Tenable vs Rapid7: Which is the best choice for you? [2025]

Organizations today are awash in vulnerabilities, facing an almost impossible task: how do you prioritize remediation efforts when the list is endless? The traditional approach often leads to burnout, wasted resources and persistent exposure to significant risks.

The sheer volume of vulnerabilities today leaves many organizations struggling to decide where to focus their remediation efforts.

We’ll examine the advantages and disadvantages of Tenable and Invicti in this comparison, as well as a more contemporary, AI-powered substitute that might be the answer you’re searching for: Beagle Security.

Tenable and Rapid7 at a glance

An alternative web & API penetration testing platform for comparison: Beagle Security

Despite their longstanding dominance in the vulnerability management market, Tenable and Rapid7’s architectures are based on conventional security principles.

Agent-based scanning and workflows that are heavily reliant on compliance can cause problems for users. These tools can seem complicated and expensive to many DevSecOps teams.

Beagle Security can be considered as another option that is an AI-driven, web and API penetration testing tool that revolutionizes price, usability and flexibility.

Why Beagle Security might be a better fit

• No learning curve

Beagle Security is designed for immediate usability with no complex setup or training required. Security teams can launch tests within minutes, saving their valuable time.

• Contextual reports

Beagle Security provides human-readable, actionable insights tailored for both developers and decision-makers to quickly address issues.

• No target lock-in

Unlike Tenable and Rapid7, Beagle Security allows unlimited flexibility. Test any number of web apps or APIs without being restricted to predefined targets.

• AI capabilities built-in

Uses AI to simulate real-world attack logic, handle business logic authentication, select test cases intelligently, and reduce false positives automatically.

• Affordable pricing

Beagle Security delivers enterprise-grade security testing starting at under $119 per month which is ideal for both in-house security teams and MSSPs looking for cost-effective tools.

Tenable vs Rapid7 vs Beagle Security: Feature comparison

Tenable Web Application Scanning features

As an integral component of the Tenable.io platform, Tenable WAS provides continuous visibility into the web application attack surface. Its hallmark capabilities include:

Key features of Tenable WAS:

• Automated Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)

• API scanning

• DevSecOps integration

• Vulnerability intelligence

• Advanced reporting

Tenable Web Application Scanning is part of the broader Tenable One Exposure Management Platform. What makes Tenable stand out is its risk-based approach that prioritizes vulnerabilities based on exploitability, asset criticality and threat intelligence.

The platform is powered by the widely trusted Nessus scanning engine, giving it strong accuracy in vulnerability detection, especially for traditional infrastructure components.It lacks sophisticated web-specific features like dynamic AI-based business logic testing and context-aware reporting, but it does provide some basic scanning capabilities.

For contemporary DevSecOps teams utilizing GraphQL, and CI/CD pipelines, this may be restrictive. Therefore, rather than being a stand-alone, contemporary DAST solution, Tenable WAS is best suited for businesses who have already made investments in the Tenable ecosystem and want basic WAS capabilities integrated into a larger vulnerability management strategy.

For mid-sized enterprises or MSSPs looking for highly customizable, developer-friendly penetration testing, Tenable WAS might fall short in terms of agility and granularity.

On the plus side, Tenable does offer 24/7 access to its training portal and a vibrant user forum.

Rapid7 features

Key features of Rapid7:

• InsightAppSec with DAST scanning

• Scheduled scanning and scan blackouts

• Risk scoring and vulnerability tracking

• Visual dashboards and customizable reporting

• CI/CD integrations

• Compliance focused reports

Rapid7’s application security offering is built around InsightAppSec, which emphasizes dynamic testing and combines seamlessly with InsightVM to provide a more comprehensive security perspective.

Rapid7 streamlines user access with a single Insight platform, in contrast to solutions with several overlapping capabilities.

Although it necessitates manual involvement and a greater understanding of security, its connection with Metasploit is what makes it unique and enables teams to assess real-world exploitability.

The CI/CD interfaces may be appreciated by developers, the platform still favors security team procedures. It has respectable support for contemporary app designs, but it is devoid of genuine automation driven by AI.

Although there is compliance help, it is not as automated or detailed as rival like Beagle Security.

Beagle Security features

Key features of Beagle Security include:

• AI-powered penetration testing engine

• Support for private and GraphQL APIs

• Contextual, compliance-ready reports

• CI/CD integration for shift-left security

• Automation with flexibility

• Real-world penetration testing simulations

• Easy onboarding and intuitive UX

• Business logic testing and login flows

Beagle Security is made to work with the complicated, contemporary tech stacks and quick development cycles of today. With the help of AI-driven reasoning, it provides full-spectrum DAST capabilities that allow it to test login-protected areas, comprehend app behavior and rank vulnerabilities according to their business impact.

