Qualys Exposure Management vs Sysdig Falco comparison

Why PeerSpot?

Qualys and Sysdig are both solutions in the Container Security category. Qualys is ranked #10 with an average rating of 8.5, while Sysdig is ranked #19 with an average rating of 10.0. Qualys holds a 2.3% mindshare in Container Security, compared to Sysdig’s 1.2% mindshare. Additionally, 95% of Qualys users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Sysdig users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 13, 2026

Qualys VMDR and Sysdig Falco compete in IT security and vulnerability management. Qualys VMDR seems to have an upper hand due to its comprehensive features and user satisfaction.

Features: Qualys VMDR integrates vulnerability management, detection, and response features. It offers asset discovery and automated workflows. Sysdig Falco focuses on real-time threat detection and security monitoring for cloud-native environments, specializing in container security and runtime protection.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Qualys VMDR offers cloud-based deployment with minimal setup and robust support. Sysdig Falco's open-source nature suits developers needing customization but requires technical expertise and relies on community support.

Pricing and ROI: Qualys VMDR may have higher setup costs reflecting its features and support, offering ROI through security and automation. Sysdig Falco, as open-source, has lower initial costs appealing to budget-conscious companies, with ROI seen in targeted security for container technology.

To learn more, read our detailed Container Security Report (Updated: September 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Container Security

September 2026

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Qualys TotalCloud

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2026, in the Container Security category, the mindshare of Qualys TotalCloud is 1.8%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Qualys Exposure Management is 2.3%, up from 2.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sysdig Falco is 1.2%, down from 1.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Container Security Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Qualys Exposure Management	2.3%
Qualys TotalCloud	1.8%
Sysdig Falco	1.2%
Other	94.7%

Container Security

Featured Reviews

reviewer2859021

Sr Security Engineer at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees

Risk-based triage has transformed container security and now prioritizes high-impact threats

The best features Qualys TotalCloud offers currently include managing cloud infrastructure and container security while facing major challenges such as alert fatigue. Traditional vulnerability scanners flag hundreds of CVEs on short-lived Kubernetes containers, some of which have no internet exposure or are gone before we can even triage them. I leverage Qualys TotalCloud to move beyond static CVSS. I use it to implement runtime exposure, correlation risk reprioritization, and shift-left integration. This notifies developers to fix a base image upstream rather than patching live ephemeral instances. In my work with cloud and container security, the biggest operational hurdle was alert fatigue. I use Qualys to shift left from static CVSS severity to context-aware risk prioritization. I correlated raw vulnerability data with real-time risk factors such as public network exposure, active runtime execution, or overly permissive IAM roles. This allows us to immediately drop the priority of isolated containers and escalate lower-severity CVEs that sit on an exposed, high-risk path. We can map these findings directly back to our CI/CD pipelines so developers can patch the root base images upstream. We have drastically cut down the signal-to-noise ratio, saved a lot of manual hours doing triage work, and ensured engineering effort goes directly towards high-impact risk reduction.

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Ajay Paul

System Engineer at a outsourcing company with 10,001+ employees

Vulnerability management has prioritized high‑risk patching and simplified bulk system reporting

The primary issue is with the reporting functionality. Even though we fix vulnerabilities, the reports do not reflect the changes immediately. Sometimes we need to manually run a script to scan the systems before Qualys Enterprise TruRisk Management will update the scan results. The main issue is the reporting delay, and sometimes the Qualys Enterprise TruRisk Management agent will not scan the system, which means we do not receive accurate reports in a timely manner. Additionally, there are many metrics for calculating vulnerabilities, such as the Qualys ID, severity scores, CVSS scores, and other metrics. The abundance of information can be confusing. These two aspects are the most significant negatives I have experienced with this tool.

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Patrik Gunnersten

Pre-Sales Manager at Conoa AB

Has delivered real-time insights for detecting runtime vulnerabilities and improving response speed

The runtime security part of Sysdig Falco has been the most valuable over the years. They do extensive monitoring, and you can get many insights and an overview and drill down into connections, but it's the runtime security that sets them apart from the competition. Sysdig Falco's real-time monitoring feature for anomaly detection is very high quality. They lean on the Falco project, which is an open-source project that is an excellent source of finding vulnerabilities. They have AI capabilities to set a baseline of the traffic that the client usually has, and then they find anomalies where things start to deviate from the baseline, and they do that exceptionally. The flexibility of Sysdig Falco's rule-driven engine for meeting security policies for customers is very good because you can have the standard features that are already out-of-the-box ready, and then you can tailor your own rules freely and create any type of rules desired.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"Qualys TotalCloud's most valuable feature is its ability to link clusters of assets, providing a clear model of deployments, vulnerabilities, and statuses."

