France verdict (TL;DR)
Verified 2026-05-17France's VM market is defined by two parallel realities. In CAC 40 enterprise, energy, and manufacturing, Tenable.io dominates; Qualys is well-represented; Wiz is growing at French cloud-native unicorns (Alan, Contentsquare, Mirakl). In defense, public sector, and OIV (Operateurs d'Importance Vitale) under LPM, French sovereignty requirements effectively restrict options to on-prem deployments or ANSSI-qualified solutions, which advantages Tenable Security Center (on-prem) and creates space for YesWeHack (Paris) in vulnerability disclosure and crowdsourced scanning. Atos Eviden bundles VM inside its SOC-as-a-service offering for large French enterprises, often reselling Tenable or Qualys. NIS2 transposition (RNF, Reglementation Nationale de la Filiere numerique) has expanded the regulated organization universe significantly in 2024-2025.
Picks for France
- CAC 40 and large French enterprise (energy, manufacturing, financial services): tenable-nessus Dominant choice at TotalEnergies, Vinci, BNP Paribas-tier enterprises. Tenable Security Center (on-prem) is the preferred OIV deployment model for ANSSI LPM compliance. Largest ANSSI-familiar scanner brand in France.
- French cloud-native scale-ups and unicorns (Alan, Contentsquare, Mirakl-tier): wiz-vuln Agentless cloud VM with fast deploy on AWS Paris (eu-west-3) or Azure France Central. French cloud-native startups accept US-hosted data in AWS Paris region for most non-OIV workloads. Growing fast in French tech ecosystem.
- French OIV/OSE under LPM with sovereignty requirements: tenable-nessus Tenable Security Center deployed on-prem or in SecNumCloud-compatible hosting. Most OIV security teams reference Tenable in PASSI audit documentation. ANSSI-familiar and widely used in French critical infrastructure.
- French mid-market (100-1,000 employees) with NIS2 obligations: qualys Qualys VMDR cloud-native with EU data residency option (Frankfurt-proximate). Good compliance report templates that map to ANSSI cybersecurity recommendations. Used at Michelin, Sanofi mid-tier divisions.
- Vulnerability disclosure and crowdsourced scanning for French public sector: outpost24 Outpost24 has EU data residency and French language support. For organizations wanting combined network VM and external attack surface scanning without US data transfer, Outpost24 is the most credible non-ANSSI-native option.
- French developer-first (engineering-led product companies): snyk Growing adoption at French SaaS and fintech (Payfit, Alma, Pennylane-tier). Developer-first SCA with EU data residency. Fits engineering cultures at French product companies that run GitHub/GitLab-native CI/CD.
How the vulnerability management software market looks in France
France's VM market is split by a sovereignty fault line that has no equivalent in the US or UK. Organizations classified as OIV (Operateurs d'Importance Vitale, roughly 200 French critical infrastructure operators across 12 sectors under LPM, the Loi de Programmation Militaire) face ANSSI cybersecurity obligations that effectively require on-prem deployment or hosting in ANSSI SecNumCloud-certified infrastructure. This rules out US-hosted SaaS in its standard form for OIV security tooling. Tenable Security Center (on-prem) is the most-deployed scanner in French OIV environments; Qualys has a less clean story here because its cloud-native architecture does not easily accommodate true on-prem deployment.
NIS2 transposition in France (Directive (EU) 2022/2555 transposed as national law in 2024-2025) has expanded the universe of Entites Essentielles (EE) and Entites Importantes (EI) to 15,000+ French organizations with new cybersecurity obligations including vulnerability management and incident reporting. This has created a new wave of VM procurement among mid-market French organizations that previously had no regulatory driver.
YesWeHack (Paris, founded 2015) is the most credible French-native player in the adjacent vulnerability disclosure and bug bounty space. It does not replace a continuous VM scanner but is used by major French organizations (SNCF, BNP Paribas, Orange) for coordinated vulnerability disclosure programs (CVDP, required under ANSSI guidance for critical infrastructure) and by French public sector via the ANSSI-backed Politique de Securite des Systemes d'Information de l'Etat (PSSIE) framework. Atos Eviden (French state-adjacent IT giant) bundles VM scanning inside its SOC-as-a-service offerings for CAC 40 clients, typically reselling Tenable or Qualys at a managed-service markup.
Wiz's presence at French unicorns (Alan, Contentsquare, Mirakl, Backmarket) is growing faster than its formal France revenue share suggests, because these companies do not disclose tooling but their engineering job postings consistently reference Wiz security certifications.
LPM (Loi de Programmation Militaire 2024-2030) imposes cybersecurity obligations on OIV operators; ANSSI cybersecurity rules for OIV include vulnerability management requirements under the 20 ANSSI cybersecurity rules (Regle 8: gestion des vulnerabilites). Tooling must be on-prem or SecNumCloud-certified for highest classification OIV systems. NIS2 transposition: Entites Essentielles must implement vulnerability management processes and report significant incidents to ANSSI within 24 hours; VM tool choice must support incident-evidence packaging. RGPD: unpatched vulnerabilities leading to data breach require CNIL notification within 72 hours; VM program maturity is increasingly cited in CNIL enforcement context. PASSI (Prestataires d'Audit de la Securite des Systemes d'Information) certified auditors reference Tenable and Qualys output in PASSI audit deliverables; having one of these tools simplifies PASSI audit evidence collection.
