Network vulnerability scanners come in many shapes and sizes. Open-source tools, such as Nmap and Wireshark, are used by security professionals to audit networks – but without a pro at the wheel, they won’t identify vulnerabilities on their own. Paid services, such as Intruder and Nessus, scan networks as part of a broader vulnerability management package.
In this article, we’ll profile the top 10 network vulnerability scanners, from free DIY tools to enterprise SaaS products.
| Tool | What it does | Who it’s for |
| Intruder | Vulnerability scanner | SMB |
| Tenable Nessus | Vulnerability assessment | Mid-market |
| OpenVAS | Vulnerability management | DIY users |
| Nmap | Network mapping | IT pros |
| Wireshark | Network monitoring | IT pros |
| Metasploit | Exploit framework | IT pros |
| Insight VM | Vulnerability management | Enterprise |
| Qualys VMDR | Vulnerability management | Enterprise |
| CrowdStrike Falcon | Endpoint protection | Enterprise |
| Astra | Pen testing suite | SMB |
Intruder
Intruder is a cloud-based vulnerability scanner. It checks for over 140,000 known network vulnerabilities, including misconfigurations, out-of-date software, encryption issues, and more. Intruder places a special focus on reducing your internet-facing attack surface, prioritizing external-facing devices.
Alongside automated scanning, Intruder also has a team of certified professionals who can conduct manual penetration testing or help manage vulnerability scanning. They can assist with extending your coverage, reducing time-to-fix, and triaging identified vulnerabilities.
Key Features:
- Automated vulnerability scanning
- Continuous network monitoring
- Manual-assisted penetration testing
Pros:
- User-friendly dashboards make it easy to track security issues
- Competitive pricing
- Helpful, responsive customer support
- Can help meet compliance standards such as SOC 2 and ISO 27001
Cons:
- Not as robust as other full-service security options
Pricing:
- Starts at $200/month
- Pricing dependent on the size of systems being scanned
Tenable Nessus
Nessus is an industry-leading vulnerability management tool, aimed at medium-to-enterprise business. Tenable prides itself its low false positive rate, boasting six sigma accuracy. Nessus scans for over 77,000 CVEs, and offers over 189,000 plugins, with 100+ new plugins released every week to address new threats as they arise.
Key Features:
- Scans across network devices, cloud infrastructure, and more
- Endpoint agents can monitor offline or mobile devices
- Customizable, automated reporting
Pros:
- Industry-leading accuracy
- Flexible scanning toolset
- User-friendly interface
- Competitive pricing
- Strong remediation guidance
- Unlimited assessments, with real-time results
- Plugins updated frequently
Cons:
- Advanced support costs extra
Pricing:
- Essentials: Free
- Professional: $300/month
- Expert: $440/month
OpenVAS
OpenVAS is a free vulnerability scanner, and part of the broader Greenbone Vulnerability Management framework. OpenVAS scans ports, documents network services, and tests them for misconfigurations and other vulnerabilities. It checks for vulnerabilities based on a community-sourced feed of security issues, which is updated on a daily basis.
OpenVAS originated as an off-shoot of Nessus, after Tenable changed Nessus from an open-source vulnerability scanner to a paid commercial product. It is part of Greenbone Community Edition, a suite of free vulnerability management tools.
Compared to its paid competitors, OpenVAS is more difficult to set up and use, and offers a less intuitive user interface.
Key Features:
- Vulnerability scanning and testing
- More features available as part of free Greenbone Community Addition
Pros:
- Free and open source
- Fully-featured vulnerability scanner
- Extensive list of vulnerabilities, updated on a daily basis
- Additional free & paid vulnerability management options via Greenbone
Cons:
- Linux only
- Difficult user interface for inexperienced users
- More time-intensive to set up and use than paid competitors
Pricing:
- Free and open source
- Paid options for increased vulnerability coverage
Nmap
Nmap is short for ‘network mapper’, and that’s exactly what it does. It quickly scans networks, sending packets to retrieve information on operating systems, IP addresses, firewalls, packet filters, and more. This data supports OS fingerprinting, security auditing, and host and service discovery. Additionally, it allows network security professionals to inventory network-connected OSs, devices, and applications to find potential vulnerabilities.
Nmap is a crucial tool in conducting security audits. On its own, however, it does not spotlight vulnerabilities. A security professional can make great use of it when auditing a network – but a non-expert won’t get much mileage out of Nmap without outside help.
Key Features:
- Scans 1,000 widely-used ports for each type of network protocol
- Assists with network mapping and port scanning during manual penetration tests
- Retrieves IP addresses, OSs, software versions, and other critical asset details
Pros:
- Broadly considered a go-to network penetration testing tool
- Can map large networks featuring thousands of ports
- Free-to-use and open source
- Compatible with Linux, Windows, and macOS
Cons:
- Requires technical expertise to use effectively
- Does not spotlight vulnerabilities on its own
Pricing:
- Free & open source
Wireshark
Wireshark is a network protocol analyzer; it analyzes packets and network protocols to assess network environments and activity. Wireshark offers a granular understanding of how traffic passes across a network, enabling users to identify connection issues or find weaknesses that could be exploited by an attacker.
When assessing real-time data, Wireshark offers filtering capabilities that focus on specific types of information. It also includes visualization tools that make it easy to review network streams.
Like Nmap, Wireshark does not diagnose issues on its own. Instead, it’s an industry-standard tools used by security professionals to understand and secure networks.
