Tenable Nessus vs OpenVAS (Greenbone)

A side-by-side comparison across pricing, deployment, integrations, compliance, and vulnerability management-specific features. Descriptive comparison only — no recommendations.

4 min read Data verified: July 2026 Vulnerability Management

Tenable Nessus

Vulnerability Management

Essentials (free, 16 IPs), Essentials Plus (paid annual, 20 IPs), Professional… ($4,790/yr, unlimited IPs per scanner), Expert ($6,790/yr, unlimited IPs + web app scanning + EASM + IaC). Prices reflect 2026 increase. Multi-year licenses reduce annualized cost ~10-15%.

Freemium / Paid

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OpenVAS (Greenbone)

Vulnerability Management

Greenbone Community Edition (GVM stack with OpenVAS scanner) free under GPL-2.0… with Community Feed; Greenbone Enterprise appliances (with Enterprise Feed) are commercial subscriptions ranging from a few euros per month for OPENVAS BASIC to enterprise-tier pricing for large appliances

Free / OSS

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$ Pricing & plans

5 dimensions

Pricing model

Essentials (free, 16 IPs), Essentials Plus (paid annual, 20 IPs), Professional…

($4,790/yr, unlimited IPs per scanner), Expert ($6,790/yr, unlimited IPs + web app scanning + EASM + IaC). Prices reflect 2026 increase. Multi-year licenses reduce annualized cost ~10-15%.

Greenbone Community Edition (GVM stack with OpenVAS scanner) free under GPL-2.0…

with Community Feed; Greenbone Enterprise appliances (with Enterprise Feed) are commercial subscriptions ranging from a few euros per month for OPENVAS BASIC to enterprise-tier pricing for large appliances

Pricing tier

Freemium / Paid

Free / OSS

Free tier / trial

Free tier

Nessus Essentials free up to 16 IPs (or 5 IPs on 30-day trial of newer Essentials); 7-day trial of paid tiers

Free tier

Community Edition permanently free; 14-day trial of OPENVAS BASIC; Greenbone Enterprise TRIAL VM available

Volume discounts

Multi-scanner deployments and multi-year terms reduce per-scanner cost

education program offers significant discounts for verified students/educators

Not applicable for free Community Edition

Greenbone Enterprise pricing negotiated based on appliance size and feed subscription

Hidden costs

Tenable annually increases prices each March

centralized cloud console requires the separate Tenable Vulnerability Management subscription; advanced features (EASM, IaC, web app scanning) gated to Expert tier

Operational infrastructure (Linux server, PostgreSQL, Redis, sufficient storage…

for scan history), specialized labor for tuning and false-positive triage, training time; Greenbone Enterprise Feed subscription if requiring expanded VT coverage

↗ Deployment & integrations

3 dimensions

Deployment

Self-hosted scanner

one license = one scanner; agents available for distributed scanning; Tenable Vulnerability Management (separate product) provides cloud-hosted centralized management

Self-hosted Greenbone Community Edition (Linux packages, Docker compose)

Greenbone Enterprise appliances as hardware or virtual (VMware, Hyper-V, KVM, AWS/Azure cloud)

Typical deployment time

Hours for Nessus Essentials/Professional install

days to weeks for production scanning programs with credentialed scanning, tuning, and reporting

Hours for Docker-based Community Edition PoC

days for production with credentialed scanning, scheduling, and reporting tuning; initial feed sync 30-60 minutes

Key integrations

Tenable Vulnerability Management, ServiceNow, Splunk, IBM QRadar, Microsoft…

Sentinel, Jira, Slack, AWS, Azure, GCP; Nessus API for custom integrations

GMP (Greenbone Management Protocol) and OSP (Open Scanner Protocol) APIs

integration via gvm-tools and Python libraries; SIEM forwarding via syslog/CEF; CI/CD via APIs

🔍 Vulnerability Management-specific evaluation

7 dimensions

Scanner type

Network and host-based vulnerability scanner with dynamically compiled plugin engine

Expert tier adds web app scanning, external attack surface discovery, and IaC scanning

Network and host-based vulnerability scanner

uses NASL (Nessus Attack Scripting Language) for vulnerability tests plus Notus Scanner for efficient package-based detection

Vulnerability prioritization

CVSS v4, EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System), Tenable Vulnerability…