Quick comparison, ranked for France
| Product | Best for | Starts at | 10-emp/mo* | Pricing | G2 | Geo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Tenable Nessus / Tenable One | Large enterprises and regulated industries | $0 | $0 | 4.5 | Global; strongest in US, EU, UK, AU; broad worldwide coverage | |
| 2 Qualys VMDR | Large enterprises in regulated industries | Quote | - | 4.4 | Global; strongest in US, EU, UK, India; broad worldwide coverage | |
| 4 Wiz | Cloud-native-first organizations of any size | Quote | - | 4.7 | Global; strongest in US, EU, UK, AU, Israel | |
| 3 Rapid7 InsightVM | Rapid7-anchored mid-market and enterprise | Quote | - | 4.4 | Global; strongest in US, UK, EU, AU | |
| 7 Snyk | Engineering-led security programs | $0 | $0 | 4.5 | Global; strongest in US, UK, EU, IL | |
| 8 Outpost24 | European mid-market and enterprise | Quote | - | 4.4 | Strongest in EU (Nordics, DACH, UK, France); growing US, AU | |
| 5 Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management | Microsoft-anchored organizations on Defender for Endpoint / M365 E5 | $3 | $3 | 4.4 | Global; strongest in US, EU, UK, AU; broad worldwide coverage | |
| 6 CrowdStrike Falcon Spotlight | CrowdStrike Falcon-anchored enterprises | Quote | - | 4.5 | Global; strongest in US, EU, UK, AU | |
| 9 Nucleus Security | Enterprises with multi-scanner sprawl | Quote | - | 4.6 | Global; strongest in US; growing EU, UK | |
| 10 Vicarius vRx | Mid-market with combined security + ops responsibility | $5 | $5 | 4.7 | Global; strongest in US, EU, UK, IL |
*10-employee monthly cost = base fee + (per-employee × 10) using the lowest published tier. For opaque-pricing vendors, no value is shown.
What buyers in France actually pay
Median annual deal size by employee band, in EUR. Crowdsourced from anonymized buyer disclosures.
| Product | Employee band | Median annual (EUR) | Sample | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tenable Nessus / Tenable One | 500-2,500 assets | €26,000 | 58 | EUR-billed; Tenable Vulnerability Management or Security Center |
| Qualys VMDR | 1,000-5,000 assets | €38,000 | 41 | VMDR; EUR enterprise agreement via Qualys France |
| Wiz | 500-2,000 cloud workloads | €74,000 | 18 | EUR; AWS Paris or Azure France Central hosted |
| Outpost24 | 100-1,000 assets | €16,000 | 27 | EUR; EU data residency; French language support available |
France-built or France-strong vendors worth knowing
Not yet ranked in our global top 10, but credible options for France buyers and worth a shortlist.
YesWeHack
Visit ↗Paris-based vulnerability disclosure and bug bounty platform. ANSSI-recognized for coordinated vulnerability disclosure programs (CVDP). Used by SNCF, BNP Paribas, Orange, and French Ministry of Armed Forces. Not a replacement for continuous VM scanning but fills the crowdsourced external attack surface gap. SecNumCloud-eligible architecture.
Atos Eviden
Visit ↗French state-adjacent IT giant. Bundles VM (via Tenable or Qualys licenses) inside Eviden SOC-as-a-service for CAC 40 and French public-sector clients. Not a direct VM product but controls a large share of French VM procurement via managed services.
Intrinsec
Visit ↗Paris-based CERT and managed security services provider. ANSSI-certified CSIRT. Provides VAPT and VM services to French mid-market under ANSSI PRIS (Prestataires de Reponse aux Incidents de Securite) qualification. Relevant for French organizations procuring VM as managed service.
All 10, ranked for France
Same intelligence as the global ranking, vendor trust, review patterns, verified pricing, compliance, reordered for the France market.
Tenable Nessus / Tenable One
Market leader on scan coverage, plugin breadth, and exposure-management roadmap.
Tenable is the vulnerability management market leader, founded 2002 by Renaud Deraison (the original Nessus author), public on NASDAQ:TENB since 2018, with a $700M+ ARR run rate. The product spans Nessus (the original scanner), Tenable.io / Tenable Vulnerability Management (cloud-delivered), and Tenable One (the exposure-management platform layered on top). Strengths: largest plugin library in the category (200,000+ plugins covering CVE, configuration, and compliance checks), broadest scan coverage across IT, OT, IaaS, web apps, and identity, the most credible exposure-management roadmap with attack-path analysis, and the deepest auditor familiarity in regulated industries. Best fit for 1,000+ employee enterprises wanting best-of-breed VM with the strongest scanner pedigree and exposure-management consolidation. Trade-offs: per-asset pricing escalates meaningfully at scale, the management UX has accumulated complexity across the Nessus/Tenable.io/Tenable One layers, and cloud-native VM coverage trails Wiz on agentless graph depth.
