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Updated today · Independent Analysis
Aqua Security vs Tenable
Capability Overview
Aqua Securityvs Tenable
4.2G2-0.3 vs Tenable
Only in Aqua Security
- ✦ Container Image Scanning
- ✦ Runtime Protection
- ✦ Kubernetes Security
500+ users · est. 2015
Tenablevs Aqua Security
4.5G2+0.3 vs Aqua Security
Only in Tenable
- ✦ Vulnerability Management
- ✦ Exposure Management (Tenable One)
- ✦ Cloud Security Posture
✓ Free plan43k+ users · est. 2002
Quick VerdictIndependent Analysis
Aqua Security and Tenable are both Cloud Security (CNAPP/CSPM) tools. Compare features, pricing, and ratings below to find the best fit for your team.
When to Choose Aqua Security vs Tenable
The question that matters: “In what situation will I regret choosing A over B after 3 months?”
Scenario: Dynamic Threat Analysis Sandbox for
Aqua Security
Dynamic Threat Analysis Sandbox for Zero-Day Detection
Aqua DTA sandboxes container images and executes them in an isolated environment, detecting malicious behaviors like data exfiltration or persistence mechanisms not visible in static scans.
Tenable
Active Directory Attack Path Analysis
Tenable Identity Exposure maps Active Directory misconfigurations to known attack paths like AS-REP Roasting, showing how attackers could escalate from a standard user to Domain Admin.
Aqua Security Unique Strength
Image Assurance Policy That Blocks Non-Compliant Deploys
Aqua's Image Assurance policy gates Kubernetes deployments via admission controller, blocking any image with critical CVEs or detected secrets before the pod starts.
→ Choose Aqua Security if this scenario applies to you. Tenable doesn't offer a comparable solution.
Aqua Security Unique Strength
Secrets Scanning Across 50+ File Types in CI
Aqua's secrets detection scans source code, config files, and env variables in CI pipelines, catching hardcoded API keys before they reach a container registry.
→ Choose Aqua Security if this scenario applies to you. Tenable doesn't offer a comparable solution.
Tenable Unique Strength
Risk-Based Vulnerability Prioritization by Asset Criticality
Tenable.io correlates vulnerability severity with asset criticality scores, surfacing the top 3% of vulnerabilities that pose real risk versus thousands of theoretical findings.
→ Choose Tenable if this scenario applies to you. Aqua Security doesn't offer a comparable solution.
Tenable Unique Strength
Continuous Assessment of External Attack Surface
Tenable Attack Surface Management discovers internet-facing assets not in the asset inventory, attributing orphaned domains and IP ranges back to the owning organization.
→ Choose Tenable if this scenario applies to you. Aqua Security doesn't offer a comparable solution.
Pricing Comparison & PlansHigh· Verified Jul 2, 2026
Aqua Security Plans
Paid plans only
Developer Plan
FreeBest for: This free plan is ideal for individual developers or small teams exploring basic cloud-native security features
- ✓Risk and vulnerability scanning
- ✓Software composition analysis
- ✓Vulnerability scanning
- ✓Container security tools
View on vendor site
MOST POPULARDev Security
Contact SalesBest for: Tailored for development teams, this plan offers advanced security features integrated into the CI/CD pipeline
- ✓Pricing based on number of code repositories
- ✓Risk and vulnerability scanning
- ✓Software composition analysis
- ✓Vulnerability scanning
- ✓Behavioral Analytics
View on vendor site
Cloud Security
Contact SalesBest for: Designed for securing cloud environments, this plan provides comprehensive protection across various cloud platforms
- ✓Pricing based on number of workloads
- ✓Cloud workload protection
- ✓Cloud security posture management
- ✓Kubernetes security posture management
- ✓Intrusion Detection System
View on vendor site
Platform
Contact SalesBest for: The comprehensive Platform plan offers end-to-end cloud-native security for large enterprises with complex needs
- ✓Risk and vulnerability scanning
- ✓Advanced malware protection
- ✓Cloud workload protection
- ✓Cloud security posture management
- ✓Kubernetes security posture management
View on vendor site
Tenable Plans
Free tier available
Nessus Essentials
FreeBest for: This free plan is ideal for individuals or small teams needing basic vulnerability scanning capabilities
- ✓Basic vulnerability scanning
- ✓Suitable for basic evaluation
- ✓Limited plugin access
View on vendor site
MOST POPULARTenable Web App Scanning
Contact SalesBest for: Focusing on web application security, this plan provides dynamic and static analysis for web apps
- ✓Web application security
- ✓Cloud-based scanning
- ✓Vulnerability management for web applications
- ✓Asset tracking for web applications
View on vendor site
Tenable One Foundation
Contact SalesBest for: Tenable One Foundation unifies vulnerability management across IT, OT, and cloud environments
- ✓Unified asset visibility
- ✓Vulnerability management
- ✓Unified risk scoring
- ✓AI discovery
- ✓Cloud workload protection
View on vendor site
Tenable One Advanced
