OpenVAS vs OWASP Nettacker
OpenVAS
openvas.orgOWASP Nettacker
owasp.github.ioSide by side
| Figure | OpenVAS | OWASP Nettacker |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | €210.33/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 3 | 1 |
| Spec score · Vulnerability Scanning Software | 8.5 (#6) | 7.9 (#12) |
| Integrations | OPENVAS SCAN lists integrations with ServiceNow, Splunk, Nagios, Sourcefire, and CyberArk. | The latest release lists SARIF and DefectDojo-compatible reports, and the project supports Maltego transforms. |
| Purpose | OPENVAS is a vulnerability scanner for detecting weaknesses in IT systems. | Automates information gathering, vulnerability scanning, and penetration testing, including discovery of open ports, services, misconfigurations, default credentials, and subdomains. |
| Scanning | It supports authenticated and unauthenticated testing across internet and industrial protocols, with performance tuning for large scans. | Its modular architecture supports prebuilt and customizable modules for different scanning tasks. |
| Support | OPENVAS FREE has no default enterprise support; product questions are handled voluntarily through the Greenbone Community Portal. | The security policy points users to GitHub Issues and the OWASP Slack #project-nettacker channel for general inquiries. |
Plans
In their own words
OpenVAS
OPENVAS is a vulnerability scanner for identifying weaknesses in IT systems. It supports authenticated and unauthenticated testing across internet and industrial protocols, with performance tuning for large scans, and uses a vulnerability-test feed updated daily. The commercial OPENVAS SCAN product checks network services, servers, applications, container images, and authenticated endpoints for vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and missing patches. It is offered as hardware or virtual appliances and can run entirely inside a customer's environment. Listed integrations include ServiceNow, Splunk, Nagios, Sourcefire, and CyberArk. OPENVAS FREE is a cross-platform virtual appliance intended for private use and non-professional IT infrastructures. It uses the Community Feed, cannot update itself, and lacks schedules, notifications, integrated backups, and air-gap support. The free edition has no default enterprise support, and its self-signed TLS certificate requires a browser exception. OPENVAS BASIC costs €2,524 a year; it excludes API access, sensors, remediation tickets, and Greenbone Support. OPENVAS SCAN pricing is by quote.
OWASP Nettacker
OWASP Nettacker is free, open-source software for automating information gathering, vulnerability scanning, and penetration testing. It discovers open ports, services, misconfigurations, default credentials, and subdomains across IPv4 addresses, ranges, CIDR blocks, domains, and HTTP or HTTPS URLs. Users can run it as a command-line utility, Docker container, API, or Web GUI. A modular architecture provides prebuilt and customizable scanning modules. Reports are generated in HTML, TXT, JSON, and CSV, with the latest release listing SARIF and DefectDojo-compatible output; Maltego transforms are supported. Nettacker is written entirely in Python and does not launch external tools. Installation options include Poetry from source, pip or pipx from PyPI, and Docker. Native support covers Linux, macOS, and FreeBSD; Docker serves other operating systems while native Windows support is in progress. The installation guide currently supports Python 3.11–3.12, with later compatibility underway. Security updates cover the latest stable release and current master branch, while older versions may not receive updates. The project directs vulnerability reports through a private GitHub Security Advisory.