Large enterprises (1,000+ employees) wanting best-of-breed VM with the broadest scanner coverage, deepest auditor familiarity, and a credible exposure-management consolidation path via Tenable One.
Cloud-native-only shops (Wiz better agentless graph), Microsoft 365 E5-anchored shops (Defender VM bundled cheaper), or developer-first engineering-led security programs (Snyk better SCA fit).
Strengths
- Largest plugin library in the category (200,000+ plugins)
- Broadest scan coverage (IT, OT, IaaS, web apps, identity)
- Most credible exposure-management roadmap (Tenable One + attack-path analysis)
- Best for 1,000+ employee enterprises
- Deepest auditor familiarity (PCI, FedRAMP, CIS) in regulated industries
- Public company financial transparency
- FedRAMP Moderate authorized
Weaknesses
- Per-asset pricing escalates meaningfully at scale
- Management UX accumulated complexity across product layers
- Cloud-native VM coverage trails Wiz on agentless graph depth
- Annual price increases of 8-12% reported by renewing customers
- Tenable One adoption requires meaningful re-architecture
Pricing tiers
partial- Nessus Professional~$3,990/year per scanner; SMB / consultant tier$0 /mo
- Nessus Expert~$5,890/year per scanner; adds web app + container$0 /mo
- Tenable Vulnerability Management~$2,500-$4,500 per 100 assets/year typicalQuote
- Tenable OneCustom; exposure-management platform with ASM, identity, cloudQuote
- Tenable.otCustom; OT/ICS scanningQuote
- · Per-asset pricing escalates with sprawl
- · Annual price increases of 8-12%
- · Tenable One modules priced separately
- · Professional services for Tenable One rollout ($25K-$200K)
Key features
- +Nessus scanner (200,000+ plugins)
- +Tenable Vulnerability Management (cloud)
- +Tenable One exposure-management platform
- +Attack-path analysis (Tenable One)
- +Web App Scanning (Tenable.was)
- +Container Security (Tenable Container Security)
- +OT/ICS scanning (Tenable.ot)
- +Identity Exposure (Tenable Identity Exposure / formerly Alsid)
Qualys VMDR
Long-running cloud-native VM with sticky enterprise compliance base.
Qualys is the original cloud-native vulnerability management vendor, founded 1999 by Philippe Courtot, public on NASDAQ:QLYS since 2012. The flagship product is VMDR (Vulnerability Management, Detection and Response), unifying scanning, prioritization, and patching in a single agent + agentless architecture. Strengths: long-running cloud-native architecture (the company never had a data-center pivot to make), tightly integrated scanner + Cloud Agent + compliance modules, and a sticky enterprise base in regulated industries that uses Qualys Policy Compliance and Qualys PCI alongside VM. Best fit for 1,000+ employee enterprises with mature compliance programs that want VM and compliance scanning unified. Trade-offs: innovation pace is meaningfully below Wiz on cloud workloads, the management UX (12 Qualys Cloud Apps in the same console) is dated relative to newer platforms, and customer churn to Tenable and Wiz has been visible in renewals over 2024-2025.
Large enterprises (1,000-50,000 employees) in regulated industries with mature compliance programs wanting unified VM + compliance scanning on a single cloud-native platform.
Cloud-native-first shops (Wiz better agentless), Microsoft 365 E5-anchored shops (Defender VM bundled), developer-led security programs (Snyk better fit), or buyers prioritizing the latest UX (Wiz / Tenable One newer).
Strengths
- Long-running cloud-native architecture (no on-prem pivot)
- Tight integration of scanner, Cloud Agent, and compliance modules
- Sticky enterprise compliance base (Qualys Policy Compliance, PCI)
- Right call for regulated industries
- Public company financial transparency
- FedRAMP authorized
- Mature managed-by-Qualys offerings
Weaknesses
- Innovation pace below Wiz on cloud workloads
- Management UX dated relative to newer platforms
- Customer churn to Tenable and Wiz visible in 2024-2025 renewals
- Per-asset pricing meaningful at scale
- Cloud Agent footprint heavier than agentless competitors
Pricing tiers
opaque- VMDR (Vulnerability Management, Detection, Response)~$200-$400 per asset/year typicalQuote
- Cloud AgentBundled with most VMDR contractsQuote
- Policy ComplianceAdd-on; ~$150-$300 per asset/yearQuote
- Patch ManagementAdd-on; ~$100-$200 per asset/yearQuote
- TotalCloud (CSPM/CNAPP)Custom; cloud workload protectionQuote
- · Modular Cloud Apps priced separately
- · Annual price increases
- · Implementation services
- · Patch Management add-on for closed-loop remediation
Key features
- +VMDR (vulnerability management + detection + response)
- +Cloud Agent (lightweight)
- +Network scanner appliances
- +Policy Compliance (CIS, DISA STIGs)
- +PCI Compliance scanning
- +Patch Management
- +TotalCloud (CSPM)
- +Web Application Scanning
Wiz
Redefined cloud VM with agentless graph-based scanning.
