Qualys Container Security vs Harbor

Qualys Container Security7.7Visit Harbor7.1Visit

Higher score Qualys Container Security #3 in Container Image Scanning Tools 7.7/10 Free plan · pricing on request Free plan✓ 2 of 5 features Visit Qualys

vs

Harbor #5 in Container Image Scanning Tools 7.1/10 Open source ✓ 0 of 5 features Visit Harbor

• Qualys Container Security fits best

  Enterprises needing end-to-end container governance

• Harbor fits best

  Teams wanting open-source registry scanning

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Side by side

Feature	Qualys Container Security 7.7/10 Visit ↗	Harbor 7.1/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	7.7	7.1
Ranking	#3 in Container Image Scanning Tools	#5 in Container Image Scanning Tools
Best for	Enterprises needing end-to-end container governance	Teams wanting open-source registry scanning
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free
Starting price	Not published	Not published
Free plan	✓ (best)	Not published
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Platforms	Web, Linux	Web, Linux
Support	Phone, Docs · 24/7	Community, Docs
Integrations	8 integrations	9 integrations
Built for	Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Qualys Container Security 2/5 · Harbor 0/5
Registry scanning	✓ (best)	Not published
CI pipeline scanning	Not published	Not published
Kubernetes admission	Not published	Not published
SBOM generation	✓ (best)	Not published
Fix recommendations	Not published	Not published
Specs
Deployment model	Hybrid	Not published
Our review
Pros	Covers discovery, vulnerability scanning, runtime monitoring, and Kubernetes controls Registry scans detect vulnerabilities, malware, and exposed secrets Hybrid deployment with CI/CD, registry, and REST API integrations	Trivy or external vulnerability scanning supports flexible security workflows Replication connects Harbor with major public and private registries Immutability, retention, quotas, signing, and RBAC strengthen governance
Cons	Vulnerability scanning requires a paid subscription Pricing is contact-sales and varies by selected apps and assets Broader governance scope may exceed image-only scanning needs	Self-hosted deployment puts infrastructure operations on the team Community and documentation are the listed support channels Scanner selection adds configuration and operational decisions
Our verdict	Qualys Container Security is a container security service for organizations managing images, registries, hosts, and running workloads across development, deployment, and production. It discovers and inventories container assets, scans… Read the review →	Harbor is an open-source, self-hosted registry for container images, Helm charts, OCI artifacts, and other cloud-native packages. It is aimed at small, mid-market, and enterprise teams managing artifacts across Kubernetes, Docker, hybrid,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Qualys Container Security — where it wins

  • Covers discovery, vulnerability scanning, runtime monitoring, and Kubernetes controls
  • Registry scans detect vulnerabilities, malware, and exposed secrets
  • Hybrid deployment with CI/CD, registry, and REST API integrations

  Where it doesn't

  • Vulnerability scanning requires a paid subscription
  • Pricing is contact-sales and varies by selected apps and assets
  • Broader governance scope may exceed image-only scanning needs

• Harbor — where it wins

  • Trivy or external vulnerability scanning supports flexible security workflows
  • Replication connects Harbor with major public and private registries
  • Immutability, retention, quotas, signing, and RBAC strengthen governance

  Where it doesn't

  • Self-hosted deployment puts infrastructure operations on the team
  • Community and documentation are the listed support channels
  • Scanner selection adds configuration and operational decisions

• Qualys Container Security7.7/10 · Free plan · pricing on request

  End-to-end container governance spanning discovery, scanning, Kubernetes, and runtime.

  Visit QualysFull verdict →
• Harbor7.1/10 · Open source

  Open-source registry combining image storage, scanning, signing, and policy controls.

  Visit HarborFull verdict →