Key Features:
- Analyzes network activity in real time
- Packet filtering, sorting, and grouping
- Exports in several formats, including XML, CSV, PostScript, and plain text
- Reads data over Ethernet, 802.11, USB, and more
Pros:
- In-depth network traffic analysis
- Packet identification with color-coding for simple viewing
- Free-to-use and open source
Cons:
- Requires technical expertise to use effectively
- Does not spotlight vulnerabilities on its own
- Requires libraries to run
Pricing:
- Free and open source
Metasploit
Metasploit is an open-source framework for detecting and exploiting vulnerabilities, featuring more than 1,600 known exploits and nearly 500 payloads. This tool detects and documents vulnerabilities, so that security professionals can then address them.
Metasploit is typically used by penetration testers in the course of their work. It’s an invaluable tool for assessing vulnerabilities in a network, but it won’t get you very far if you don’t have the security expertise to wield it.
Key Features:
- Extensive database of known exploits
- Comprehensive reporting options
- Multiple payload types, including command shell, dynamic, meterpreter, and static
- Works for network, server, and web application testing
Pros:
- Go-to tool for penetration testing
- Integrates with a variety of other pen testing tools, including Nmap
- Automation capabilities
- Community support from developers
- Free-to-use and open source
Cons:
- Requires technical expertise to use effectively
- High learning curve
- Usable programming languages for creating payloads are limited
Pricing:
- Free & open source
Rapid7 InsightVM
InsightVM is a vulnerability management tool that offers on-demand and continuous network scanning. Its real-time dashboard identifies and prioritizes issues, offering step-by-step directions on how to remediate each vulnerability. Users describe this dashboard as clear and to-the-point, making it easy to present to executives and other stakeholders.
Alongside automated scanning, Rapid7 also offers strong hands-on support options, ranging from deployment support to full-on managed vulnerability management.
Key Features:
- Continuous network scanning & attack surface monitoring
- Real-time vulnerability dashboard
- Live tracking of remediation progress
- Threat feeds offer up-to-date research on the current threat landscape
Pros:
- Robust vulnerability scanning
- Intuitive user interface
- Clear reporting dashboard is easy to present to stakeholders
Cons:
- High pricing
- Report customization can be overwhelming
Pricing:
- Varies by number of assets.
- 500 assets cost $965/month.
Qualys VMDR
Qualys VMDR is a comprehensive vulnerability management solution – the name stands for Vulnerability Management, Detection, and Response. This tool can scan across your IT landscape, uncover vulnerabilities, and prioritize issues based on risk. VMDR can even deploy patches and security fixes automatically, quickly solving issues as it identifies them.
Qualys combines network-based scanning with agent-based scanning. You can install lightweight agents on remote and roaming devices, offering visibility with minimal CPU overhead.
Features:
- Continuous vulnerability scanning across hybrid IT, OT, and IoT landscapes
- Real-time asset inventory, including devices, certificates, and more
- Database covers over 180,000 vulnerabilities
- Automated remediation
Pros:
- Comprehensive vulnerability management toolset
- Easy to deploy
- Highly customizable
- Clear reporting dashboard is easy to present to stakeholders
- Lightweight Cloud Agent provides visibility with minimal overhead
Cons:
- Complex toolset
- Unresponsive support
- High cost, and new features often cost extra
Pricing:
Qualys does not publicly disclose pricing for VMDR, but users describe it as expensive. Costs appear to start around $500 per month, and can run higher depending on the level of services provided and the size of the system being monitored.
CrowdStrike Falcon Spotlight
CrowdStrike Falcon is an endpoint security platform aimed at enterprise clients. Falcon Spotlight is its vulnerability management tool, emphasizing fast scanning with minimal overhead. It uses a single lightweight agent to assess endpoints, built on cloud architecture that does not impact the performance of the systems being monitored.
CrowdStrike Falcon includes a bevy of additional modules to choose from, covering threat intelligence, antivirus capabilities, asset management, and more. The platform is known for being easy to deploy and use, though it will likely require an IT professional to set up and maintain.
Falcon includes a dashboard that clearly details vulnerabilities, including a process tree that makes explicit what a potential chain of attacks could look like.
Key Features:
- Scanless vulnerability assessment
- Lightweight agent monitors systems
- AI-powered risk prioritization
Pros:
- Minimal hardware overhead
- Real-time visibility
- Falcon platform’s security modules make for high flexibility
- Easy to deploy and use
Cons:
- Does not aid in remediation
- Poor customer support
- High pricing relative to competitors
Pricing:
CrowdStrike does not publicly disclose Falcon Spotlight’s pricing, but it would appear to start at $8.99/month per endpoint. This pricing would appear high relative to competitors.
Astra
Astra is a pen testing suite aimed at small and medium businesses. It includes a robust set of vulnerability scanning services that can scan networks, web apps, cloud infrastructure, and more. Astra provides continuous coverage and offers highly actionable reports pointed at remediating any issues the scan identifies.
At its core, Astra offers vulnerability scanning alongside pen testing services, conducted with the help of security experts. Collaboration tools enable your team to work together to solve issues, with insights and assistance from Astra’s expert team.
Key Features:
- Continuous vulnerability scanning
- Collaboration tools enable users to consult with expert pen testers
- Actionable reports offer step-by-step guidance on how to fix issues
Pros:
- Competitive pricing
- Easy to install & use
- Responsive & helpful customer support
- Can help meet compliance standards such as SOC 2 and ISO 27001
Cons:
- More focused on web security than network security
Pricing:
- Starts at $199/month
For more information, see our complete guide to the top penetration testing tools.