Priority Rating (VPR); 450+ pre-configured scan templates; Live Results feature for offline assessment with every plugin update

CVSS-based severity scoring

CVE database integration; daily-updated Vulnerability Tests (VTs) covering 100,000+ in Enterprise Feed; Community Feed slightly smaller but extensive

Asset coverage

Servers, workstations, network devices, databases, cloud infrastructure, web…

applications (Expert); IP-based licensing with unlimited IPs per scanner license on paid tiers

Servers, workstations, network devices, web applications, databases

supports IPv4/IPv6, authenticated and unauthenticated scanning

Authenticated scanning

SSH, SMB, WMI, SNMP, database credentials, cloud API keys

agent-based scanning available for endpoints that can't be reached via network scan

SSH, SMB, ESXi, SNMP, database credentials, Kerberos

credential-based local security checks (LSCs) for accurate detection of installed software vulnerabilities

Remediation workflows

Findings exported to PDF/HTML/CSV

ServiceNow, Jira ticketing via API or Tenable cloud integrations; remediation tracking via Tenable Vulnerability Management

Multi-format reports (PDF, XML, CSV, HTML)

manual integration with ticketing systems via API or report export; delta reporting for tracking remediation progress

Compliance frameworks

PCI DSS, HIPAA, NIST 800-53, NIST CSF, CIS Benchmarks, ISO 27001, FISMA,…

FedRAMP, SOX, GLBA, GDPR; pre-built audit policies

PCI DSS, HIPAA, ISO 27001, NIST CSF, BSI IT-Grundschutz (German), GDPR-aligned operation

compliance-focused scan configurations included

Pricing model

Per-scanner annual license with unlimited IPs (Professional/Expert)

fixed per-scanner cost regardless of organization size

Free Community Edition (no licensing cost) or Greenbone Enterprise…

per-appliance subscription with Enterprise Feed

✓ Compliance & certifications

1 dimension

Compliance certifications

Software supports compliance reporting for PCI DSS, HIPAA, NIST 800-53, CIS…

Benchmarks, ISO 27001, FISMA, FedRAMP, SOX, GLBA, GDPR; Tenable cloud products carry SOC 2, ISO 27001, FedRAMP Moderate

Software runs in user's environment (no cloud data transfer) supporting GDPR compliance

supports PCI DSS, HIPAA, ISO 27001, NIST compliance scanning; Greenbone is German-based, aligned with EU data protection requirements

◧ Positioning

3 dimensions

Target deployment

Security professionals, consultants, SMBs, mid-market wanting industry-standard…

vulnerability scanning

Budget-conscious teams, technical security practitioners, compliance scanning…

on a budget, GDPR-sensitive deployments, MSSPs

Strengths cited

Widely deployed vulnerability scanner with 2 million+ downloads, broad plugin…

library, mature scanning engine, multiple scoring systems (CVSS v4, EPSS, Tenable VPR), well-recognized for compliance reporting

Free open source under GPL-2.0, 100,000+ vulnerability tests in Enterprise Feed…

(Community Feed also extensive), GDPR-compliant in-environment operation, daily updated feed, 15+ years of development by Greenbone, broadly used by penetration testers

Where it fits less well

Per-scanner licensing model

centralized cloud management requires the separately-licensed Tenable Vulnerability Management product; modern interactive dashboards are stronger in Tenable's cloud tier than in Nessus Professional

Self-hosted production deployment requires Linux/security engineering capacity

modern dashboards and reporting are more polished in commercial Greenbone Enterprise appliances than in the free Community Edition; initial feed sync can take 30-60 minutes

◧ Bottom line

Last updated 6 July 2026

Who should pick which Tenable Nessus — Security professionals, consultants performing client assessments, SMBs needing industry-standard scanning at predictable cost, mid-market organizations adopting vulnerability management as part of compliance program.

OpenVAS (Greenbone) — Budget-conscious teams with Linux/security engineering capacity, penetration testers needing flexible scanner, GDPR-sensitive organizations wanting full data sovereignty, MSSPs delivering managed services, compliance scanning programs at lower cost.

Both are Vulnerability Management tools; the practical differences are licensing (Freemium / Paid vs Free / OSS) and deployment (Self-hosted (single scanner per license); Tenable Vulnerability Management cloud is a separate per-asset product vs Self-hosted (Greenbone Community Edition: GVM stack on Linux or Docker); commercial Greenbone Enterprise appliances available as hardware or VM). Match the profile above to your environment.

