	5.5%
Checkmarx One	13.7%
Veracode	13.2%
Other	67.6%

Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)

Featured Reviews

AnkitSharma13

Security Officer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

Web scanning needs improvement but offers good vulnerability detection

The downside of Qualys Web Application Scanning is that it cannot crawl automatically. If I provide an IP address and a login form, it does basic testing, but it doesn't go deep as IBM AppScan does. If Qualys Web Application Scanning could improve its crawling capability, it would be more user-friendly. Qualys Web Application Scanning does IP-level testing, requiring direct input of credentials, and can only scan a few pages to provide known generic vulnerabilities, which isn't as beneficial from my point of view. The Vulnerability Management also relies heavily on version numbers and will flag vulnerabilities based on the component version, but it doesn't check if a real fix exists, leading to flags on components that actually have workarounds available.

Read full review

Brandi Lea

Regional Information Security Analyst, Lead at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees

Rapid risk detection has transformed how I uncover hidden vulnerabilities in new applications

Rapid7 InsightAppSec offers excellent features including a cloud-based platform that allows for detailed breakdowns of information into more digestible bits. The platform is user-friendly with a broad range of tools, although it does require quite a bit of a learning curve. It allows me to aggregate data and put it into presentations to send to executives about the security status across the entire enterprise. My favorite aspect of the user-friendly interface of Rapid7 is the primary cloud-based dashboard, which I find most useful. I love that even inside a browser, the intuitive help options are available for figuring out what things are, whether it's hovering over a particular option for insights or using right-click features that offer tools and tips on managing the vulnerabilities when found. The interface is very clean, not overly convoluted or difficult to navigate, which I do enjoy. Rapid7 has positively impacted my organization by allowing me to discover vulnerabilities, both publicly known and zero-day, much faster and efficiently than I ever did in the past, ultimately saving the company a lot of money in compliance issues, fines, and possibly even lawsuits. The number of vulnerabilities I am discovering has improved by almost thirty seven percent in the last two years alone. Remediation especially has increased significantly because I am finding these vulnerabilities faster, and Rapid7 provides tips on how to remediate or harden against them, whether through hardening options or upgrading to better versions, which does save the company money.

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

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

"The product prevents possible vulnerabilities in our network."

"It combines both web application vulnerability management and internal vulnerability management on one platform and dashboard. Usually, you have to purchase separate tools."

"It is a good product for website penetration testing to detect vulnerabilities."

"It is a cloud-based solution, so it is easy to scale."

"The advantage of Qualys Web Application Scanning lies in its user-friendly dashboard and appealing reports, which are useful for presentation to leadership."

"QualysGuard web-based scanner is very useful for performing external penetration and PCI scans from remote locations."

"The feature that I have found most valuable is the progressive scan. It is good. It's done in 24 hours."

More Qualys Web Application Scanning pros

"The templates feature is very easy; you just choose the kind of attack you want on your web application, and you run it against that template and receive a report, which is great."

"Relatively speaking, InsightAppSec is good compared to Insight VM."

"Dynamic application security scanning provides predefined templates and supports customization. The ability to scan external and internal applications, including on-premises ones, is precious. Additionally, it is a cloud platform, so we don't need to deploy servers or resources. This makes it time-efficient and cost-effective."

"It uses a signature-based method to check for problems with your code and will provide an alert if anything is found."

"Rapid7 MDR has positively impacted my organization by allowing me to discover vulnerabilities, both publicly known and zero-day, much faster and efficiently than I ever did in the past, ultimately saving the company a lot of money in compliance issues, fines, and possibly even lawsuits."

"When considering DAST, it is not attributed to a singular feature but rather the capabilities of the engine that provides a genuine penetration testing experience and delivers insightful reports."

"Customers use the product for scanning purposes and do not want to be restricted with respect to the number of scans they perform."

"The product’s most valuable feature is UI. It is easy to manage and find vulnerabilities in the application."

More Rapid7 InsightAppSec pros

Cons

"It is unclear how to build automation on Qualys. We do some automation, but not fully, because working is difficult."

"The reporting contains too many false positives."

"The authenticated scanning feature could be improved by adding support for real-time scanning tokens and authorization tokens."

"The support could be faster."

"There could be better management and faster scanning."

"In terms of the Policy Compliance model which they currently have, not all the platforms are being covered. If they could improve on the Policy Compliance model, since there are policies which are benchmarked against it, this will be helpful for us."