"Qualys TotalCloud is overall the best tool available in the market for scanning purposes."

"By integrating TotalCloud, we have significantly reduced vulnerabilities in our deployment pipeline."

"Qualys TotalCloud has positively impacted our organization by helping us save time and manage all assets and remediation, allowing us to achieve quarterly and half-yearly goals."

"One of the most valuable features of Qualys TotalCloud is FlexScan, which is specifically for internet-facing VMs. We found this feature to be very useful. It was a key differentiator for us."

"The agent and agentless scanning in TotalCloud, particularly the FlexScan method, is incredibly valuable. With traditional scanning approaches, we had to give IP ranges and whitelist IPs. All that is now simplified. FlexScan requires minimal intervention, and after configuration, it automatically collects data and performs necessary scans."

"If I had to say something positive about the product that brings me the biggest benefit, I would say it has accurate reports, gets new update CVEs, zero-day attack detection, and is easy to manage with its GUI."

"TotalCloud has been excellent in providing us with immediate access to all the products and features we need, such as CSPM, TruRisk Insights, and compliance reports, including CIS and HIPAA."

More Qualys TotalCloud pros

"They also have threat detection which maps threats. There is a feed that comes from Qualys when a new vulnerability is found. It tells us which machines are infected with that vulnerability."

"I value the scheduling of scans and reports as per the desired timeframes."

"Technical support is fantastic."

"Risk-based prioritization is a new feature with Qualys Enterprise TruRisk Management, and overall, the vulnerability posture of our organization has improved significantly."

"Authenticated scans provide different options, including those using or not using the FactSet and adding option profiles."

"The solution shows us classic categories, including high, medium, and low risks. It also shows critical items, and that gives us the advantage of prioritizing things."

"The most valuable feature is the QID part, especially of CentralList, which makes it easy to assess new critical vulnerabilities."

"The process of defining and discovering scans is organized efficiently."

More Qualys Exposure Management pros

"We've had incidents with clients where high-impact CVEs were published, and I know comparisons where one client said if they didn't have Sysdig Falco in place, what took them about a day would have probably taken one or two months to resolve."

Cons

"TotalCloud could improve its scanning of niche devices like Wi-Fi dongles and USB modems because they are often untested. It covers everything else, like laptops, mobile devices, and Bluetooth IoT devices. They can improve on the small IoT devices because hackers and testers use these."

"Although TotalCloud is a helpful tool, some of its advanced features are still under development."

"There should be improvement from a dashboard perspective when collecting and showcasing data to lead management."

"I chose a rating of nine out of ten because there is a complex interface that sometimes overwhelms new engineers."

"The vulnerability part is good, but the policy compliance module needs improvement because it involves a lot of manual work. Specifically, the remediation part of the controls requires enhancements."

"The patching process with Qualys Patch Management, which is part of TotalCloud, does not cover installing certain prerequisites on the servers or workstations. This shortcoming means we must rely on SCCM when any service stack updates or additional prerequisites are needed."

"Some major banks and insurance companies require an on-premises solution for comprehensive vulnerability management, which TotalCloud does not offer."

"Overall, we are satisfied with it. However, the response part of the Cloud Detection and Response (CDR) module can be improved. It is not yet in place according to requirements; it is not completely available even though the module has been released."

More Qualys TotalCloud cons

"I have used the support from Qualys Container Security and they could improve their knowledge."

"Improve the user interface."

"I felt hindered sometimes within reports in that they were lacking somewhat on the customization side in terms of making use of the data."

"The support needs to improve a lot, their response is absolutely slow."

"The reporting and the GUI need improvements. Tenable dominated in these two areas: reporting and graphical user interface."

"Qualys VM's scanner doesn't pick up every vulnerability, so we have to use multiple scanners to cover that gap."

"Qualys VMDR identifies vulnerabilities and suggests fixes. However, it does not automate patching unless the patch management module is purchased separately."

"Qualys VMDR should improve authenticated scanning capabilities."

More Qualys Exposure Management cons

"One area for improvement would be having predefined security standards for measuring compliance reports."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Qualys TotalCloud is expensive."

"Although Qualys TotalCloud is relatively expensive due to its unique automation features, its cost-effectiveness is rated an eight out of ten, with ten being the most costly."

"Qualys TotalCloud is cost-efficient and was selected for its value compared to other products."

"The pricing is comparable. It is built into our other product, so I cannot piecemeal it. It is a part of our subscription."

"I am not sure about the pricing. From what I understand, it is a bit on the higher side, but I do not have the exact numbers."

