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What is Nessus?

Nessus (vulnerability scanning): Vulnerability assessment scanner. Nessus scans for vulnerabilities across networks and systems. The scanner security professionals have used for decades—vulnerability assessment that's proven. The scanning is comprehensive. The database is current. The trust is established. Security teams doing vulnerability assessment use Nessus for proven scanning. Key capabilities: Vulnerability scanner, Compliance checks, Configuration audit, Malware detection, Reports. Nessus is paid-only, with most plans including a trial period. Buyers most often compare Nessus against Burp Suite, Checkmarx, Aqua Security.

TL;DR - Nessus

  • Nessus is a vulnerability scanner for identifying security issues
  • It scans networks and systems for vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and malware
  • Nessus Essentials free for 16 IPs, Pro at $3,990/year
Pricing: Paid only
Best for: Enterprises & pros
4.6/5 across review platforms

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Industry standard scanner
  • Good vulnerability detection
  • Comprehensive coverage
  • Good reporting
  • Active development

Cons

  • Expensive
  • Learning curve
  • Resource intensive
  • Per-asset pricing
  • Better alternatives exist

Ratings Across the Web

4.6(380 reviews)

Ratings aggregated from independent review platforms. Learn more

Key Features

Vulnerability scannerCompliance checksConfiguration auditMalware detectionReportsEnterprise

Pricing Plans

Free Trial

Essentials (Free)

Free

  • Up to 16 IP addresses
  • Same scanning engine
  • Plugin updates
  • Community support

Professional

$2,990/year

  • Unlimited assessments
  • Standard support
  • All vulnerability checks
  • Compliance auditing

Expert

$5,890/year

  • External attack surface scanning
  • Domain monitoring
  • IaC scanning
  • Cloud scanning
Nessus scans for vulnerabilities across networks and systems. The scanner security professionals have used for decades—vulnerability assessment that's proven. The scanning is comprehensive. The database is current. The trust is established. Security teams doing vulnerability assessment use Nessus for proven scanning.

Reviews

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Best Nessus Alternatives

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Nessus FAQ

Is Nessus free?

Nessus Essentials is free for up to 16 IPs. Nessus Professional for unlimited scanning starts at $2,790/year.

What is Nessus?

Nessus is a vulnerability scanner from Tenable. It finds security issues in your network, systems, and applications with comprehensive compliance checking.

Nessus vs Qualys?

Both are enterprise vulnerability scanners. Nessus is often deployed on-premises while Qualys is cloud-native. Compare their specific detection capabilities and deployment models.

Source: tenable.com