Best Tenable Nessus Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 platforms from vulnerability scanning software ranked against Tenable Nessus on the same published basis.
- 1Tenable Nessus vs Pentest-Tools Port Scanner
- 2Tenable Nessus vs Qualys External Attack Surface Management
- 3Tenable Nessus vs Intruder
- 4Tenable Nessus vs ManageEngine Vulnerability Manager Plus
- 5Tenable Nessus vs OpenVAS
- 6Tenable Nessus vs OWASP Nettacker
- 7Tenable Nessus vs WPScan
- 8Tenable Nessus vs Tanium Deploy
- 9Tenable Nessus vs Outpost24 Attack Surface Management
- 10Tenable Nessus vs Amazon Inspector
- 11Tenable Nessus vs ConnectSecure
- 12Tenable Nessus vs Holm Security Vulnerability Management
- 13Tenable Nessus vs Rapid7 Surface Command
- 14Tenable Nessus vs VAddy
- 15Tenable Nessus vs Vicarius vRx
- 16Tenable Nessus vs Nmap
- 17Tenable Nessus vs NSAuditor AI
- 18Tenable Nessus vs Nuclei
- 19Tenable Nessus vs Nikto
- 20Tenable Nessus vs Datto Endpoint Backup
Tenable Nessus alternatives compared
| # | Platform | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pentest-Tools Port Scanner | 7.4 | Free plan | $95/mo | API, Web |
| 2 | Qualys External Attack Surface Management | 7.4 | No | — | API, Linux, Web |
| 3 | Intruder | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 4 | ManageEngine Vulnerability Manager Plus | 7.3 | Free plan | $57.92/mo | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 5 | OpenVAS | 7.3 | Free plan | €210.33/mo | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 6 | OWASP Nettacker | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 7 | WPScan | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted |
| 8 | Tanium Deploy | 7.0 | No | — | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 9 | Outpost24 Attack Surface Management | 6.9 | No | — | API, Web |
| 10 | Amazon Inspector | 6.7 | No | — | API, Web |
| 11 | ConnectSecure | 6.7 | No | $300/mo | API, Web |
| 12 | Holm Security Vulnerability Management | 6.7 | No | — | API, Linux, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 13 | Rapid7 Surface Command | 6.7 | No | — | API, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 14 | VAddy | 6.7 | No | ¥19,800/mo | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web |
| 15 | Vicarius vRx | 6.7 | No | $4/mo | API, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 16 | Nmap | 5.9 | Free plan | $9,980/mo | Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 17 | NSAuditor AI | 5.9 | Free plan | $3.25/mo | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 18 | Nuclei | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 19 | Nikto | 5.8 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted, Windows |
| 20 | Datto Endpoint Backup | 5.4 | No | — | Mac, Windows |
The sponsored alternative slot on this page is labelled Sponsored.
Questions about Tenable Nessus alternatives
What is the best alternative to Tenable Nessus?
Pentest-Tools Port Scanner, number 1 in vulnerability scanning software with a score of 7.4 out of 10. The others here: Qualys External Attack Surface Management, Intruder, ManageEngine Vulnerability Manager Plus and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Tenable Nessus?
Pentest-Tools Port Scanner is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 10 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes, open and connectable first: a public API, open-source code, the depth of its documentation and a free tier to try it on. Model lists are sorted by the figure in their title, exactly as each provider publishes it.