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Tenable Nessus

freemium From $0/mo · Founded 1998 · self-hosted / cloud

Industry-standard host/network vulnerability scanner — Essentials free for 16 IPs, Pro $3,590/yr.

Free tier: Nessus Essentials — free for personal use, up to 16 IPs

What it does well

  • Free 'Essentials' tier is fully functional for scanning up to 16 IPs.
  • Plugin library is updated frequently, covering a vast range of software and hardware vulnerabilities.
  • Reports are detailed, providing CVE references and often suggesting remediation steps.

Where it falls short

  • The jump from the free tier to the paid 'Pro' version is significant ($3,990/year).
  • Nessus Pro is licensed per scanner; it lacks a central console for managing multiple scanners.
  • The user interface can feel dated and less intuitive than some newer competitors.
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Tags: networkvuln-managementfree-tiersmall-teamenterpriseself-hosted

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