Tenable vs Clone Systems
Vulnerability scanning, PCI ASV coverage and published pricing compared with a fully hosted platform that includes penetration testing.
Tenable makes Nessus, the most widely used vulnerability scanner in the world, and sells it alongside Tenable One for cloud, web app, and identity exposure. Clone Systems is a PCI Approved Scanning Vendor since 2007 that puts PCI ASV scanning, vulnerability scanning, web application scanning, and automated penetration testing in one platform you can buy online. This page compares the two on features and published pricing, using only what each company publishes about its own products.
Where Tenable is strong
Nessus has a long track record and a huge plugin library, and Tenable publishes prices and sells online, which is rare among large security vendors. Nessus Professional at $4,790 a year covers unlimited IPs if you install and run the scanner yourself. Tenable One adds cloud security, identity exposure, and attack path analysis for larger organizations, and Tenable offers a free version of Nessus for personal, non-commercial use.
Where Clone Systems is different
- PCI ASV scanning without the add-on ladder. Clone Systems sells ASV scanning from $185 a year for one IP. Tenable's PCI ASV service is quote only, requires a Tenable One Vulnerability Management license, and has a minimum of 7 PCI licenses.
- Penetration testing in the same platform. Clone Systems sells automated external and internal pen tests from $1,995 per 30 days, plus managed penetration testing by our own engineers. Tenable's public materials describe security control validation, and pen test results are imported from third-party providers rather than run by Tenable.
- Fully hosted, nothing to run. Clone Systems scanning is delivered from our own platform. Nessus Professional's unlimited-IP price is for software you install, maintain, and run yourself.
- Private AI remediation. The Clone Systems AI assistant runs in our own data center and sends nothing to outside AI providers. Tenable's own documentation states its AI features run on Google Cloud, AWS Bedrock, and Anthropic services.
- Web app scanning at scale. Clone Systems covers 10 apps for $5,995 a year and 50 apps for $14,995. Tenable's online store covers 5 sites for $6,790; more than 5 is quote only.
Feature comparison
| Capability | Clone Systems | Tenable |
|---|---|---|
| PCI Approved Scanning Vendor | (quote only, minimum 7 licenses) | |
| External vulnerability scanning | ||
| Internal network scanning | ||
| Agent-based scanning | ||
| Authenticated web app scanning | ||
| Automated external pen testing | ||
| Automated internal pen testing | ||
| Managed penetration testing | ||
| AI remediation assistant | ||
| AI hosted in vendor's own data center | No (Google Cloud, AWS, Anthropic) | |
| Published prices with online checkout | ||
| Free tier | (Nessus Essentials, non-commercial) | |
| Cloud security and identity exposure | (Tenable One) |
Published pricing, side by side
| Module | Clone Systems | Tenable |
|---|---|---|
| PCI ASV scanning | $185/yr (1 IP), $625 (10), $1,575 (25) | Quote only; requires Tenable One VM ($3,700/yr) plus minimum 7 PCI licenses |
| Internal + external scanning, about 100 assets | $1,095/yr internal (128 IPs) + $595/yr external (10 IPs) = $1,690 | Tenable One VM $3,700/yr (100 assets; Tenable online store) |
| Unlimited IPs, self-run scanner | Hosted service; see packages | Nessus Professional $4,790/yr (software you run yourself) |
| Agent-based scanning, about 100 endpoints | $3,995/yr (100 agents) | Tenable One VM $3,700/yr (100 assets, agents included) |
| Authenticated web app scanning | $5,995/yr (10 apps), $14,995 (50) | Web App Scanning $6,790/yr (5 sites); more than 5 is quote only |
| Automated pen testing | External from $1,995, internal from $2,995 (30 days) | No comparable package |
Prices as published by each vendor, checked September 21, 2026. Tenable prices are from Tenable's online store. Vendors count scope differently (IPs, assets, sites), so matched sizes are approximate. At about 100 endpoints, Tenable's entry package and Clone Systems agent scanning are priced within a few percent of each other.
Who should choose which
Choose Tenable if you want to run Nessus yourself on unlimited IPs, need cloud and identity exposure management in one console, or already standardize on Nessus.
Choose Clone Systems if you need a PCI ASV scan without a license minimum, want penetration testing from the same platform, prefer a fully hosted service with nothing to install, or need web app scanning beyond a handful of sites. You can buy today and scan today.
Tenable and Nessus are trademarks of Tenable, Inc. Clone Systems is not affiliated with Tenable. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will update it.