"There's a distinction between internal and external scanning processes that could be streamlined. Currently, for internal scanning, specific configurations and scanner appliances need to be deployed within the network, which differs from the simpler setup for external scans. This dual process complicates the setup for comprehensive scanning coverage."

"The licensing and user permissions are a little wonky for a DevOps team to use, probably because it’s traditionally an InfoSec tool."

More Qualys Web Application Scanning cons

"The reporting feature of Rapid7 InsightAppSec needs improvement as it currently provides basic reports."

"The only concern I have with Rapid7 is that it does not provide enough information about vulnerabilities within AppSec."

"The reporting is definitely an aspect of the solution that's in need of some work. We found that we'd try to use widgets, but often getting them to work for us wasn't very clear. They need to be more user friendly or offer better instructions."

"They should add more features. I would like to see them do a little more on static analysis and also interactivity analysis. Currently, it does very basic static analysis. It could do a little more static analysis, which is something that would help. A lot more interactivity analysis should also be there. It should basically look at security during interactivity."

"We get a lot of false positives during the tests."

"The dynamic scanning feature has simplified and improved the security testing process. I suggest adding a SaaS feature to the solution to support scanning SaaS applications, making it more comprehensive. It would be beneficial if the solution could also scan mobile applications. It only scans web applications and should also cover mobile applications, including firmware recommendations."

"We'd like to see integrations with WAF solutions."

"When you add new projects for the same product, it either duplicates or replaces the scan configuration. If I run a scan for the same product with a different scan configuration, it should keep the previous scan configuration and not replace it with the new scan configuration. It should just add the new scan configuration. That would be helpful. They do keep the results as it is, but the scan configuration keeps changing. For example, I have set a scan configuration to a full scan, and next week, I want to run a new scan for the same product with some changes or new functionalities. I want to run a partial scan. Currently, if I change the scan configuration to partial, it changes the old one also to partial. That should be improved."

More Rapid7 InsightAppSec cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"Qualys has an IT-based licensing based on a yearly license, which is a good way of handling it. However, in some cases, when we do the PCI scanning, the host will not like the scanning and we lose the IT license. So, this could be improved."

"It is an expensive platform."

"The cost is $30,000 USD for one year to cover WAS (Web Application Security) and the VM (Virtual Machine) security in a company with 200 employees."

"We normally purchase an annual license."

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

"Qualys WAS' pricing is competitive."

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

More Qualys Web Application Scanning pricing and cost advice

"I rate Rapid7 InsightAppSec’s pricing an eight out of ten."

"Rapid7 InsightAppSec is cheap."

"I'm not sure how much it costs exactly, but I know it's expensive."

"They offer a good price, but I don't remember its cost. It is fair as compared to the competition. We have opted for project-based licensing, not user-based. We can add any number of users. That doesn't matter. It is worth the money."

"The price of this product is very cheap."

"Its price is competitive. It is not expensive."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Outsourcing Company

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

16%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Construction Company

10%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	27

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	12
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	6

Questions from the Community

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

Regarding pricing, I think for personal use, it is costly, but if organizations are ready to pay, then it is fine as they are using it.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Qualys Web Application Scanning?

The downside of Qualys Web Application Scanning is that it cannot crawl automatically. If I provide an IP address and a login form, it does basic testing, but it doesn't go deep as IBM AppScan ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Qualys Web Application Scanning?

I use Qualys Web Application Scanning, and we are using Vulnerability Management. By Vulnerability Management, I mean not TotalCloud; they have some on-premises solutions also. Patch Management and...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Rapid7 InsightAppSec?

While Rapid7 InsightAppSec is getting better with each update or version, it needs to enhance its zero-day detection for anomalous things without relying on third-party solutions like Vericode. Hav...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Rapid7 InsightAppSec?

My main use case for Rapid7 is onboarding all new applications both built in house and third party acquired, where I run them through a sandbox environment and allow Rapid7 to conduct an initial sc...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Rapid7 InsightAppSec?

If you are looking for a solution that will help identify vulnerabilities and provide remediation tips for hardening your infrastructure, I think Rapid7 does an excellent job. While I do not know t...

