DAST Software Pricing Comparison: Burp Suite, Nessus & More
With over 20 DAST tools on the market, selecting the most suitable one can be challenging given their varying features and pricing options. We’ve compiled publicly available information on vendors’ pricing strategies, making it easy to get an overview and estimate the likely costs you may face.
Top DAST software prices
Vendors | Free Trial | Price |
|---|---|---|
InsightVM Rapid7 | ✅ (30-day) | Pricing is asset-based (at least 512 assets). |
PortSwigger Burp Suite | ✅ | Community edition: Free Professional edition: $449/person/year. Enterprise edition: Not shared publicly |
Tenable Nessus | ✅ (7-day) | From $4,390 to $6,390 annually |
NowSecure | ✅ | Not shared publicly |
Indusface WAS | ✅ (14-day) | Has an Advanced plan, priced at $59 per month. A Premium and MSSP plan is custom billed annually. |
Contrast Assess | ❌ | Not shared publicly |
Checkmarx DAST | ❌ | Not shared publicly |
HCL AppScan | ✅ (30-day) | Not shared publicly |
The following are important to consider when it comes to pricing:
- Feature tier: Vendors typically split their products into tiers based on capability. Tenable’s Nessus Pro and Nessus Expert share the same scanning engine, but only Expert adds Web Application Scanning and External Attack Surface Scanning which is why Expert costs roughly $2,000 more annually.
- Licensing model: Some tools charge per user per year (Burp Suite Professional), others per asset (InsightVM). Asset-based pricing like Rapid7’s scales down per-unit cost at higher volumes, which benefits larger organizations but creates a high floor for smaller teams.
- Free tiers: Burp Suite Community and Indusface WAS both offer free entry points, but with meaningful capability gaps Community lacks automated scanning entirely, while Indusface’s free tier caps scan frequency and removes support.
Tenable Nessus
Tenable Nessus offers two DAST tools: Nessus Pro and Nessus Expert. Each has an annual subscription, but they differ in terms of cost and features. While Nessus Pro is cheaper, it does not offer as many features as the Expert version.
Nessus Professional is priced at $4,390 on the US list price. It covers unlimited IT vulnerability assessments, configuration audits, compliance scanning, and vulnerability scoring, but excludes web application scanning and external attack surface discovery.
Nessus Expert runs $6,390 on the US list price. It adds web app scanning, external attack surface discovery, and IaC scanning to everything included in Pro. Organizations already on Pro can trial Expert free for 7 days before committing.
Both editions support optional Advanced Support (24/7 phone and chat) as a paid add-on, and multi-year licenses carry a discount. Prices vary by geography; verify current rates at tenable.com/buy before purchasing.
Consider Tenable Nessus alternatives if you’re seeking a replacement for Nessus or are undecided.
InsightVM Rapid 7
Rapid7 rebranded its vulnerability management line under the Command Platform in 2024. InsightVM now runs as the vulnerability management engine within Exposure Command, Rapid7’s current flagship offering for exposure assessment and remediation.
Exposure Command is priced per asset (average number of assets monitored), billed annually. It comes in two tiers based on an organization’s level of cloud maturity, both of which include Surface Command at no additional cost. Specific per-tier prices are not listed publicly; organizations receive a quote based on asset count and deployment scope.
Figure 4. InsightVM Pricing Model 1
PortSwigger Burp Suite
Burp Suite has three editions targeting different user types.
Burp Suite Community is free. It covers manual testing HTTP interception via Burp Proxy, request manipulation via Burp Repeater, and basic web traffic analysis. Automated scanning is not included; that requires a paid edition.
Burp Suite Professional costs $475/user/year. It adds automated vulnerability scanning, Burp Intruder for custom attack automation, and Burp AI, an agentic assistant that generates attack ideas and guides testing in real time. Aimed at individual pentesters and small AppSec teams.
Burp Suite DAST is the enterprise-grade automated scanner, built for AppSec teams managing large application portfolios. It supports unlimited users, CI/CD pipeline integration, scheduled scanning, bulk application management, and both self-hosted and cloud deployment. Pricing is based on custom PortSwigger quotes, depending on scan volume and deployment scope.
Figure 5. Burp Suite Professional Pricing 2
Indusface WAS
Indusface WAS offers a subscription-based pricing model with different levels to accommodate various needs and budgets. They provide an Advanced tier billed at $59 per app per month or $599 per app annually. There is also the Premium and MSSP edition, which is custom billed annually. (See Figure 7).
If you want to learn about these tools’ features, see vulnerability scanning tools.
Figure 7. Indusface WAS Pricing 3
FAQ
Yes, several open-source DAST tools are available, such as OWASP ZAP (Zed Attack Proxy) and Arachni. While these tools may not offer the same level of support and advanced features as commercial solutions, they can be a cost-effective option for organizations with limited budgets.
To maximize the value of DAST tools, organizations should regularly update their testing methodologies to account for new threats and vulnerabilities, integrate DAST testing into the software development lifecycle (SDLC), prioritize and remediate identified vulnerabilities promptly, and invest in training to ensure that team members are proficient in using the tool effectively.
Organizations should consider factors such as their budget, the specific security requirements of their applications, the level of expertise available within their team, and the scalability and flexibility of the DAST tool when evaluating their options.
In addition to the base licensing fees, organizations may incur additional costs for services such as training, implementation, integration with existing systems, ongoing support and maintenance.
Reference Links
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Throughout his career, Cem served as a tech consultant, tech buyer and tech entrepreneur. He advised enterprises on their technology decisions at McKinsey & Company and Altman Solon for more than a decade. He also published a McKinsey report on digitalization.
He led technology strategy and procurement of a telco while reporting to the CEO. He has also led commercial growth of deep tech company Hypatos that reached a 7 digit annual recurring revenue and a 9 digit valuation from 0 within 2 years. Cem's work in Hypatos was covered by leading technology publications like TechCrunch and Business Insider.
Cem regularly speaks at international technology conferences. He graduated from Bogazici University as a computer engineer and holds an MBA from Columbia Business School.
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