What is Tenable used for?

Tenable is a vulnerability and exposure management vendor and maker of the Nessus scanner, covering IT, OT, cloud and identity attack surfaces. It is a good fit for scanning networks for known vulnerabilities, and prioritizing fixes across IT and OT environments.

How much does Tenable cost?

Tenable doesn't publish fixed prices; pricing is quoted on request.

Is Tenable open source?

No. Tenable is proprietary (closed-source) software. Open-source alternatives to Tenable include DefectDojo, OpenVAS and Wazuh.

Can I self-host Tenable?

Yes. Although Tenable is closed source, it can be self-hosted on your own servers, and the vendor also offers a hosted version.

What are some alternatives to Tenable?

Tenable competes with Qualys, Rapid7 and Wiz. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Tenable alternatives.

Tenable: features, pricing and alternatives

About Tenable

Tenable is a commercial cybersecurity company widely recognized for the Nessus vulnerability scanner. Its platform focuses on exposure management, helping security teams find, prioritize and reduce weaknesses across on-premises systems, operational technology, cloud environments and identities.

Products listed on the site include vulnerability management, cloud security, OT security, identity security, patching, attack surface management, web app scanning, AI security and connectors for other security tools, alongside an AI assistant called Hexa AI. Use cases span asset inventory, compliance, zero trust and securing data centers and highly sensitive environments, and the vendor tailors content to sectors like finance, energy, healthcare and government.

Tenable is proprietary software sold by subscription, with options to buy or try products and a published pricing page. Some deployments run in the customer's own environment while others are delivered from the vendor's cloud, so teams should confirm which model fits their needs.

Key features

Vulnerability scanning with Nessus
Exposure management across attack surfaces
Cloud and identity security
Operational technology security
Web application scanning
Asset inventory and patch management

Good fit for

→Scanning networks for known vulnerabilities
→Prioritizing fixes across IT and OT environments

Tags: security; vulnerability-management; nessus; exposure-management; ot-security; cloud-security

Tenable: questions and answers

What is Tenable used for?: Tenable is a vulnerability and exposure management vendor and maker of the Nessus scanner, covering IT, OT, cloud and identity attack surfaces. It is a good fit for scanning networks for known vulnerabilities, and prioritizing fixes across IT and OT environments.
How much does Tenable cost?: Tenable doesn't publish fixed prices; pricing is quoted on request.
Is Tenable open source?: No. Tenable is proprietary (closed-source) software. Open-source alternatives to Tenable include DefectDojo, OpenVAS and Wazuh.
Can I self-host Tenable?: Yes. Although Tenable is closed source, it can be self-hosted on your own servers, and the vendor also offers a hosted version.
What are some alternatives to Tenable?: Tenable competes with Qualys, Rapid7 and Wiz. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Tenable alternatives.