Contact SalesBest for: The Advanced tier of Tenable One offers enhanced exposure management with advanced analytics and attack path analysis
- ✓Integrated intelligence
- ✓Ticketing
- ✓Third-party data connectors
- ✓AI workload and agent protection
- ✓Cloud security posture management
View on vendor site
Tenable Security Center
Contact SalesBest for: Tenable Security Center provides on-premises vulnerability management and compliance auditing
- ✓Identify and prioritize vulnerabilities
- ✓Risk-based prioritization
- ✓Centralized security management
- ✓SaaS and on-premise deployment options
- ✓Integrations and APIs for SIEM, ITSM, DevSecOps
View on vendor site
Nessus Professional
$283/license/mobilled annually$3390/yr
Best for: Designed for professional vulnerability assessment, this plan offers advanced scanning and reporting
- ✓Real-time vulnerability updates
- ✓Unlimited vulnerability scanning
- ✓Pre-built policies for configuration audits
- ✓Compliance audits
- ✓Vulnerability scoring for prioritization
View on vendor site
Capability Breakdown
10 differences found across 20 standardized features
Feature
Aqua Security
Tenable
CWPP
✓
✗
Container Security
✓
✗
IaC Scanning
✓
✗
Attack Surface Management
✗
✓
Secrets Detection
✓
✗
Malware Detection
✓
✗
API Security
✓
✗
Kubernetes Security
✓
✗
Serverless Security
✓
✗
Network Security
✗
✓
Total (raw)
16
16
Aqua Security Features
- •Container Image Scanning
- •Runtime Protection
- •Kubernetes Security
- •Serverless Security
- •VM Security
- •Software Supply Chain Security (Argon)
- •IaC Scanning
- •CSPM
- •CWPP
- •CI/CD Pipeline Security
- •Secrets Detection
- •Compliance Frameworks
- •Drift Prevention
- •Network Policies
- •Open Source Trivy
- •Multi-Cloud Support
Tenable Features
- •Vulnerability Management
- •Exposure Management (Tenable One)
- •Cloud Security Posture
- •OT/ICS Security (Tenable OT)
- •Attack Surface Management
- •Web Application Scanning
- •Container Security
- •Identity Exposure
- •Active Directory Security
- •Compliance Frameworks
- •Risk-Based Prioritization
- •Integration with Ticketing
- •Nessus Scanner (Industry Standard)
- •Asset Inventory
- •Threat Intelligence
- •API
Strengths & Limitations
Evaluative strengths and weaknesses: not feature lists
Pros
- +Open source Trivy widely adopted in CI/CD pipelines
- +Best software supply chain security in cloud-native space
- +Comprehensive serverless and VM coverage
- +Strong developer integration and shift-left approach
Cons
- −CSPM posture management less comprehensive than Wiz/Orca
- −Smaller sales force than larger CNAPP vendors
Pros
- +43k+ customers: industry standard for vulnerability management
- +Nessus scanner is the most widely trusted vuln scanner
- +Tenable One covers cloud, OT, identity and web in one platform
- +Strong risk-based prioritization engine
Cons
- −Tenable could improve by integrating Gemini or ChatGPT for deeper analysis in risk assessment, making it easier to analyze risks w
- −The integration part is not good because five years ago, Tenable Nessus had more integration capability.
- −I would not personally speak to what other features I would like to see in future updates of Tenable Nessus; this is perhaps more
- −The most that Tenable Nessus could improve is its speed because they might have put a lot of effort into compatibility issues that
- −The user interface of Tenable Nessus feels outdated and could be more user-friendly.
At a Glance
User Rating
4.2/5vs4.5/5
Aqua Security
Tenable
▲
Starting Price
ContactvsFree tier
Aqua Security
Tenable
Feature Count
16 featuresvs16 features
Aqua Security
Tenable
User Base
500vs43
Aqua Security
▲
Tenable
Aqua Security · Price & Data SyncLast verified: June 28, 2026 · CE-SEC-2026W21-917D04 · ✓ Pricing updated May 28, 2026
Tenable · Price & Data SyncLast verified: July 2, 2026 · CE-SEC-2026W23-4C8623 · ✓ Pricing updated May 30, 2026
Recent Price History
Tenable
Tenable updated "Nessus Professional" from $332.5/mo to Custom
Price change · May 30, 2026
Tenable
Tenable added a new "Tenable One Foundation" plan (Custom pricing)
Plan added · May 30, 2026
Tenable
Tenable added a new "Nessus Expert" plan (Custom pricing)
Plan added · May 30, 2026
Tenable
Tenable removed the "Tenable One" plan
Plan removed · May 30, 2026
Tenable
Tenable added a new "Tenable Web App Scanning" plan (Custom pricing)
Plan added · May 30, 2026
Aqua Security
Aqua Security added a new "Developer Plan" plan at $0/mo (Free)
Plan added · May 28, 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Comparisons
Aqua Security
TenableFree planSources & Data Trail · Aqua Security
- 1.Official Pricing Page·Source of verified tiers(Checked: 2026-06-28)
- 2.Official Website·Official vendor website
- 3.G2·G2 verified reviews · 4.2/5 · 57 reviews
- 4.Capterra·Capterra verified reviews
- 5.TrustRadius·TrustRadius verified reviews
Sources & Data Trail · Tenable
- 1.Official Pricing Page·Source of verified tiers(Checked: 2026-07-02)
- 2.Official Website·Official vendor website
- 3.G2·G2 verified reviews · 4.5/5 · 122 reviews
- 4.Capterra·Capterra verified reviews · 4.4/5
- 5.TrustRadius·TrustRadius verified reviews
- 6.PeerSpot·PeerSpot enterprise peer reviews