Tenable Nessus
Tenable Nessus
Tenable Nessus identifies and assesses security weaknesses across a range of IT assets. It supports integration with various security tools and provides detailed reporting for compliance and remediation efforts.
Tenable Nessus identifies and assesses security weaknesses across a range of IT assets. It supports integration with various security tools and provides detailed reporting for compliance and remediation efforts.
Cost considerations
Cost considerations
Functionality
Functionality
Compatibility
Compatibility
User experience
User experience
Customer support
Customer support
Why these ratings?
Cyberse perspective
Cyberse perspective
Solution details
Cloud ecosystem partners
Amazon Web Services
Microsoft Azure Cloud
Google Cloud Platform
Market segment
Small business
Enterprise
Midmarket
Key features
API access
Point solution
Integrations
Security automation
Endpoint security
Cloud security
Governance Risk and Compliance
Network security
Data security
Services support
In-house services
Managed services
Pricing
Free trial available
Deployment
On-premises
Cloud-hosted
Subcategory
Asset Management
Attack Surface Management
Scanning coverage
Network scanning
Host scanning
Application scanning
Target industry
Technology
Public sector
Industrials
Healthcare
Retail
Manufacturing
Financial services
We use the following criteria to evaluate this product:
We use the following criteria to evaluate this product:
Cost considerations
An annual $4.4 K Nessus Professional license covers unlimited scans, undercutting per-asset competitors. Web-app, cloud and attack-surface coverage demand the $6.4 K Expert tier, so some capabilities cost extra. The combination keeps overall spend competitive but not the rock-bottom benchmark seen with products that bundle every module up-front
Cost considerations
An annual $4.4 K Nessus Professional license covers unlimited scans, undercutting per-asset competitors. Web-app, cloud and attack-surface coverage demand the $6.4 K Expert tier, so some capabilities cost extra. The combination keeps overall spend competitive but not the rock-bottom benchmark seen with products that bundle every module up-front
Functionality
Nessus runs credentialed network and agent scans on a regular cadence and tiers findings with Tenable’s Vulnerability Priority Rating to spotlight higher-risk issues. The Expert edition also assesses AWS, Azure, GCP assets and container images, giving coverage beyond on-prem servers. Native connectors feed high-severity results into ServiceNow tickets for remediation but asset discovery is still scan-based rather than real-time, so Functionality sits just below the top tier
Functionality
Nessus runs credentialed network and agent scans on a regular cadence and tiers findings with Tenable’s Vulnerability Priority Rating to spotlight higher-risk issues. The Expert edition also assesses AWS, Azure, GCP assets and container images, giving coverage beyond on-prem servers. Native connectors feed high-severity results into ServiceNow tickets for remediation but asset discovery is still scan-based rather than real-time, so Functionality sits just below the top tier
Compatibility
Nessus agents run on Windows, Linux and macOS and the REST API allows findings to be retrieved by other tools. Cloud environments can be assessed once credentials are provided, yet purpose-built connectors are limited. Exports to CMDBs or SIEMs rely on CSV files or custom scripts, so extra integration work is typical.
Compatibility
Nessus agents run on Windows, Linux and macOS and the REST API allows findings to be retrieved by other tools. Cloud environments can be assessed once credentials are provided, yet purpose-built connectors are limited. Exports to CMDBs or SIEMs rely on CSV files or custom scripts, so extra integration work is typical.
User experience
Nessus provides dashboards and scan views but deeper analysis demands multiple navigation steps. Most reviewers mention a moderate learning curve, with security staff needing tutorials before they can customise scans or reports. Report formatting and vulnerability prioritisation often require manual tweaks, so workflows feel functional rather than truly streamlined.
User experience
Nessus provides dashboards and scan views but deeper analysis demands multiple navigation steps. Most reviewers mention a moderate learning curve, with security staff needing tutorials before they can customise scans or reports. Report formatting and vulnerability prioritisation often require manual tweaks, so workflows feel functional rather than truly streamlined.
Customer support
Tenable provides 24×7 phone, chat and portal help, and Premier or Elite plans include a named senior engineer who knows the customer environment. New plugins are normally released within about 24 hours of a vulnerability disclosure, so coverage keeps pace with fresh CVEs. Combined, these offerings place Nessus at the top tier of customer support among vulnerability scanners.
Customer support
Tenable provides 24×7 phone, chat and portal help, and Premier or Elite plans include a named senior engineer who knows the customer environment. New plugins are normally released within about 24 hours of a vulnerability disclosure, so coverage keeps pace with fresh CVEs. Combined, these offerings place Nessus at the top tier of customer support among vulnerability scanners.