Detectify vs Qualys
Qualys tests web apps and APIs with TotalAppSec as one app in a wider platform, while Detectify tests your web apps and APIs with payloads built with ethical hackers.
Last updated 8 October 2026
| Detectify | Qualys | |
|---|---|---|
| How tests are built | Payload-based tests, including 1,765+ Crowdsource modules from ethical hackers | Fault injection tests that send crafted strings to form fields, plus custom JSON-based signatures* |
| Attack surface monitoring | Subdomains, IPs and IP ranges, open ports and technologies, plus subdomain takeover checks every 8 hours | CSAM finds internet-exposed domains, subdomains, certificates, exposed ports and services, and DNS misconfigurations* |
| Ports monitored | Around 8,500 ports per target | VMDR scans a standard TCP port list by default, with options for all ports or a custom list* |
| Web app scanning | Headless Chrome crawler with full SPA support | Crawler parses HTML and JavaScript links. Selenium scripts replay complex workflows* |
| Authenticated scanning | Basic, Recorded Login and Recorded Crawling | Form login, Selenium scripts, OAuth2, plus Basic, Digest and NTLM server authentication* |
| API scanning | OpenAPI v2, v3, v3.1 and GraphQL. OAuth, Basic and API key | Tests REST and SOAP APIs using OpenAPI, Swagger and Postman. Bearer token, API key and OAuth 2.0 auth* |
| Internal scanning | Internal Scanning, deployed with Terraform (AWS) or Helm. Outbound-only connection | Virtual or physical scanner appliances deployed in your network to scan internal web apps* |
| Cloud configuration checks | Not covered. DNS connectors import assets only | TotalCloud CSPM runs 1000+ security controls to find cloud resource misconfigurations* |
| Emerging threats | New Crowdsource tests for newly disclosed vulnerabilities | Automatically generates signatures for newly disclosed CVEs, plus custom signatures for new risks* |
| Integrations | Jira (two-way), Slack, Microsoft Teams, PagerDuty, Opsgenie, ServiceNow, Splunk, webhooks, Workato, REST API | 100+ connectors, including Jira, ServiceNow, Splunk, Jenkins, Azure DevOps and GitHub Actions* |
| Free trial | 2 weeks | 30-day free trial* |
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
Qualys
Choose Qualys if
- You need web app scanning, cloud configuration checks and network vulnerability management from one vendor
- You need Digest, NTLM or Selenium-scripted login for web app scans
- You need to test REST and SOAP APIs defined in OpenAPI, Swagger or Postman
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
- Import an OpenAPI spec or GraphQL schema and pick the operations to test
- OAuth, Basic Auth and API key authentication
- Prompt injection tests for AI and LLM endpoints
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
API Scanning from spec to scan
01
Import your spec, pick the operationsOpenAPI or GraphQL · auth: OAuth
# openapi.json
GET /orders/{id} ✓
POST /orders ✓
POST /assistant/chat ✓
02
Payloads sent to each operationRotated between runs
03
Finding
api.go-hack-yourself.net/assistant/chatPrompt injectionHigh
“I really like Detectify’s autodiscovery features for the Surface monitoring that has enabled us to not have to worry about reconfiguring and maintaining. That’s been wonderful.”
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. Qualys TotalAppSec combines web application scanning, API security testing and malware detection, and uses scanner appliances to scan internal web apps.
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. Qualys TotalAppSec uses fault injection tests, plus custom signatures you can write.
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 Qualys for vulnerability and cloud posture management and Detectify for 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.