"It isn't cheap, but it's reasonable. It helps us to manage things with very few resources."

"As a middle management member, I do not have direct pricing knowledge, but based on the knowledge from our meetings, its pricing is competitive."

"Its price seems higher compared to other tools, but it is worth it. If they could adjust the pricing and make it comparable with other tools, that would be great."

More Qualys TotalCloud pricing and cost advice

"It is more expensive than other products on the market."

"The pricing and licensing for Qualys could be improved."

"Qualys is cheaper and more affordable than other solutions."

"The solution is reasonably priced for the value it provides."

"Qualys VM is better suited for medium to large companies because the price can be too much for smaller customers."

"We have an annual contract for Qualys VMDR. I believe it's for either two years or five years."

"In Nigerian Naira, we spend about roughly four to five million to use this solution and this is expensive compared to solutions like Nessus."

"It is different for every company, but for us, it's every three years."

More Qualys Exposure Management pricing and cost advice

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Comms Service Provider

18%

Outsourcing Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Financial Services Firm

14%

Outsourcing Company

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

13%

Manufacturing Company

13%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	16
Midsize Enterprise	10
Large Enterprise	38

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	21
Midsize Enterprise	12
Large Enterprise	75

No data available

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Qualys TotalCloud?

I was not involved in pricing, setup cost, and licensing, but I can say that the setup was fast, within a quarter, an...

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What needs improvement with Qualys TotalCloud?

In terms of improvements, the features we are using in Qualys TotalCloud are working in the best optimal way, and I d...

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What is your primary use case for Qualys TotalCloud?

I have been using Qualys TotalCloud for the last eight months to scan the hardware and the virtual devices in our inf...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Qualys VMDR?

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing shows that we can consider both time and money saved.

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What needs improvement with Qualys VMDR?

I haven't explored Qualys VMDR's vulnerability lifecycle automation yet. One of my analysts mentioned that queries la...

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What advice do you have for others considering Qualys VMDR?

I have some understanding about PeerSpot, and I have visited the website. PeerSpot is similar to TrustRadius. It take...

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What needs improvement with Sysdig Falco?

Sysdig Falco is probably the most complete security solution for container-type workloads today. One area for improve...

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What is your primary use case for Sysdig Falco?

The primary use case for Sysdig Falco is to find vulnerabilities in real-time. It helps us find CVEs in the runtime p...

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What advice do you have for others considering Sysdig Falco?

I work with many different products in the open-source world relating to containers and Kubernetes, not just Prisma C...

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Qualys TotalCloud

October 2026

Download Qualys TotalCloud product report

Buyer's Guide

Qualys Exposure Management

October 2026

Download Qualys Exposure Management product report

Buyer's Guide

Container Security

September 2026

Download Sysdig Falco product report

Also Known As

Qualys TotalCloud with FlexScan

Qualys VM, QualysGuard VM, Qualys Asset Inventory, Qualys Container Security

No data available

Overview

Qualys TotalCloud enhances security posture across cloud environments with continuous monitoring, vulnerability management, and risk visualization, ensuring efficient threat assessment and automated remediation for improved cyber risk reduction.

Qualys TotalCloud offers a robust suite of security tools essential for organizations managing multi-cloud infrastructures. By integrating cloud accounts and automating workflows, it supports AWS, Azure, and GCP, offering comprehensive vulnerability management and zero-day detection. The platform's user-friendly design, combined with its extensive risk management and unified threat assessment capabilities, enables organizations to prioritize and remediate vulnerabilities effectively. TruRisk Insights provides clear insights on cyber risks, while the automation options streamline patch management and scanning processes. API integration across IaaS and SaaS environments further enhances resource allocation efficiency and saves time, addressing misconfigurations across cloud environments.

What are the most important features of Qualys TotalCloud?

Accurate Vulnerability Reports: Delivers precise and actionable insights for risk mitigation.
Zero-Day Detection: Identifies and addresses zero-day vulnerabilities proactively.
Unified Threat Assessment: Offers comprehensive evaluation of threats across the environment.
Extensive Risk Management: Manages risks effectively with advanced insights and prioritization.
Continuous Monitoring: Provides non-stop surveillance for vulnerabilities and threats.
Cloud-Native Automation: Streamlines processes and reduces manual efforts using automation.
FlexScan for Internet-Facing VMs: Scans external VMs efficiently to detect vulnerabilities.
Dashboard Risk Visualization: Clear visualization helps prioritize vulnerabilities.

What benefits and ROI should users look for?

