--- title: Tenable Nessus Reviews meta_title: 'Tenable Nessus Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2' meta_description: Filter 321 reviews by the users' company size, role or industry to find out how Tenable Nessus works for a business like yours. aggregate_rating: rating_value: 4.5 review_count: 321 scale: '5' date_modified: '2026-11-05' parent_category: name: "DevSecOps\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t" url: https://www.g2.com/categories/devsecops ---

Tenable Nessus Pros and Cons: Top 5 Advantages and Disadvantages

Quick AI Summary Based on G2 Reviews

Generated from real user reviews

Users appreciate the comprehensive and accurate vulnerability detection of Tenable Nessus, enabling efficient management of network security. (21 mentions)
Users value the high accuracy in vulnerability detection provided by Tenable Nessus, enabling effective risk management. (19 mentions)
Users praise the high accuracy of automated scanning in Tenable Nessus, enhancing vulnerability management efficiently. (18 mentions)
Users find the intuitive interface of Tenable Nessus easy to navigate, enhancing their overall user experience. (17 mentions)
Users appreciate the high accuracy and extensive plugin support of Tenable Nessus for effective vulnerability scanning. (15 mentions)
Users find the slow scanning times can disrupt production, often lasting days depending on the environment. (8 mentions)
Users find the cost of Tenable Nessus to be excessively high, impacting both maintenance and accessibility. (6 mentions)
Users note limited features in Tenable Nessus, impacting user experience and requiring additional tools for full functionality. (6 mentions)
Users express concerns about the complexity of Tenable Nessus, noting a steep learning curve and high operational costs. (5 mentions)
Users experience false positives, occasionally identifying incorrect vulnerabilities, including issues with some Windows patch updates. (5 mentions)

5 Pros or Advantages of Tenable Nessus

5 Cons or Disadvantages of Tenable Nessus

Tenable Nessus Reviews FAQs

Generated using AI

Last updated: Nov 04, 2026

What is Tenable Nessus, and what problem is it built to solve?

Tenable Nessus is used to scan systems and networks for vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and missing patches. Its findings help security teams understand exposure and decide which issues to address first.

What languages does Tenable Nessus support?

Tenable Nessus supports 1 language: English.

What company sizes and industries is Tenable Nessus the best fit for?

Positive user presence spans small businesses, mid-market organizations, and enterprises, with particularly strong representation in IT and security-related fields. The segments that stand out include:
  • Company sizes: Small businesses, mid-market organizations, and enterprises.
  • Industries: Information technology and services, and computer and network security.
  • Financial sectors: Financial services and banking.
  • Public and education sectors: Government administration and higher education.

How long does it take to implement Tenable Nessus across a team?

Implementation is often completed within a month, with same-day and under-one-month go-live reports especially common. Longer rollouts also occur, particularly when setup involves more extensive scanning or configuration.

What customer support options does Tenable Nessus provide, and how do users find the overall support experience?

Tenable Nessus support is available through self-service resources and direct channels, including chat, email/help desk, and phone support. The experience is mixed: users describe helpful, knowledgeable assistance and quick ticket responses, while others encounter slow replies, delays scheduling calls, or difficulty resolving technical issues.

What is the experience like for teams switching to Tenable Nessus from another tool?

Teams switch to Tenable Nessus from tools such as OpenVAS, Qualys, and Rapid7 products when they want a simpler workflow, broader or more current vulnerability coverage, or findings they consider more accurate. Some also move for better value or to replace tools that were harder to administer, slower to scan, or less consistent in their results.

What features or capabilities could make Tenable Nessus even more useful?

More flexible reporting and management views would make Tenable Nessus easier to use across different audiences and workflows. Users also want improvements that reduce manual follow-up and make scan operations and results easier to manage, including:
  • Reporting: More customizable reports, clearer summaries and visualizations, and exports that are easier to share with management or assign to teams.
  • Finding accuracy: Fewer false positives and better handling of cases such as backported patches, so teams spend less time validating results manually.
  • Workflow and administration: Stronger remediation tracking, scan-history retention controls, and more flexible user roles, tagging, and automation.

Is Tenable Nessus considered safe and secure for handling data?