Wiz is the cloud-native vulnerability management leader, founded 2020 by Assaf Rappaport and the team behind Microsoft Cloud Security Group (Adallom alumni), private with a last reported $12B valuation. The product redefined cloud VM with agentless scanning that builds a unified security graph across cloud workloads, identities, data, and configuration. Strengths: agentless deployment that connects in hours rather than weeks, the Wiz Security Graph that correlates vulnerabilities with toxic combinations (exposure + privileges + sensitive data), and consistently the fastest time-to-value in the category for cloud-native estates. Best fit for cloud-native-first organizations of any size where AWS/Azure/GCP coverage is the priority. Trade-offs: the announced Google acquisition (March 2025, $32B, expected to close in 2025) is a vendor-stability question every buyer needs to weigh until post-close behavior is known, historical post-acquisition behavior on similar deals (Mandiant, Looker) has been mixed; on-prem and traditional infrastructure VM coverage is meaningfully thinner than Tenable / Qualys; and pricing is opaque and meaningful at scale.
Cloud-native-first organizations (any size) where AWS / Azure / GCP coverage and time-to-value matter more than on-prem breadth, particularly engineering-led security teams.
Buyers with significant on-prem or OT estates (Tenable / Qualys broader), buyers with Google-vendor concentration concerns post-acquisition, Microsoft E5 shops where Defender VM is bundled, or buyers requiring deepest auditor familiarity (Tenable / Qualys stronger).
Strengths
- Agentless deployment connects in hours, not weeks
- Wiz Security Graph correlates toxic combinations (exposure + privileges + data)
- Fastest time-to-value in cloud-native VM
- Made for cloud-native-first organizations of any size
- Best-in-class management UX and reporting
- Aggressive product velocity
- Strong customer NPS pre-acquisition
Weaknesses
- Google acquisition pending close, post-close behavior unknown
- On-prem and traditional infrastructure VM coverage thinner than Tenable / Qualys
- Pricing opaque and meaningful at scale
- Single-vendor concentration risk for buyers consolidating CNAPP+VM on Wiz
- Some customer concern about Google product integration timeline
Pricing tiers
opaque- Wiz Cloud Security Platform~$10-$30 per workload/month typicalQuote
- Wiz Vulnerability ManagementBundled within platformQuote
- Wiz Code (DSPM + ASPM)Add-on; data and application security postureQuote
- Wiz Defend (runtime)Add-on; runtime threat detectionQuote
- · Per-resource pricing scales fast with cloud sprawl
- · Annual price increases reported
- · Wiz Code and Wiz Defend priced separately
- · Multi-cloud coverage drives meaningful resource counts
Key features
- +Agentless cloud scanning (AWS, Azure, GCP, OCI)
- +Wiz Security Graph (toxic combination analysis)
- +CSPM + CWPP + CIEM unified
- +Container and Kubernetes scanning
- +IaC scanning (Wiz Code)
- +Wiz Defend (runtime, post-Gem acquisition)
- +Attack-path analysis
- +Compliance frameworks (CIS, PCI, SOC2)
Rapid7 InsightVM
Boston-anchored VM with tight Insight platform integration.
Rapid7 InsightVM is the vulnerability management product from Rapid7, founded 2000 in Boston, public on NASDAQ:RPD since 2015. InsightVM is the modern cloud-delivered evolution of Rapid7 Nexpose (which still ships for on-prem buyers), with the Insight Agent providing live vulnerability data alongside traditional scan engines. Strengths: tight integration with InsightIDR (the Rapid7 SIEM, ranked separately), live dashboards driven by the Insight Agent rather than periodic scans, strong Real Risk Score prioritization, and a developer-friendly dashboarding model. Best fit for 500-25,000 employee organizations consolidating on the Rapid7 Insight platform alongside InsightIDR. Trade-offs: outside the Rapid7 Insight ecosystem the product is less compelling than Tenable, scanner plugin coverage trails Tenable Nessus, and Rapid7 stock and revenue growth have been under pressure through 2024-2025 (slowing top-line growth, board attention on margins).
Mid-market and enterprise (500-25,000 employees) consolidating on the Rapid7 Insight platform, particularly buyers already running InsightIDR SIEM who want unified vulnerability + threat detection.
Non-Rapid7 stacks (Tenable better breadth), cloud-native-first shops (Wiz better agentless), Microsoft 365 E5-anchored shops (Defender VM bundled), or developer-first programs (Snyk better SCA).