◧ Choose Tenable Nessus or OpenVAS (Greenbone)?

decision guide

Choose if

Choose Tenable Nessus if…

You can deploy Self-hosted (single scanner per license); Tenable Vulnerability Management cloud is a separate per-asset product.

Freemium / Paid licensing fits your budget — Free Essentials (16 IPs), Professional $4,790/yr, Expert $6,790/yr (per scanner, 2026 list pricing).

You prioritise Widely deployed vulnerability scanner with 2 million+ downloads, broad plugin library, mature scanning engine, multiple scoring systems (CVSS v4, EPSS, Tenable VPR), well-recognized for compliance reporting.

Choose OpenVAS (Greenbone) if…

You can deploy Self-hosted (Greenbone Community Edition: GVM stack on Linux or Docker); commercial Greenbone Enterprise appliances available as hardware or VM.

Free / OSS licensing fits your budget — Free Greenbone Community Edition; Greenbone Enterprise appliances and Enterprise Feed are paid subscriptions.

You prioritise Free open source under GPL-2.0, 100,000+ vulnerability tests in Enterprise Feed (Community Feed also extensive), GDPR-compliant in-environment operation, daily updated feed, 15+ years of development by Greenbone, broadly used by penetration testers.

Frequently asked questions

5 questions

How much do Tenable Nessus and OpenVAS (Greenbone) cost?

Tenable Nessus: Essentials (free, 16 IPs), Essentials Plus (paid annual, 20 IPs), Professional ($4,790/yr, unlimited IPs per scanner), Expert ($6,790/yr, unlimited IPs + web app scanning + EASM + IaC). Prices reflect 2026 increase. Multi-year licenses reduce annualized cost ~10-15%. OpenVAS (Greenbone): Greenbone Community Edition (GVM stack with OpenVAS scanner) free under GPL-2.0 with Community Feed; Greenbone Enterprise appliances (with Enterprise Feed) are commercial subscriptions ranging from a few euros per month for OPENVAS BASIC to enterprise-tier pricing for large appliances

Does Tenable Nessus or OpenVAS (Greenbone) offer a free tier or trial?

Tenable Nessus: Nessus Essentials free up to 16 IPs (or 5 IPs on 30-day trial of newer Essentials); 7-day trial of paid tiers OpenVAS (Greenbone): Community Edition permanently free; 14-day trial of OPENVAS BASIC; Greenbone Enterprise TRIAL VM available

How are Tenable Nessus and OpenVAS (Greenbone) deployed?

Tenable Nessus: Self-hosted scanner; one license = one scanner; agents available for distributed scanning; Tenable Vulnerability Management (separate product) provides cloud-hosted centralized management OpenVAS (Greenbone): Self-hosted Greenbone Community Edition (Linux packages, Docker compose); Greenbone Enterprise appliances as hardware or virtual (VMware, Hyper-V, KVM, AWS/Azure cloud)

Who is Tenable Nessus best for, and who is OpenVAS (Greenbone) best for?

Tenable Nessus is aimed at Security professionals, consultants, SMBs, mid-market wanting industry-standard vulnerability scanning. OpenVAS (Greenbone) is aimed at Budget-conscious teams, technical security practitioners, compliance scanning on a budget, GDPR-sensitive deployments, MSSPs.

What compliance certifications do Tenable Nessus and OpenVAS (Greenbone) hold?

Tenable Nessus: Software supports compliance reporting for PCI DSS, HIPAA, NIST 800-53, CIS Benchmarks, ISO 27001, FISMA, FedRAMP, SOX, GLBA, GDPR; Tenable cloud products carry SOC 2, ISO 27001, FedRAMP Moderate OpenVAS (Greenbone): Software runs in user's environment (no cloud data transfer) supporting GDPR compliance; supports PCI DSS, HIPAA, ISO 27001, NIST compliance scanning; Greenbone is German-based, aligned with EU data protection requirements

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Methodology Comparison data synthesized from publicly available vendor documentation, MITRE Engenuity ATT&CK Evaluations, AV-TEST results, Gartner Peer Insights, G2/Capterra/TrustRadius reviews, anonymized transaction data (Vendr, CostBench, CheckThat.ai), and publicly reported pricing as of May 2026. defend.network is independent and has no commercial relationship with the vendors compared.