Tenable Nessus helps security teams identify vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and patch gaps so they can assess exposure and prioritize remediation. Scan results can still require manual validation, since noisy findings and false positives sometimes add review work.

Tenable Nessus Reviews (321)

View 1 Video Reviews
Reviews

Tenable Nessus Reviews (321)

View 1 Video Reviews
4.5
321 reviews
Search reviews
Filter Reviews
Clear Results
G2 reviews are authentic and verified.
LUIS RODRIGO P.
LP
LUIS RODRIGO P.
Coordinador de seguridad perimetral - NOC
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"Simplified and Reliable Vulnerability Scanning"
5/5
What do you like best about Tenable Nessus?

I like that Tenable Nessus is very easy to use, as the interface is really intuitive, which is great for new users. Additionally, it's helpful because it shows you where the problem is if a scan doesn't complete, or at least gives you a hint on where to check. I also appreciate that it provides information about configurations, sometimes even examples or explanations on how to set up certain sections within the console. The initial setup process was quite simple, I rate its level of complication as a maximum of 5 out of 10. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Tenable Nessus?

The only thing I haven't liked about Tenable Nessus are the reports that can be exported. I wish they were provided in another way or included charts that are easy to present to management. Also, user management on the platform could be improved, it would be useful to have more granularity in roles and permissions. Another improvement would be to include a tagging function in the scans, like in other cloud consoles, to help classify and distinguish scans by different criteria such as client, location, environment, criticality, group, area, or asset type. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Computer & Network Security
IC
Verified User in Computer & Network Security
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
Business partner of the seller or seller's competitor, not included in G2 scores.
"Comprehensive Vulnerability Scanning with Actionable Remediation Guidance"
5/5
What do you like best about Tenable Nessus?

What I like most about Nessus is its comprehensive vulnerability scanning engine and the depth of information provided in scan results. We regularly use authenticated scans, compliance audits, and scheduled vulnerability assessments to identify security weaknesses across servers, network devices, and Linux systems. The remediation guidance included with each finding is particularly valuable because it helps our team quickly understand the risk and determine the appropriate corrective action. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Tenable Nessus?

One area where Nessus could improve is reporting and dashboard customization. While the platform provides detailed technical reports that are useful for security teams, creating tailored reports for different audiences can be cumbersome. For example, infrastructure teams often need detailed remediation information, while management prefers high-level risk summaries and trends, which may require additional manual customization. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Primary/Secondary Education
AP
Verified User in Primary/Secondary Education
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"Turn-Key Vulnerability Scanning at a Fair Price"
4/5
What do you like best about Tenable Nessus?

Nessus if pretty much turn-key for vulnerability scanning. Once it is set up and configured, automatic updates help to easily identify new vulnerabilities for both credentialed and uncredentialed assets.

The UI is fairly simple and intuitive, and easy to learn for new staff who are not familiar with the product yet.

It is also priced appropriately for a vulnerability scanning solution of its caliber. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Tenable Nessus?

The integrations for Tenable are lacking due to certain features (like Manager) being nerfed in favor of moving to SC/IO, which is priced higher than Nessus.

The product is also billed as being for MSPs who may need to stand up/down instances, however, the product's documentation frowns on repeat activations (and automating it isn't really a clean option).

Reporting flexibility and branding could also be better. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Food Production
AF
Verified User in Food Production
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"Fast, Reliable Scanning with a Broad Plugin Library and Rapid Vulnerability Coverage"
5/5
What do you like best about Tenable Nessus?

It’s fast, reliable, and has one of the broadest plugin libraries available, with new checks released quickly after major vulnerabilities are disclosed. It’s easy to deploy and is very flexible for ad hoc assessments, authenticated scans, and compliance audits against CIS benchmarks. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Tenable Nessus?

Reporting in the standalone version is basic, and there’s no centralized management or trending, so tracking remediation over time requires moving to Tenable Vulnerability Management or building reports externally. Troubleshooting failed credentialed scans can also be time-consuming, since the error details aren’t always clear. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Justin P.
JP
Justin P.
Cybersecurity Specialist
Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)
Originally submitted 5/26/2023
"Solid vulnerability coverage, strong reporting"
5/5
What do you like best about Tenable Nessus?