Strengths
- Tight integration with InsightIDR SIEM and Insight platform
- Live dashboards driven by Insight Agent (not just scans)
- Real Risk Score prioritization
- Works for Rapid7-anchored stack consolidation
- Public company financial transparency
- Mature on-prem option via Nexpose
Weaknesses
- Outside Rapid7 Insight ecosystem less compelling than Tenable
- Scanner plugin coverage trails Tenable Nessus
- Rapid7 revenue growth under pressure 2024-2025
- Per-asset pricing meaningful at scale
- Innovation pace slower than Wiz on cloud-native VM
Pricing tiers
partial- InsightVM~$2,000-$3,500 per 100 assets/year typicalQuote
- InsightVM + InsightIDR (bundle)Custom; bundled discount typicalQuote
- Nexpose (on-prem)Legacy on-prem; flat licensingQuote
- Insight PlatformCustom; bundled VM + IDR + ICS + CloudQuote
- · Per-asset pricing escalates with sprawl
- · Annual price increases
- · Implementation services
- · InsightIDR purchased separately for full SIEM
Key features
- +InsightVM cloud-delivered scanning
- +Insight Agent (live data)
- +Nexpose on-prem option
- +Real Risk Score prioritization
- +Live dashboards
- +Container Security (InsightCloudSec)
- +Patch integration via ServiceNow / Jira
- +Attack Surface Monitoring (Project Sonar)
Snyk
Developer-first SCA + container VM category leader.
Snyk is the developer-first vulnerability management leader for software composition analysis (SCA), container scanning, and infrastructure-as-code (IaC) scanning, founded 2015 in London. The product reframed VM around developer workflow: scan in IDE, scan on PR, fix via auto-PR rather than triage in a security console. Strengths: developer-first SCA (the category Snyk defined), strong PR-based remediation flow that engineering teams actually adopt, integrated container and IaC scanning, and a vulnerability database (Snyk Vulnerability DB) that meaningfully exceeds NVD on coverage and timeliness. Best fit for engineering-led security programs where developer adoption is the bottleneck. Trade-offs: valuation pressure has been visible (last primary $7.4B in Dec 2021; secondary share sales in Sept 2024 at flat-to-down marks reported); infrastructure VM coverage is meaningfully thinner than Tenable / Qualys (Snyk is application-layer, not infrastructure-layer); and pricing per-developer-seat escalates fast at engineering-team scale.
Engineering-led security programs (any company size with significant in-house development), particularly cloud-native SaaS companies, fintechs, and any org where developer adoption is the bottleneck for security tooling.
Infrastructure-VM-first programs (Tenable / Qualys / Wiz broader on infra), Microsoft 365 E5 shops (Defender VM bundled for infra), or organizations with limited in-house engineering (Snyk's value proposition assumes a developer base).
Strengths
- Developer-first SCA category leader
- Strong PR-based remediation flow engineering teams actually adopt
- Integrated container, IaC, and code (SAST) scanning
- Snyk Vulnerability DB exceeds NVD on coverage and timeliness
- Built for engineering-led security programs
- Mature freemium tier drives bottom-up adoption
- IDE plugins for VS Code, JetBrains, etc.
Weaknesses
- Valuation pressure visible (secondary marks flat-to-down vs Dec 2021 primary)
- Infrastructure VM coverage thinner than Tenable / Qualys (application-layer focus)
- Per-developer-seat pricing escalates fast at engineering-team scale
- License model can create surprise costs as engineering teams grow
- Acquisitions (DeepCode, Manifold, Helios) integration timeline mixed
Pricing tiers
partial- FreeLimited tests; individuals and small projects$0 /mo
- TeamPer contributing developer; SCA + IaC + Container basic$25 /mo
- Enterprise~$45-$80 per contributing developer/monthQuote
- Snyk AppRiskCustom; ASPM platformQuote
- · Per-developer pricing escalates with engineering team growth
- · Snyk Code (SAST), Snyk Container, Snyk IaC priced as separate products in Enterprise
- · Annual price increases reported at 6-10%
- · Implementation services for AppRisk rollout
Key features
- +Snyk Open Source (SCA)
- +Snyk Code (SAST)
- +Snyk Container (image and Kubernetes)
- +Snyk IaC (Terraform, CloudFormation, Kubernetes manifests)
- +Snyk AppRisk (ASPM platform)
- +Auto-fix PRs
- +IDE plugins (VS Code, JetBrains, etc.)
- +Snyk Vulnerability DB
Outpost24
European VM with broad app + infra + network coverage.
Outpost24 is the Swedish full-stack vulnerability management vendor, founded 2001 and acquired by EQT in 2020. The product covers infrastructure VM, web application scanning, network scanning, and cloud security in a single platform. Strengths: broad coverage across infrastructure, web application, network, and cloud VM in a single contract; EU data residency and GDPR-native compliance; strong fit for European mid-market organizations with distributed estates that want a single VM vendor; and a more transparent commercial posture than the US-headquartered platform vendors. Best fit for European mid-market organizations (500-10,000 employees) where EU data residency matters and full-stack VM consolidation is preferred over best-of-breed. Trade-offs: brand recognition is meaningfully lower in North America, scanner plugin coverage trails Tenable Nessus, innovation pace is slower than Wiz on cloud-native VM, and EQT ownership creates the standard PE-pressure question on long-term direction.
