Qualys Container Security

Freemium#2 of 26 in Container Security SoftwareContainer Image Scanning Tools

Qualys Container Security: Broad container coverage with a free visibility tier and sales-led paid access. Ranked #2 of 26 in Container Security Software by our editors (9.1/10); pricing: Free plan · pricing on request; best for budget-conscious enterprises wanting broad coverage.

9.1/10★★★★★Editor score

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Qualys Container Security9.1 Visit Qualys

At a glance

• Editor score
  9.1 / 10
• Pricing
  Free plan · pricing on request
• Best for
  Budget-conscious enterprises wanting broad coverage
• Free plan
  Yes
• Image scanning
  Yes
• Facts checked
  23 Sep 2026

• Where it wins

  • Covers images, registries, CI/CD, Kubernetes, runtime, and SBOMs
  • Free plan provides container visibility and metadata
  • Supports GitHub Actions, Jenkins, and REST API integrations

• Where it doesn't

  • Vulnerability scanning requires a paid subscription
  • Paid access uses a sales-led pricing model
  • Listed integrations focus on GitHub Actions, Jenkins, and REST API

Our verdict on Qualys Container Security

Qualys Container Security is a cloud application for discovering, inventorying, scanning, and protecting container images and workloads. It is designed for organizations that need coverage across CI/CD pipelines, container registries, Kubernetes environments, Docker deployments, and running containers. The product combines vulnerability, malware, secret, compliance, and SBOM analysis with runtime event monitoring and Kubernetes admission controls. Its web, Linux, and API availability supports a hybrid deployment model, with sensors used across build, registry, general, runtime, cluster, and admission-controller environments.

Coverage breadth is the main reason to consider Qualys Container Security. The published capabilities span image discovery, CI/CD vulnerability scanning, registry scanning, runtime file and process events, Kubernetes cluster and workload inventory, and admission policies for images. SBOM reports are available in SPDX and CycloneDX formats, while vulnerability propagation and risk prioritization help connect findings to broader risk management. GitHub Actions, Jenkins, and the REST API provide defined integration paths for delivery workflows and automation. Organizations seeking one product across build, deployment, and runtime security should find this scope relevant.

Pricing is structured to separate visibility from deeper assessment. Qualys documents a free version for visibility and metadata, while vulnerability scanning requires a paid subscription. Paid access follows a contact-sales model, so buyers should expect a sales-led evaluation rather than a self-serve product purchase. The main trade-off is that the product’s broad environmental coverage also involves coordinating sensors across the relevant customer environments. Qualys Container Security is a strong fit for budget-conscious enterprises that want wide container security coverage and can manage a hybrid sensor model. Teams seeking a simpler, narrowly focused scanner or a fully self-serve paid buying process may prefer an alternative.

Your product? Our editors can test Qualys Container Security in depth and publish a review, labelled as paid · from $149/mo →

Qualys Container Security pricing

Qualys Container Security fact sheet

Qualys Container Security integrations

Qualys Container Security lists 8 integrations on its own site.

• GitHub Actions
• Jenkins
• Harbor
• JFrog Artifactory
• Docker Hub
• Azure Container Registry
• Google Artifact Registry
• OpenShift Container Registry

Alternatives to Qualys Container Security

• Trend Vision One Container SecurityBroad container security coverage with transparent usage-based pricing.9.2
• Wiz Container and Kubernetes SecurityA broad cloud security platform for prioritizing container and Kubernetes risks.9.0
• Snyk ContainerAffordable supply-chain scanning with broad registry, CI/CD, and Kubernetes coverage.8.8

See all Qualys Container Security alternatives →

Qualys Container Security vs the competition

• Qualys Container Security vs Trend Vision One Container Security
• Qualys Container Security vs Wiz Container and Kubernetes Security
• Qualys Container Security vs Snyk Container
• Qualys Container Security vs SUSE NeuVector
• Qualys Container Security vs Sysdig Secure
• Qualys Container Security vs Aqua Security

Compare Qualys Container Security with any tool side by side →

Featured on iTechGuides

Qualys Container Security is listed in our Container Security Software directory. Add the badge to your site — it links back to this page.

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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

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Last updated 7 Oct 2026 · How we research and update