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Rapid7 Metasploit vs Tenable Nessus comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 9, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
7.6
Rapid7 Metasploit efficiently identifies system vulnerabilities, saving testing time and costs, offering significant ROI for first-time users.
Sentiment score
7.1
Tenable Nessus efficiently manages vulnerabilities, enhancing security and reducing costs, providing a high return on investment for organizations.
The ROI can be very rapid for organizations using vulnerability assessment for the first time.
Metasploit has helped save time, especially with testing websites or VIPD projects.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.7
Rapid7 Metasploit support varies, with mixed reviews on response time; commercial users generally report better experiences.
Sentiment score
7.9
Tenable Nessus support is responsive and helpful, though delays and complex issues may require improved development support.
Rapid7 sometimes struggles with queries from non-security people, whereas Tenable is more patient.
The customer support is excellent
Whenever any issue arises, we contact the support, and they are always there for us.
The technical support is good yet could improve in terms of response time.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Opinions differ on Rapid7 Metasploit's scalability, with some praising its adaptability and others noting limitations, especially in automation.
Sentiment score
7.1
Tenable Nessus scales well across networks, though licensing affects scalability, and challenges arise with internet bandwidth and data storage.
Metasploit can handle big projects and is already prepared for them.
Rapid7 Metasploit is highly scalable.
I would rate the scalability of Metasploit as an eight out of ten.
Whether managing 50 servers today or 500 tomorrow, performance or capacity are not hindered.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.1
Users praise Rapid7 Metasploit's stability and improvements, rating it 7-9 out of 10 while noting rare network issues.
Sentiment score
8.1
Tenable Nessus is stable, reliable, and performs well, though users report rare minor issues like update delays and sluggishness.
I have never faced any technical issues or downtimes.
I find Metasploit to be very stable, and I would rate its stability as a nine out of ten.
We have not encountered any issues with missing network items or errors in API and webhook interactions.
 

Room For Improvement

Rapid7 Metasploit requires faster updates, improved GUI, better integration, enhanced support, updated database, and stronger evasion capabilities.
Tenable Nessus needs better reporting, interface, cloud transition, role-based access, and comprehensive scanning with improved asset and vulnerability management.
Metasploit excels in vulnerability assessment, it could improve in vulnerability management.
The database is not always updated with the latest vulnerabilities or zero-day exploits.
The time taken to fetch reports based on the number of events can be extensive.
The documentation is not well-organized, which can be confusing when searching for solutions or specific information related to Tenable Nessus Professional.
 

Setup Cost

Rapid7 Metasploit's pricing includes a one-time fee and annual support, viewed as intermediate compared to alternatives.
Tenable Nessus offers competitive pricing, typically $2,500-$4,300 annually, but smaller organizations seek more flexible and affordable options.
Metasploit is cheaper than Nessus and offers a more robust community edition that provides a good experience for studying Metasploit.
The cost is approximately $15 per device.
Tenable Nessus's pricing is adequate if it is fully utilized.
 

Valuable Features

Rapid7 Metasploit offers automated penetration testing with extensive module support, integration features, and versatility for security professionals.
Tenable Nessus offers comprehensive scanning, user-friendly interface, extensive vulnerability coverage, and affordable pricing, excelling in vulnerability management and compliance.
Rapid7 offers comprehensive features within one platform, eliminating the need to integrate multiple tools to see all alerts in one place.
The ability to automate website testing and integrate it into my script makes it even more efficient.
When I compare Metasploit with Nessus, I find that Metasploit is faster and it does not burden the system as much.
The scanning and reporting features are the most valuable aspects of Tenable Nessus.
The features I personally like include host discovery.
 

Categories and Ranking

Rapid7 Metasploit
Ranking in Vulnerability Management
15th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
21
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Tenable Nessus
Ranking in Vulnerability Management
4th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
80
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Vulnerability Management category, the mindshare of Rapid7 Metasploit is 1.3%, down from 1.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Tenable Nessus is 8.6%, down from 11.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Vulnerability Management
 

Featured Reviews

Mani Bommisetty - PeerSpot reviewer
Comprehensive insights with robust vulnerability detection and streamlined alert management
Rapid7 has a significant advantage in providing a clear picture of my environment. It provides insight and incident detection response capabilities. When deployed with the same agent in servers or endpoints, it identifies vulnerabilities and monitors data transmission to external sources. Rapid7 offers comprehensive features within one platform, eliminating the need to integrate multiple tools to see all alerts in one place.
HarshBhardiya - PeerSpot reviewer
Provided increased visibility across the organization's servers
The user interface of Tenable Nessus feels outdated and could be more user-friendly. Additionally, the documentation is not well-organized, which can be confusing when searching for solutions or specific information related to Tenable Nessus Professional. The reporting feature could be improved by allowing users to create their own templates instead of relying on predefined ones.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
18%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Educational Organization
7%
Educational Organization
42%
Computer Software Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Government
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Rapid7 Metasploit?
I use Rapid7 Metasploit for payload generation and Post-Exploitation.
What needs improvement with Rapid7 Metasploit?
The reporting feature needs improvement. The time taken to fetch reports based on the number of events can be extensive, unlike Tenable, which is more user-friendly and faster. Additionally, networ...
How would you choose between Rapid7 InsightVM and Tenable Nessus?
You have full visibility across cloud, network, virtual, and containerized infrastructures with Rapid7 Insight VM. You can easily prioritize vulnerabilities using attacker analytics. Overall, Rapid...
What's the difference between Tenable Nessus and Tenable.io Vulnerability Management?
Tenable Nessus is a vulnerability assessment solution that is both easy to deploy and easy to manage. The design of the program is such that if a company should desire to handle the installation t...
What do you like most about Tenable Nessus?
We have around 500 virtual machines. Therefore, we conduct monthly scans and open tickets for our developers to address identified vulnerabilities. These scans cover the servers, other network equi...
 

Also Known As

Metasploit
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

City of Corpus Christi, Diebold, Lumenate, Nebraska Public Power District, Prairie North Regional Health, Apptio, Automation Direct, Bob's Stores, Cardinal Innovations Healthcare Solutions, Carnegie Mellon University
Bitbrains, Tesla, Just Eat, Crosskey Banking Solutions, Covenant Health, Youngstown State University
Find out what your peers are saying about Rapid7 Metasploit vs. Tenable Nessus and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
841,004 professionals have used our research since 2012.