European mid-market organizations (500-10,000 employees) with distributed infra + web app + network estates wanting single-vendor full-stack VM with EU data residency.
Cloud-native-first shops (Wiz better), Microsoft 365 E5 shops (Defender VM bundled), large US enterprises (Tenable / Qualys broader US presence), or buyers needing the deepest scanner plugin library.
Strengths
- Broad coverage across infra, web app, network, and cloud VM in single platform
- EU data residency and GDPR-native compliance
- Made for European mid-market with distributed estates
- More transparent commercial posture than US platform vendors
- Mature on-prem deployment options
- Outscan, HIAB, SWAT product lines all proven
Weaknesses
- Brand recognition lower in North America
- Scanner plugin coverage trails Tenable Nessus
- Innovation pace slower than Wiz on cloud-native VM
- EQT ownership creates standard PE-pressure question
- Support response times vary outside Europe
Pricing tiers
partial- Outscan (network VM)~$2,000-$4,000 per 100 assets/year typicalQuote
- HIAB (on-prem VM appliance)Hardware + license; flat pricingQuote
- SWAT (continuous web app testing)~$15,000-$45,000/year per 25 appsQuote
- Threat Compass (threat intel)Add-on; threat intelligence moduleQuote
- Sweepatic (EASM)Add-on; external attack surface managementQuote
- · Modular product lines priced separately
- · Annual price increases
- · Implementation services for distributed deployments
Key features
- +Outscan (network VM scanner)
- +HIAB (on-prem VM appliance)
- +SWAT (continuous web app testing)
- +Threat Compass (threat intelligence)
- +Sweepatic (external attack surface management)
- +Cloud security scanning
- +Compliance reporting
- +On-prem deployment options
Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management
Bundled with Defender for Endpoint P2 / E5, economics, not VM merit, drive selection.
Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management (MDVM) is the vulnerability management capability bundled with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Plan 2 and Microsoft 365 E5, plus available as a standalone add-on. The product is the de facto choice for any organization on M365 E5: at zero incremental cost relative to the bundle, the economic lever overwhelms most product-merit comparisons. Strengths: bundled with Defender for Endpoint P2 / M365 E5 at no incremental cost (the single biggest economic factor in VM), native integration with Microsoft Sentinel and Intune for closed-loop remediation, and detection coverage that continues to broaden as Microsoft invests. Best fit for any Microsoft-anchored organization, particularly Windows-heavy enterprises already on Defender for Endpoint. Trade-offs: outside the Microsoft ecosystem the product is meaningfully weaker, non-Windows VM coverage (Linux, macOS, network appliances, OT) less mature than Tenable / Qualys, and the prioritization model is less sophisticated than Tenable VPR or Wiz Security Graph. Selection should be honest: organizations pick MDVM because it is bundled, not because it is the best VM tool on the market.
Any organization on Microsoft 365 E5 or Defender for Endpoint P2, economically the go-to at zero marginal cost, particularly Windows-heavy enterprises with Microsoft Sentinel and Intune already deployed.
Non-Microsoft enterprises (Tenable / Qualys broader), Linux/macOS-heavy shops (Tenable / Qualys / CrowdStrike better cross-platform), cloud-native-first orgs (Wiz better cloud), or OT/ICS environments (Tenable.ot only credible option).
Strengths
- Bundled with Defender for Endpoint P2 / M365 E5 at no extra cost
- Native Microsoft Sentinel and Intune integration for closed-loop remediation
- Detection coverage continues to broaden
- Best for Microsoft-anchored Windows-heavy orgs
- Microsoft FedRAMP High authorization
- Public company financial transparency
Weaknesses
- Outside Microsoft ecosystem meaningfully weaker
- Non-Windows VM (Linux, macOS, network, OT) less mature than Tenable / Qualys
- Prioritization model less sophisticated than Tenable VPR or Wiz Security Graph
- Standalone purchase requires Defender for Endpoint or M365 E5, not standalone-friendly
- Support inconsistency reported by region
Pricing tiers
public- Defender Vulnerability Management (Add-on)Per device; standalone add-on for Defender for Endpoint P2$3 /mo
- Defender for Endpoint P2 (includes core MDVM)Per user; full EDR + core VM$5.2 /mo
- M365 E5 (bundles MDVM via Defender)Per user; full Microsoft security suite$57 /mo
- Defender Vulnerability Management (Standalone)Per device; for non-Defender-for-Endpoint customers$2 /mo
- · Standalone purchase still requires Defender for Endpoint license for full coverage
- · Microsoft Sentinel ingestion charged separately
- · Annual Microsoft 365 price increases
Key features
- +Vulnerability assessment for Windows, macOS, Linux, network devices
- +Built-in to Defender for Endpoint single agent
- +Microsoft Sentinel integration
- +Intune integration for patch deployment
- +Threat and Vulnerability Management (TVM) prioritization
- +Browser extension assessment
- +Certificate inventory
- +Hardware and firmware assessment
CrowdStrike Falcon Spotlight
Falcon-attached VM with no extra agent footprint, strong product, parent vendor trust impact.
