Detectify vs Nessus
Nessus is a vulnerability scanner you install on your own system, while Detectify tests your web apps and APIs with payloads built with ethical hackers.
Last updated 8 October 2026
| Detectify | Nessus | |
|---|---|---|
| How tests are built | Payload-based tests, including 1,765+ Crowdsource modules from ethical hackers | Plugin-based checks from Tenable research, with new plugins released weekly* |
| Attack surface monitoring | Subdomains, IPs and IP ranges, open ports and technologies, plus subdomain takeover checks every 8 hours | Nessus Expert: discovers subdomains and DNS data for 5 domains per quarter* |
| Ports monitored | Around 8,500 ports per target | About 4,790 common ports by default, all 65,536 optional* |
| Web app scanning | Headless Chrome crawler with full SPA support | Nessus Expert: 5 web app URLs per 90 days, one scan at a time, needs Docker* |
| Authenticated scanning | Basic, Recorded Login and Recorded Crawling | Expert web app scans: login form, cookie, Selenium, plus HTTP Basic, NTLM and Kerberos* |
| API scanning | OpenAPI v2, v3, v3.1 and GraphQL. OAuth, Basic and API key | Nessus Expert: REST APIs described in an OpenAPI (Swagger) file* |
| Internal scanning | Internal Scanning, deployed with Terraform (AWS) or Helm. Outbound-only connection | You install it on your own system and scan network hosts, including internal PCI scans* |
| Cloud configuration checks | Not covered. DNS connectors import assets only | Audits AWS, Google Cloud, Azure and other cloud service settings, using your credentials* |
| Emerging threats | New Crowdsource tests for newly disclosed vulnerabilities | Tenable Zero Day Research provides 24/7 updates on new and emerging vulnerabilities* |
| Free trial | 2 weeks | Free trials of Nessus Professional and Expert, 32 IPs per scan* |
Detectify helps 10,000+ users manage their attack surfaces
Which one fits your team
Detectify
Choose Detectify if
- Your biggest risk sits in internet-facing web apps, APIs and subdomains
- You want testing that goes beyond known CVEs
- You want attack surface monitoring and application testing in one platform
Nessus
Choose Nessus if
- You want a scanner installed on your own hardware to assess hosts on your internal network
- You need to audit cloud service settings in AWS, Azure or Google Cloud with your credentials
- You want to scan network hosts with plugin-based checks from Tenable research, updated weekly
Why teams choose Detectify
99%
99% of the findings we find have no CVE assigned, based on our own data over the past three years
- Crowdsource ethical hackers submit payloads for vulnerabilities they find in the wild
- 1,765+ modules run against the assets you add
- New tests ship when a vulnerability is disclosed, as with Log4Shell on the same day
- Maps subdomains from certificate transparency logs, DNS enumeration and brute-forcing
- Checks your subdomains for takeover every 8 hours, including GCP bucket takeover
- DNS connectors pull in assets from AWS, Azure, GCP, Cloudflare and more
- Crawls your app in a real browser, so JavaScript and single-page apps get tested
- Basic access authentication, recorded login and recorded crawling
- Technology fingerprinting picks the tests that fit your stack
Crowdsource from submission to test
01
Ethical hacker submits a payloadCrowdsource · path traversal
GET /static/..%2f..%2f..%2fetc/passwd
02
Reviewed, then shipped as a test moduleJoins 1,765+ modules
03
Finding
trade.go-hack-yourself.netPath traversalHigh
Surface Monitoring subdomain takeover
01
New subdomain foundCertificate transparency logs
promo.go-hack-yourself.net CNAME deprovisioned cloud resource
02
Checked for takeoverEvery 8 hours
03
Finding
promo.go-hack-yourself.netSubdomain takeoverHigh
Application Scanning recorded login
01
Login recorded onceDetectify Recorder, a Chrome extension
RECtrade.go-hack-yourself.net/logindemo@go-hack-yourself.net••••••••••Sign in
02
Crawled like a person, still logged inHeadless Chrome · clicks buttons, fills forms
03
Finding
trade.go-hack-yourself.net/accountXSSHigh
“I trust that Detectify will always outpace us in identifying new threats. It gives us peace of mind knowing that Detectify will find any new issues.”
FAQs
Yes, for teams whose main risk is internet-facing web apps, APIs and subdomains. Detectify monitors your external attack surface and tests applications with payload-based tests. Nessus is a vulnerability scanner you install on your own system. Professional scans network hosts, and Expert adds web app, API and attack surface scanning.
How the tests are built. Detectify's tests come from its own research and from Crowdsource, a program of ethical hackers who submit payloads for real vulnerabilities. Nessus uses plugin-based checks from Tenable research, with new plugins released weekly.
Yes. API Scanning tests the operations you choose in an OpenAPI v2, v3 or v3.1 spec or a GraphQL schema that you import. It supports OAuth, Basic and API key authentication.
Yes. Internal Scanning runs inside your network and connects outbound only. You deploy it with Terraform on AWS or with Helm.
Yes. Application Scanning supports Basic authentication, Recorded Login and Recorded Crawling.
Pricing depends on the products you use and how many assets you cover. Surface Monitoring is priced by the number of domains in scope, and Internal Scanning by the number of internal apps. Start a 2-week free trial, or talk to sales for a quote.
Yes. They run independently, so you can use Nessus for hosts on your internal network and Detectify for internet-facing web apps and APIs.
See Detectify on your own domains
Start a free trial, or book a demo to walk through Detectify with our team.