See all answers

Comparisons

SonarQube vs Qualys Web Application Scanning

Compared 8% of the time

Checkmarx SAST vs Qualys Web Application Scanning

Compared 7% of the time

Veracode vs Qualys Web Application Scanning

Compared 6% of the time

OWASP Zap vs Qualys Web Application Scanning

Compared 5% of the time

GitHub vs Qualys Web Application Scanning

Compared 5% of the time

More Qualys Web Application Scanning Competitors

Invicti vs Rapid7 InsightAppSec

Compared 13% of the time

AppCheck vs Rapid7 InsightAppSec

Compared 12% of the time

PortSwigger Burp Suite Enterprise Edition vs Rapid7 InsightAppSec

Compared 12% of the time

Veracode vs Rapid7 InsightAppSec

Compared 12% of the time

StackHawk vs Rapid7 InsightAppSec

Compared 10% of the time

More Rapid7 InsightAppSec Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Qualys Web Application Scanning

October 2026

Download Qualys Web Application Scanning product report

Buyer's Guide

Rapid7 InsightAppSec

October 2026

Download Rapid7 InsightAppSec product report

Also Known As

Qualys WAS

InsightAppSec

Overview

Qualys Web Application Scanning offers advanced vulnerability management, progressive scheduling, and seamless integration with DevOps environments. Its user-friendly design enables enterprises to enhance security with comprehensive scanning and detailed forensic insights.

Qualys Web Application Scanning addresses enterprise-level security challenges by providing robust solutions for vulnerability management, penetration testing, and compliance checks. While easing the navigation process, it supports risk mitigation with precise risk ratings, minimal false positives, and detailed reporting. However, it faces challenges with its complex interface, authenticated scanning, and automation features. Integrating smoothly with CI/CD pipelines, it is suitable for continuous and automated scanning, adapting to diverse company requirements.

What are the standout features of Qualys Web Application Scanning?

Progressive Scheduling: Enables efficient management of scanning activities, optimizing for time-sensitive scenarios.
Vulnerability Management: Offers robust identification and management of vulnerabilities across various applications.
Integration with DevOps: Seamlessly integrates with CI/CD pipelines, supporting rapid development cycles.
Risk Ratings: Provides precise risk assessments, crucial for prioritizing security efforts.
Engaging Dashboard: Offers an intuitive interface for navigating security tasks efficiently.

What benefits or ROI should users look for in Qualys Web Application Scanning reviews?

Scalability: Supports enterprise needs with a design adaptable to diverse security demands.
Risk Mitigation: Detailed alerts and forensic insights aid in reducing potential threats.
Comprehensive Reporting: Facilitates informed decision-making with clear, concise reports.
Penetration Testing: Enhances security assessments with ongoing evaluation capabilities.

Organizations across sectors like education, banking, and international data centers leverage Qualys Web Application Scanning for conducting penetration testing, scanning web applications, and managing vulnerabilities. It aids in audit security and compliance, identifying threats, and generating user-friendly reports, making it a valuable asset for maintaining strong security postures.

Qualys

Rapid7 InsightAppSec is a cloud-based security tool offering robust web scanning capabilities with a user-friendly interface and seamless integration. It enhances dynamic application security testing through customizable modules, providing comprehensive reports and remediation guidance.

InsightAppSec delivers dynamic application security testing with features like Attack Replay and a centralized dashboard for vulnerability insights. It supports flexible deployment options and simplifies scheduling frequent scans. The tool's intuitive graphical interface and extensive scanning coverage make it valuable for identifying vulnerabilities in web applications, APIs, and e-commerce sites, ensuring compliance. However, improvements are needed in detection accuracy, reporting options, and integrations with external tools like WAF and ticketing systems. There is a need for better scan management, support for mobile applications, customized reporting options, pricing flexibility, improved support, and AI integration.

What are the key features of InsightAppSec?

Seamless Integration: Easily integrates within SDLC for automated scans.
User-Friendly Interface: Offers an intuitive graphical experience.
Robust Web Scanning: Provides extensive vulnerability scanning of web applications and APIs.
Customizable Attack Modules: Tailors testing to meet specific security needs.
Attack Replay: Facilitates re-testing of potential vulnerabilities for accuracy.
Centralized Dashboard: Offers comprehensive insights into vulnerabilities.

What benefits should users look for?

Comprehensive Reports: Delivers detailed insights into security vulnerabilities.
Remediation Guidance: Provides actionable advice to fix identified vulnerabilities.
Scalability: Supports growth by handling increased demands efficiently.
Extensive Coverage: Ensures thorough security testing across multiple platforms.
Flexible Deployment: Adapts to different operational environments.

Industries rely on InsightAppSec for vulnerability scanning to secure web applications, APIs, and e-commerce platforms. Its integration within the SDLC aids in automating scans during development. While limitations exist with certain tool integrations, its cloud-based engine and effective reporting make it essential for internal and external application security assurance.

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.

CenterPoint Energy, CPA Australia, Hypertherm, First American Financial Corporation, Rackspace

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October 2026

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