CrowdStrike Falcon Spotlight is the vulnerability management module on the CrowdStrike Falcon platform, leveraging the existing Falcon sensor for agent-based vulnerability assessment. Strengths: agent-attached VM with no extra sensor footprint (the Falcon sensor is already on the endpoint), tight integration with the Falcon platform for context-rich prioritization (combining vulnerability data with EDR telemetry and threat intelligence), and ExPRT.AI-driven prioritization that incorporates exploitability and active exploitation data. Best fit for organizations already running CrowdStrike Falcon EDR who want VM bundled into the existing agent footprint. Trade-offs: the July 19, 2024 Falcon Sensor channel-file outage (largest IT outage in history, 8.5M devices) remains the existential trust event for the parent vendor and a material consideration for any Falcon-platform purchase; Spotlight is not a credible standalone purchase outside the Falcon platform; and network and unmanaged-asset coverage requires Falcon Discover or Falcon Surface (separate modules at additional cost).
Organizations already running CrowdStrike Falcon EDR (1,000+ employees) wanting VM bundled into the existing agent footprint with tight EDR + threat intelligence context.
Standalone VM buyers (Tenable / Qualys / Rapid7 better as standalone), Microsoft 365 E5 shops (Defender VM bundled), cloud-native-first shops (Wiz better cloud), or buyers concerned about CrowdStrike vendor concentration risk after the July 2024 outage.
Strengths
- Agent-attached VM with no extra sensor footprint
- Tight Falcon platform integration (VM + EDR + threat intel context)
- ExPRT.AI prioritization incorporates exploitability and active exploitation
- Fits CrowdStrike Falcon-anchored orgs
- Mature on-host configuration assessment via Falcon FileVantage / Falcon Identity Protection
- Public company financial transparency
Weaknesses
- July 2024 Falcon Sensor channel-file outage trust impact remains material
- Not a credible standalone purchase outside Falcon platform
- Network and unmanaged-asset coverage requires separate modules (Discover, Surface)
- Per-module pricing creates surprise costs on Falcon platform
- Pricing escalated meaningfully since 2023 for renewing customers
Pricing tiers
opaque- Falcon Spotlight~$15-$30 per endpoint/year typical (added to Falcon Pro / Enterprise)Quote
- Falcon Discover (asset visibility)Add-on; ~$10-$20 per endpoint/yearQuote
- Falcon Surface (external ASM)Add-on; custom pricingQuote
- Falcon Exposure Management (bundle)Custom; combines Spotlight + Discover + SurfaceQuote
- · Per-module pricing on top of Falcon Pro / Enterprise base
- · Annual price increases of 8-12% reported
- · Network and unmanaged-asset coverage requires separate modules
Key features
- +Agent-attached vulnerability assessment via Falcon sensor
- +ExPRT.AI prioritization (exploitability + active exploitation)
- +Tight Falcon platform integration (EDR, threat intel, identity)
- +Falcon Discover (asset inventory)
- +Falcon Surface (external ASM)
- +Cross-domain context with Falcon Identity and Falcon Cloud Security
- +Mobile apps
Nucleus Security
VM aggregation and orchestration that complements rather than replaces scanners.
Nucleus Security is the vulnerability management aggregation and orchestration platform, founded 2018. The product is positioned not as a scanner, but as the layer above scanners, ingesting findings from Tenable, Qualys, Rapid7, Wiz, Snyk, CrowdStrike, and 100+ other security tools, then unifying them into a single workflow with deduplication, prioritization, SLA tracking, and ticketing automation. Strengths: best-in-class scanner aggregation with broad ingestion connectors, mature workflow engine with SLA enforcement and assignment automation, EPSS and KEV integration for prioritization, and a clear positioning as a complement (not replacement) for Tenable / Qualys / Wiz. Best fit for mid-large enterprises (1,000+ employees) running 3+ vulnerability scanners and struggling with finding consolidation, SLA enforcement, and workflow automation across them. Trade-offs: Nucleus does not scan, buyers still need to license scanners separately; the value proposition assumes meaningful scanner sprawl (organizations on a single scanner get less value); and competition from Vulcan Cyber (acquired by Tenable in early 2025) and Brinqa is real.
Mid-large enterprises (1,000+ employees) running 3+ vulnerability scanners (e.g. Tenable for infra + Snyk for code + Wiz for cloud) struggling with deduplication, SLA enforcement, and workflow automation across them.
Single-scanner organizations (Tenable / Qualys native workflow sufficient), Microsoft E5 shops where Defender VM is bundled, or buyers wanting a scanner plus aggregation in one product (Tenable One closer to that pattern).
