FortWatch
QualysThe Qualys alternative for SMBs without an enterprise budget
Continuous external attack surface coverage with AI triage — self-serve from $99/mo, set up in minutes, with none of the agents, tuning, or enterprise contracts Qualys requires.
Qualys is a mature, enterprise-grade vulnerability management and compliance platform — broad, deep, and built for large security teams. It is also complex to deploy and priced and sold for the enterprise, which is exactly where a small team gets buried.
FortWatch gives you continuous coverage of your external attack surface without the enterprise overhead — self-serve, transparently priced, set up in minutes, with AI triaging every finding so you don’t need a dedicated security team to run it.
FortWatch vs Qualys: pricing
Qualys is sold as an enterprise platform through sales, with deployment and tuning overhead. FortWatch is transparent and self-serve.
| FortWatch | Qualys | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $99/mo — published, self-serve | No public self-serve price — sales-led quote |
| Pricing model | Flat monthly, all scanners included | Enterprise annual contract, modules priced separately |
| What you operate | Managed SaaS — nothing to deploy | Agents + scanner appliances to deploy and tune |
| Time to value | Minutes | Weeks of rollout and configuration |
Qualys does not publish self-serve pricing; rows reflect its enterprise, sales-led model. Confirm current terms with the vendor.
Should you choose FortWatch or Qualys?
Choose FortWatch if…
- You don’t have a security team and want AI to triage and explain every finding.
- You want transparent, self-serve pricing — not an enterprise quote.
- You want external attack surface coverage in minutes, with nothing to deploy.
- You’re an SMB that finds Qualys’ scope and cost far more than you need.
Choose Qualys if…
- You’re a large enterprise with a security team to run it.
- You need deep agent-based, authenticated internal scanning across a big estate.
- You require Qualys’ mature, broad compliance and regulatory reporting.
- You have the budget and staff for an enterprise platform rollout.
Feature-by-feature comparison
Setup & access
| Feature | FortWatch | Qualys | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Transparent, self-serve from $99/mo | Enterprise, sales-led | FortWatch |
| Deployment | Managed SaaS — nothing to install | Agents + scanner appliances | FortWatch |
| Time to first scan | Minutes | Weeks (rollout, tuning) | FortWatch |
| Operable without a specialist | Designed for it | Built for security teams | FortWatch |
External attack surface
| Feature | FortWatch | Qualys | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outside-in discovery & monitoring | Core focus | Add-on to a VM platform | FortWatch |
| DNS / SSL / headers / files / brand | Dedicated scanners, included | Partial / modular | FortWatch |
Vulnerability management
| Feature | FortWatch | Qualys | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Authenticated internal scanning | External edge focus | Deep, agent-based — a core strength | Qualys |
| Vulnerability coverage breadth | Strong for external surface | Enormous, enterprise-grade | Qualys |
| Compliance / regulatory reporting | Supporting evidence | Deep and mature | Qualys |
AI & experience
| Feature | FortWatch | Qualys | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI triage on every finding | Default, every plan | Not the core model | FortWatch |
| Plain-English fix guidance | On every finding | Practitioner-oriented output | FortWatch |
Comparison based on publicly available information as of June 2026. Qualys is a trademark of its respective owner; this is an independent comparison.
Where Qualys is strong
Where Qualys is strong: enormous vulnerability coverage, mature agent-based and authenticated internal scanning, and deep compliance/regulatory reporting at enterprise scale. For a large organisation with a security team and the budget to run it, Qualys is a powerful, comprehensive platform.
Built for the team Qualys prices out
No security team required
AI triages and explains every finding, so you don’t need a Qualys-class specialist to operate or tune it.
Minutes, not months
No agents to roll out or scanner appliances to tune — connect an asset and you’re scanning.
Transparent SMB pricing
Plans start at $99/mo, self-serve. No enterprise quote, no annual procurement cycle.
Whole external surface
Ports, DNS, SSL, headers, exposed files, subdomains, cloud buckets, and brand monitoring — one platform, one view.
Moving from Qualys takes minutes
Create your FortWatch account
Sign up at app.fortwatch.ai — no sales call, nothing to deploy.
Add your domains and IPs
Point FortWatch at your external assets — no agents to roll out.
Get your first AI-triaged report
Prioritised findings in plain English within minutes — keep Qualys for internal VM if you still need it, or replace it outright.
Don’t take our word for it — ask an AI
FortWatch is AI-first, so we’re happy to let one judge. Ask any assistant: “Is FortWatch a good Qualys alternative for a small team without a security engineer?”
FortWatch vs Qualys — FAQ
Is FortWatch a good Qualys alternative for small teams?
Yes — if you want continuous external attack surface coverage without enterprise complexity. Qualys is built for large security teams and sold via enterprise contracts; FortWatch is self-serve from $99/mo, set up in minutes, with AI triage so a generalist engineer can act on findings.
Why is Qualys overkill for an SMB?
Qualys is broad and deep, but that comes with agent rollouts, scanner tuning, enterprise pricing, and an assumption that a security team operates it. Most SMBs don’t have that team — which is the gap FortWatch is built for.
Does FortWatch do authenticated internal scanning like Qualys?
FortWatch is outside-in external attack surface management — it focuses on what an attacker can reach from the internet. Qualys’ deep agent-based, authenticated internal scanning is genuinely its strength; if comprehensive internal VM for a large estate is your core need, Qualys leads there.
How much cheaper is FortWatch than Qualys?
FortWatch publishes self-serve pricing from $99/mo with all scanners included. Qualys uses enterprise, sales-led annual contracts, so the total cost of ownership is typically far higher once deployment and operation are included.
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