# Vulnerability management tools for small teams, compared by what they do

> This page compares open-source and low-cost vulnerability management tools on discovery, scanning, prioritisation and reporting, so a team of one to ten people can choose.

Canonical page: https://www.edgeprotect.io/guides/open-source-vulnerability-management-tools
Reviewed by the Precursor Security team. Last updated 29 October 2026.

## How do the tools compare?

Scanners find flaws. Management tools decide what to fix first. Few tools do both well, so check which job you need done.

Six vulnerability management options (details summarised from public pages; confirm with each vendor.)

| Tool | Discovery | Scanning | Prioritisation | Reporting | Licence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenbone / OpenVAS | Hosts you point it at | Network vulnerability scanning | Severity-based | Built-in reports | Open-source community edition; commercial editions available |
| Nessus Essentials | Hosts you point it at | Network vulnerability scanning | Severity-based | Built-in reports | Entry edition limited to a small number of IP addresses |
| Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management | Devices enrolled in Defender | Agent-based software inventory | Exposure score and recommendations | Built-in dashboards | Add-on or bundled with Microsoft plans |
| Intruder | Targets you add | Scheduled external and internal scanning | Severity and context | Reports and integrations | Subscription |
| ManageEngine Vulnerability Manager Plus | Endpoints with an agent | Agent-based scanning and patching | Severity and exploit context | Built-in reports | Per-device licence |
| EdgeProtect | Your verified domains, and the software you list | Does not scan for flaws; imports scanner output | Matches known flaws to your software and ranks them | PDF reports and alerts | Credit-based plans, see /pricing |

## How did we compare them?

We chose the criteria a team of one to ten people feels most.

- **Discovery.** Does the tool find what you own, or only scan what you tell it to?
- **Scanning.** Does it test for flaws itself, and does it need an agent on each machine?
- **Prioritisation.** Does it rank flaws by risk, or only by severity score?
- **Reporting and upkeep.** Can you hand the output to a manager or auditor, and how much time does the tool need each week?

EdgeProtect is in the table because we make it. We have kept its row to what it does and does not do, and we list it last.

## What do they cost?

Open-source tools cost no licence fee, but they cost hosting and staff time. Commercial prices change; check each vendor before you decide.

Pricing models (details summarised from public pages; confirm with each vendor.)

| Tool | How it is priced |
|---|---|
| Greenbone / OpenVAS | No licence fee for the community edition; you pay for hosting and upkeep |
| Nessus Essentials | Entry edition with an address limit; paid editions priced per year |
| Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management | Per-device add-on, or included in some Microsoft plans |
| Intruder | Subscription tiers by number of targets |
| ManageEngine | Per-device licence |
| EdgeProtect | Basic £299 per month, Business £899 per month, Enterprise £2,499 per month. Annual billing adds bonus credits. Prices in GBP as published on /pricing. |

Other vendors publish prices in their own currency. We have not converted them.

## Where does EdgeProtect fit?

EdgeProtect matches known flaws to the software you run, ranks them, and imports scanner output. It does not replace a scanner.

If you need a scanner, pick one from the table and import its results into vulnerability management in EdgeProtect. Import supports output from Nessus, InsightVM, Nikto, Nmap, OpenVAS, Qualys and ZAP.

To rank flaws by how likely they are to hurt you, see risk-based prioritisation.

## Questions

### What are the top vulnerability scanning tools?

Common choices are Nessus, Qualys, Rapid7 InsightVM, Greenbone/OpenVAS and Intruder. Open-source options need more setup and upkeep; commercial tools cost more but come with support. Pick by the size of your estate and the time your team has.

### Is Rapid7 a vulnerability management tool?

Yes. Rapid7 sells InsightVM, a vulnerability management product that scans, tracks and reports flaws. It is aimed at larger estates and is priced by quote.

### What is the difference between a vulnerability scanner and vulnerability management?

A scanner finds flaws. Vulnerability management covers the whole loop: knowing what you own, finding flaws, ranking them, fixing them and checking the fix.

### Can open-source tools be enough for a small team?

They can, if someone has the time to run and patch them. Count hosting, tuning and reading results as staff hours before you compare the price.

### Does EdgeProtect replace my scanner?

No. EdgeProtect matches known flaws to the software you run, ranks them and imports scanner output. Keep your scanner and use EdgeProtect to decide what to fix first.

## Rank what to fix first. Whichever scanner you use.

Add the software you run, import scanner output, and see which known flaws matter most. Plans are on the pricing page.

## Related

- [Pricing](https://www.edgeprotect.io/pricing)
- [Vulnerability management](https://www.edgeprotect.io/features/vulnerability-management)
- [Risk-based prioritisation](https://www.edgeprotect.io/features/risk-based-prioritisation)