Strengths
- Best-in-class scanner aggregation (100+ ingestion connectors)
- Mature workflow engine with SLA enforcement and assignment automation
- EPSS and KEV integration for prioritization across scanners
- Clear positioning as complement, not replacement, for scanners
- Right call for orgs with scanner sprawl (3+ VM tools)
- Founder-led; product velocity strong
Weaknesses
- Does not scan, scanners still required separately
- Value proposition assumes meaningful scanner sprawl
- Competition from Vulcan Cyber (Tenable-acquired Jan 2025) and Brinqa
- Newer category; organizational adoption pattern less defined
- Small vendor concentration risk for buyers
Pricing tiers
opaque- Nucleus Pro~$15-$30 per asset/year typicalQuote
- Nucleus EnterpriseCustom; advanced workflow + SLA + ticketingQuote
- Nucleus GovernmentCustom; FedRAMP and government-specificQuote
- · Per-asset pricing scales with asset inventory
- · Connector licensing for some premium scanner integrations
- · Implementation services for workflow customization
Key features
- +Scanner aggregation (Tenable, Qualys, Rapid7, Wiz, Snyk, CrowdStrike, 100+ more)
- +Finding deduplication across scanners
- +EPSS and KEV-based prioritization
- +SLA enforcement and assignment automation
- +ServiceNow / Jira ticketing integration
- +Risk-based reporting
- +Asset inventory unification
- +Custom workflow engine
Vicarius vRx
Patch + autonomous remediation-led VM for under-resourced ops teams.
Vicarius vRx is the patch-automation-led vulnerability management platform, founded 2016 by Michael Assraf and Roi Cohen. The product's differentiator: VM with closed-loop autonomous remediation, find the vulnerability, recommend the patch or compensating control, and (with approval) deploy it automatically across Windows, Linux, and macOS. Strengths: closed-loop find-and-fix in a single product (most VM tools end at finding, leaving patching to a separate IT ops tool), strong fit for under-resourced operations teams that need fix, not just find; mature patchless-protection capability that mitigates without requiring a vendor patch; and a developer-friendly community (vsociety) around the product. Best fit for mid-market organizations (200-2,500 employees) with combined security + IT ops responsibility and limited capacity to triage large finding backlogs. Trade-offs: scanner plugin coverage is meaningfully thinner than Tenable / Qualys (Vicarius is patch-led, not scanner-led); enterprise-scale references are still building; and the autonomous-remediation model requires meaningful operational trust in the vendor.
Mid-market organizations (200-2,500 employees) with combined security + IT ops responsibility and limited capacity for large finding backlogs, particularly buyers prioritizing remediation velocity over scanner breadth.
Large regulated enterprises requiring deepest scanner coverage (Tenable / Qualys broader), Microsoft E5 shops (Defender VM bundled), cloud-native-first shops (Wiz better cloud), or organizations with mature in-house patch automation already deployed.
Strengths
- Closed-loop find-and-fix in single product
- Works for under-resourced ops teams
- Patchless-protection capability for unpatched vulnerabilities
- Developer-friendly community (vsociety)
- Mature Windows, Linux, macOS patching
- Founder-led; strong product velocity
- Workflow integration with ConnectWise, Datto, NinjaOne
Weaknesses
- Scanner plugin coverage thinner than Tenable / Qualys
- Enterprise-scale references still building
- Autonomous remediation requires operational trust in vendor
- Brand recognition lower than legacy VM vendors
- Support is hit-or-miss as company scales
Pricing tiers
partial- vRx (per endpoint)~$5-$8 per endpoint/month typical$5 /mo
- vRx Plus (with patchless protection)~$8-$12 per endpoint/month$8 /mo
- MSP PartnerCustom; volume-discount partner pricingQuote
- · Annual billing common
- · Patchless-protection add-on for some plans
- · Implementation services for workflow customization
Key features
- +Vulnerability assessment (Windows, Linux, macOS)
- +Autonomous patch deployment
- +Patchless protection (compensating controls)
- +Application and OS patching
- +Third-party app patching
- +Custom scripting (vsociety)
- +ConnectWise, Datto, NinjaOne integrations
- +Mobile apps
Frequently asked questions
The questions buyers actually ask before they sign.
Can I use US-hosted VM SaaS if my organization is an OIV?
Where does YesWeHack fit alongside a VM scanner?
Tenable vs Qualys, which one?
When does Microsoft Defender VM beat Tenable / Qualys?
Is Wiz the right pick given the Google acquisition?
How does this differ from your CSPM and EDR rankings?
How much should I budget for vulnerability management?
How long does VM deployment take?
EPSS, KEV, CVSS, what should I prioritize on?
Should I run more than one VM tool?
Final word
Looking at a different market? See the global Vulnerability Management Software ranking, or pick another country at the top of this page.
Last updated 2026-05-17. Local pricing reverified quarterly. Found something inaccurate? Tell us.