Improved Security Posture: Enhances threat detection and response across clouds.
Time Savings: Automation reduces time spent on manual vulnerability management.
Resource Efficiency: Better allocation of resources through streamlined workflows.
Enhanced Risk Prioritization: Focus on critical vulnerabilities for effective mitigation.
Integrated Cloud Accounts: Facilitates seamless cloud management and security.

Qualys TotalCloud is deployed in sectors needing rigorous vulnerability management, such as finance and healthcare. Companies utilize it to secure multi-cloud environments like AWS, Azure, and GCP, focus on compliance, and integrate security into CI/CD pipelines to detect and remedy threats pre-deployment.

Qualys

Qualys VMDR is a comprehensive cybersecurity tool offering vulnerability management, patch management, and continuous monitoring with real-time asset discovery. It delivers scalable, cloud-based solutions that enhance security operations without additional infrastructure.

Qualys VMDR provides a robust platform for enterprise security, integrating vulnerability management, compliance, and asset inventory for full visibility across cloud and on-premises environments. It features a comprehensive dashboard with threat intelligence-driven prioritization and remediation capabilities. Users benefit from accurate assessments via agent-based scanning and appreciate the intuitive, customizable scanning and reporting interface. However, there's room for improvement in false positive reduction, UI simplification, and integration capabilities, along with enhancements in asset management for large-scale deployments and the vulnerability database. Enhancing technical support speed, patch management, compliance standards, and inter-module navigation would further enrich user experience.

What are the key features of Qualys VMDR?

Vulnerability Management: Identifies and manages security vulnerabilities across environments.
Patch Management: Ensures systems are updated with the latest patches.
Continuous Monitoring: Offers real-time insights into security posture.
Asset Discovery: Provides up-to-date asset inventory and visibility.
Threat Intelligence: Enhances prioritization and remediation processes.
Customizable Dashboard: Facilitates easier scanning and reporting through an intuitive interface.

What benefits can users expect when evaluating Qualys VMDR?

Scalability: Cloud-based deployment offers easy, cost-effective expansion.
Accurate Assessment: Agent-based scanning keeps security data current.
Enhanced Security Operations: Comprehensive features streamline vulnerability management.
Advanced Reporting: Facilitates detailed insights for better security decision-making.

Qualys VMDR is widely used in industries needing stringent security and compliance measures, offering comprehensive vulnerability and compliance management. It is deployed to secure web applications, servers, and crucial assets, supporting a wide range of sectors by ensuring policy adherence and vulnerability tracking through its powerful cloud platform.

Qualys

Sysdig Falco is a robust open-source runtime security tool that detects anomalies and threats in containerized environments. It provides real-time intrusion and threat detection, enhancing security operations and compliance for Kubernetes workloads.

Designed for container security, Sysdig Falco uses behavioral activity monitoring to identify risky applications and insider threats. Integrating seamlessly with DevOps workflows, it enhances security by detecting unexpected changes in kernel runtimes. The tool acts as a safeguard, ensuring compliance with security policies. This becomes crucial as businesses lean heavily towards cloud native and microservices architectures. Its capability to integrate with existing infrastructure minimizes disruptions and optimizes performance.

What features make Sysdig Falco stand out?

Real-Time Detection: Monitors system calls for threat detection as they occur.
Cloud Native Integration: Supports Kubernetes, OpenShift, Google Kubernetes Engine, and Amazon EKS.
Customizable Rule Engine: Allows users to author and customize rules for unique security needs.
Scalable Architecture: Handles large-scale environments efficiently without significant overhead.
Open Source Community: Benefits from a vibrant community contributing enhancements and updates.

What benefits or ROI should users look for?

Improved Security Posture: Real-time monitoring provides proactive threat detection and mitigation.
Cost Efficiency: Open-source nature reduces licensing costs while offering security.
Compliance Assurance: Helps meet industry compliance requirements with ease.
Enhanced DevOps Workflow: Seamless integration into existing DevOps processes reduces headaches.

In industries such as finance, healthcare, and technology where security is paramount, Sysdig Falco's implementation supports comprehensive threat detection and regulatory compliance. Its integration with Kubernetes and other cloud-native technologies helps secure sensitive data, foster operational efficiency, and streamline compliance processes, driving confidence in digital transformation initiatives.

Sysdig

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Agrokor Group, American Specialty Health, American State Bank, Arval, Life:), Axway, Bank of the West, Blueport Commerce, BSkyB, Brinks, CaixaBank, Cartagena, Catholic Health System, CEC Bank, Cegedim, CIGNA, Clickability, Colby-Sawyer College, Commercial Bank of Dubai, University of Utah, eBay Inc., ING Singapore, National Theatre, OTP Bank, Sodexo, WebEx

Information Not Available

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