Tenable Vulnerability Management vs Qualys VMDR Pricing (2026)
Compare / Tenable Vulnerability Management vs Qualys VMDR
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Team size
25 seats

Tenable Vulnerability Management vs Qualys VMDR

Vulnerability Management pricing comparison · 2026

Tenable Vulnerability Management pricing ranges from $290–$1667/user/month, while Qualys VMDR ranges from $50–$1000/user/month. Qualys VMDR is typically 46% more affordable, though your actual cost depends on tier and team size.

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Discount programs →
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Compare
2 products · Vulnerability Management
Side-by-side · live
Tenable Vulnerability Management
Tenable Vulnerability Management (formerly Tenable.
verified 20d ago
$18K $300K
View pricing →
Qualys VMDR
Qualys VMDR (Vulnerability Management, Detection, and Response) is a cloud-based security
verified 22d ago
$18K $300K
View pricing →
Verdict · list-price math · year 1
Qualys saves $200K vs Tenable · 25 seats
Cheapest $300K
Spread 40%
Estimated license cost
at 25 seats
List price × seats. Click a tier below to lock it.
Enterprise
$500K/yr
year 1 license · $1.7K/seat
VMDR Enterprise
$300K/yr
year 1 license · $1.0K/seat
What buyers actually pay
median, annual
Vendr deal-flow data. The real benchmark, not list price.
Median annual
$18K/yr
Vendr · n=88 avg 11% negotiated
No Vendr data
—
Not in Vendr's deal flow
REF · 01

Sources & confidence

Every dollar amount and contract clause below traces back to a sourced fact. We don't manufacture composite scores.

Where this data comes from
Vendr · TrustRadius · Reddit · BBB · official docs
Sources 7 sourced facts
3 hidden-cost · 3 contract · Vendr median
Last verified 2w ago
Confidence High confidence
Sources 7 sourced facts
5 hidden-cost · 2 contract
Last verified 3w ago
Confidence High confidence
REF · 02

Plans at a glance

Every tier per product. Lock one to drive the cost row above and reveal a tier-specific outbound CTA.

Tier ladder
Click a tier to lock the cost row to it. Locking surfaces a tier-specific Visit CTA.
REF · 03

Hidden costs

Each cost is severity-ranked, with the dollar range quoted from its source (Vendr, Reddit, TrustRadius, BBB, official docs) — never our estimate.

Beyond the sticker
Severity-ranked, sourced
3 documented
  • Reseller markup costs
    10-20% of license costs
    1 source
  • Implementation fees for acquired products
    $10,000
    1 source
  • Per-asset licensing costs can escalate quickly
    $6-$8/asset/month
    1 source
4 documented
  • Patch Management Separate License
    15-25% of license costs
    1 source
  • TotalCloud QLU-Based Licensing Complexity
    10-20% of license costs
    2 sources
  • Third-Party Integration Fees in ETM
    10-15% of license costs
    1 source
  • Per-Scanner Deployment Costs for MSPs
    20-30% of license costs
    1 source
REF · 04

Contract terms

The fine print, surfaced. Green = buyer-friendly. Each clause backed by a quoted source.

Tenable
Qualys
Auto-renewal
—
Yes
Cancellation
—
Not specified - renewal invoice issues can cause service interruption
Commitment
1 year
Typically annual
Price escalation
2-16% annual increases reported, depending on negotiation. Initial renewal quotes often include 7-16% uplifts that can be negotiated down to 2-5%.
100% renewal fee reported (though this is from 2014 and may be outdated)
Can downgrade
—
—
Based on 5 verified sources (Vendr · TrustRadius · BBB)
REF · 05

What users say

Aggregated, with sample sizes. We use whichever review platform has data.

User reviews
TrustRadius · Trustpilot · G2
No public ratings yet
Best for
Small to mid-size organizations seeking continuous vulnerability management with accurate detection and risk-based prioritization
Watch out
Pricing is significantly higher than competitors
No public ratings yet
Best for
Organizations seeking comprehensive vulnerability assessment with cloud-based deployment and basic threat detection
Watch out
Expensive pricing for internal VM scanning
Decide
Get a quote from each vendor
Each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Tenable pricing
Discount programs →
Visit Qualys pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
License cost is computed from publicly listed plans (real math, list price × seats). Median annual cost is from Vendr's deal flow when available — see source badges. Hidden costs and contract terms each cite their own sources. We do not invent composite scores.
Vulnerability Management

Tenable Vulnerability Management

$290–$1667
/user/month
2 plans
Full pricing breakdown →
VS
Vulnerability Management

Qualys VMDR

$50–$1000
/user/month
2 plans
Full pricing breakdown →

Tenable Vulnerability Management and Qualys VMDR both operate in the vulnerability management category. This page compares their list pricing.

Plan-by-Plan Pricing

Plan Tenable Vulnerability Management Qualys VMDR
Vulnerability Management $290 /per year (starting) $50 /per month (estimated)
Enterprise $1.7K /per year (estimated for 500+ assets) $1K /per year (estimated for 500+ assets)

Cost at Scale

Total cost of ownership — licenses, implementation, and hidden costs included.

Tenable Vulnerability Management

2 scenarios
$10,000
Small-Medium Business (50-100 assets)
$20,000 annually
$50,000
Mid-Market Enterprise (500+ assets)
$100,000+ annually

Qualys VMDR

1 scenario
$2,000
Starter Kit (2017 pricing - may be outdated)
for scanner + 250 scans; $1,000 for additional 250 scans

Hidden Costs

Beyond the sticker price — what catches buyers off guard.

Tenable Vulnerability Management 3 hidden costs

medium
Reseller markup costs 10-20% of license costs
high
Implementation fees for acquired products $10,000
medium
Per-asset licensing costs can escalate quickly $6-$8/asset/month
See all Tenable Vulnerability Management hidden costs →

Qualys VMDR 4 hidden costs

medium
Patch Management Separate License 15-25% of license costs
medium
TotalCloud QLU-Based Licensing Complexity 10-20% of license costs
medium
Third-Party Integration Fees in ETM 10-15% of license costs
high
Per-Scanner Deployment Costs for MSPs 20-30% of license costs
See all Qualys VMDR hidden costs →

Contract Terms

Term Tenable Vulnerability Management Qualys VMDR
Auto-renewal — Yes
Cancellation — Not specified - renewal invoice issues can cause service interruption
Minimum commitment 1 year Typically annual
Price escalation 2-16% annual increases reported, depending on negotiation. Initial renewal quotes often include 7-16% uplifts that can be negotiated down to 2-5%. 100% renewal fee reported (though this is from 2014 and may be outdated)

Continue researching

Tenable Vulnerability Management

Qualys VMDR

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