Plugin coverage continues to keep pace with actively exploited CVEs, which matters when we're triaging Patch Tuesday against KEV. Scan templates and credentialed checks have been stable, and the output integrates cleanly into our monthly patch briefings without heavy reformatting. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Tenable Nessus?

Scan result storage remains a persistent problem at our scan volume. On-prem disk consumption grows quickly, and pushing everything to the cloud isn't a fit for every environment — better native retention controls and result pruning would help. Remediation tracking also needs attention: a finding only closes when a later scan actively re-checks the same plugin and it doesn't fire. If OS fingerprinting is inconclusive on an unauthenticated scan, findings can sit open indefinitely, forcing manual Accept Risk workflows with change record documentation to keep the dashboard accurate. Smarter stale-finding handling would reduce that overhead. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Mohsin H.
MH
Mohsin H.
Information Security Consultant
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"Reliable and Efficient Vulnerability Management Tool"
5/5
What do you like best about Tenable Nessus?

What I like most about using Tenable Nessus is how simple and reliable it is. It makes vulnerability scanning straightforward and gives clear, actionable results instead of overwhelming me with unnecessary complexity. I find it especially helpful for quickly identifying risks, prioritizing them, and getting practical remediation guidance. Overall, it saves time and makes security assessments much more efficient. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Tenable Nessus?

What I dislike about using Tenable Nessus is that sometimes the scan results can be noisy, with false positives that need manual verification. In larger environments, scans can also take time and consume resources, which can slow things down. I also feel the reporting could be more flexible and customized out of the box. While it’s a strong tool overall, it still needs some tuning and validation to get the best value from it. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User
G
Verified User
Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)
"The Ultimate Solution for Vulnerability Assessment"
5/5
What do you like best about Tenable Nessus?

I really like that with Tenable Nessus I can generate reports on anything, which allows me to provide a broader and more professional detail to my bosses. I enjoy being able to scan not only IPs but also DNS. It's useful to generate detailed reports and list systems, installed software, and updates, all from a single console. It's also valuable because it allows me to technically understand vulnerabilities and generate less technical reports for other areas. Additionally, I find the initial setup very practical. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Tenable Nessus?

It might be a bit complicated for some people, as you have to apply some filters to get more specific or structured information. Perhaps a specialized filter manual is needed to better understand how to use them. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

SR
Shekhar R.
Senior Information Security Analyst
Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)
"Nessus Makes Vulnerability Scanning and Prioritization Easy"
4.5/5
What do you like best about Tenable Nessus?

I like that Nessus makes it easy to scan systems and review vulnerabilities in one place. The finding gives me a good starting point for understanding what needs attention and prioritizing the fixes. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Tenable Nessus?

Some scan results need a closer look before I can decide what to address, so reviewing and prioritizing findings can take time, especially when a scan returns a large number of issues. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Aarti J.
AJ
Aarti J.
Senior Secops consultant
Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)
"Smooth SIEM Integration and Standout Agents"
4.5/5
What do you like best about Tenable Nessus?

The agents and their smooth integration with the SIEM stand out the most for me. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Tenable Nessus?

When the Nessus product is integrated with Security Center, we don’t get detailed visibility from the agent perspective—for example, whether agents are linked or unlinked, connected or disconnected, and whether they are running the latest version. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Information Technology and Services
GI
Verified User in Information Technology and Services
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"Powerful Compliance Scanning, Needs Accuracy Improvements"
4.5/5
What do you like best about Tenable Nessus?

I like Tenable Nessus's ability to handle a large amount of data scanning and manage numerous assets in our inventory efficiently. It can detect inventory details, operating systems, and applications, which is really useful. It integrates well with Tenable Security Center to process data, rate vulnerabilities, and confirm remediation effectively. The setup was straightforward thanks to the available resources and knowledge base, so we rarely need support unless there's a deeper problem. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Tenable Nessus?

One drawback I've noticed with Tenable Nessus we encountered typo or error in audit files, or discrepancies that don't match with standards. This occasionally results in false positives or typographical issues, forcing us to make adjustments or use workarounds like recasting the files. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.