The context-aware reports, which provide remedial advice relevant to particular technologies, are where it really stands out.

Additionally, it enables logic-heavy apps where standard scanners are inadequate for GraphQL and REST APIs. The platform performs actions that resemble penetration tests, simulating the actions of an attacker to find minute vulnerabilities while eliminating noise through false positive suppression.

Tenable vs Rapid7 vs Beagle Security: Pricing comparison

Rapid7 pricing

Rapid7 publishes pricing for Insight AppSec that starts at $175 per month for a single application. For business firms that receive a large number of applications, the annual cost rises significantly.

This makes it one of the most expensive solutions for teams with multiple assets. Teams that are primarily focused on application and API security may not need it, but companies that are currently using other Rapid7 solutions may find it useful.

Tenable pricing

Within the larger Tenable One platform, Tenable Web Application Scanning is positioned as an enterprise-ready, scalable solution, with a starting price of $7,434 per year for five FQDNs.

FQDN-based pricing is available in fixed bundles, and if you need to scale beyond the bounds of conventional limits, you will need to sign additional contracts.

Although Tenable offers a free trial, it is restricted in its features and requires registration, which makes it less practical for in-depth analysis of the platform.

Beagle Security pricing

Beagle Security’s pricing is based on features and usage, not arbitrary target limits. It offers annual and monthly plans with MSSP-friendly models. Most importantly, you can try it for free before actually choosing.

Even at lower tiers, you get access to core features including AI automation, business logic testing, and CI/CD integration, making it one of the most cost-effective platforms for proactive security testing.

Tenable vs Rapid7 vs Beagle Security: Customer reviews comparison

As of latest G2 comparison in July 2025

Rapid7 reviews

While users appreciate the platform’s strong visualization features and seamless integration with other Rapid7 tools, many point out challenges such as a steep learning curve, inconsistent scan performance and limited context-aware remediation guidance.

Source: PeerSpot

Tenable reviews

On G2, Tenable is still well-reviewed by users, who compliment its thorough vulnerability coverage, user-friendly dashboards, and regular plugin upgrades. The Vulnerability Priority Rating (VPR) system is a popular tool among users because it assists teams in prioritizing remediation activities according to real-world exploitability.

Source: G2

Beagle Security reviews

Beagle Security is frequently praised for its realistic attack simulations, developer-friendly reports and clear user-friendly interface. Users appreciate the platform’s ability to strike a mix between ease and depth, as well as its AI-driven testing that seems customized rather than generic.

Even for teams without extensive security knowledge, onboarding is simple, and starting a test only requires a few clicks.

It is easier for engineering teams to take action without waiting for security analysts since reports are formatted to provide both technical clarity and business relevance.

Source: G2

Tenable vs Rapid7 vs Beagle Security: Which is best for you?

Choose Rapid7 if:

• You value strong integration with SIEM, cloud, and EDR tools like InsightIDR and InsightCloudSec.

• You need proactive threat detection, prioritization, and automation built into your vulnerability management process.

• You’re looking for responsive customer support and a solution that’s easy to deploy and scale across hybrid environments.

Choose Tenable if:

• You focus on infrastructure and network security.

• You need broad exposure management across assets, cloud, and OT.

• You have a dedicated team to manage complex configurations.

Choose Beagle Security if:

• You value AI-driven testing, actionable remediation, and CI/CD-friendly integration.

• You want real-world attack simulations without dealing with complicated setup or tuning.

• You’re done with target lock-ins and overpriced FQDN-based plans.

• You test modern web apps, APIs, GraphQL, and apps with dynamic login flows.

• You need enterprise-grade testing without the complexity or premium pricing.

Try Beagle Security for free to see how it compares to Tenable and Qualys

Rapid7 and Tenable are two powerful yet complex platforms rooted in a legacy era.

Beagle Security stands out as the smarter, faster alternative, built specifically for modern web and API security needs.

It delivers essential features like developer-friendly reports, AI-powered testing and seamless CI/CD integration without the complexity or enterprise bloat.

You can start a 14-day free trial or schedule a demo to get started with the Beagle Security platform.

Written by

Sooraj V Nair

Cyber Security Engineer

Contributor

Nandagopal S

Marketing Associate