: Checkmarx vs HCL AppScan - HCL AppScan Alternative

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Why Checkmarx

Checkmarx One vs. HCL AppScan

Checkmarx One brings to the table as an analyst-recognized leading platform in application security. and as a unified solution that provides comprehensive, end-to-end protection.

Benefits

Checkmarx One: A unified, developer-friendly application security solution

HCL AppScan – a product from HCLSoftware, a division of HCL Technologies, a large Indian IT consulting company that does not have a special focus on security – offers a set of basic application security features. AppScan is the only security product in HCL Software’s product portfolio. But it lacks the comprehensive coverage and developer-friendly capabilities that Checkmarx One brings to the table. HCL’s SAST product has been bought and sold four times, while their SCA product is only two years old. Checkmarx, however, has been focused on application security since 2006.

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Unified security for any app, anywhere

Checkmarx delivers a seamless experience for securing any type of application using a variety of testing methods – including SAST, DAST, SCA, and more. While AppScan also supports all of the major testing techniques, it is less flexible. For example, AppScan requires the use of a built-in browser for application testing, and engineers may find it challenging or impossible to test apps in actual production environments.

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Developer-friendly application security

AppScan HCL users say that the “learning curve for new users is steeper than desired, and the initial setup process can be a bit cumbersome.” Some also complain about high rates of false positives: “Lot of false positives are reported by the HCL Appscan Standard version,” as one user notes.

In contrast, Checkmarx One was designed from the ground up to deliver a smooth, efficient, developer-friendly experience – which is why we offer a detailed documentation database, fast scans, customization and high accuracy scans which lead to low false positives, without missing true positives.

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Cost-effective security

Pricing is another common complaint among HCL AppScan users, who say “Appscan cost is high compared with other security tools.” AppScan’s price point makes it a poor choice for teams seeking cost-effective security – unlike Checkmarx One, whose advanced capabilities and developer-friendly features lead to an ROI of 177%, according to research from Forrester. Forrester also concluded that Checkmarx boosts developer productivity by up to 50 percent for security tasks and increases security analyst efficiency by as much as 40 percent.

Feature Spotlight

More Secure Code in Real Time

Checkmarx supports real-time IDE scanning, which means developers can scan code as they type and get real-time feedback about potential security risks. In turn, they can fix security issues before they even commit.

Why Checkmarx One Is a Preferred Appsec Tool

A unified, end-to-end application security platform

Although Checkmarx One and HCL AppScan both provide a core set of SAST, DAST, and SCA capabilities, Checkmarx One provides more features, such as advanced remediation guidance to help fix vulnerabilities fast. Checkmarx One also supports a broader range of languages and frameworks. And unlike AppScan, Checkmarx One offers full support for detecting malicious open source packages.

 

As a result, Checkmarx excels at helping teams discover security risks of virtually all types, at all stages of the application delivery lifecycle. With Checkmarx, teams enjoy confidence that they’ve found vulnerabilities lurking in source code, open source modules and packages, APIs, IaC, container images, and more, all through a single, comprehensive scanning solution.

 

unified end-to-end appesec platform

Although Checkmarx One and HCL AppScan both provide a core set of SAST, DAST, and SCA capabilities, Checkmarx One provides more features, such as advanced remediation guidance to help fix vulnerabilities fast. Checkmarx One also supports a broader range of languages and frameworks. And unlike AppScan, Checkmarx One offers full support for detecting malicious open source packages.

 

As a result, Checkmarx excels at helping teams discover security risks of virtually all types, at all stages of the application delivery lifecycle. With Checkmarx, teams enjoy confidence that they’ve found vulnerabilities lurking in source code, open source modules and packages, APIs, IaC, container images, and more, all through a single, comprehensive scanning solution.

 

Comprehensive, unified security scans

In some cases, AppScan misses critical vulnerabilities. As a result, the tool may overlook critical vulnerabilities and other risks, with potentially serious consequences for teams who rely on the solution to detect issues prior to deploying code.

 

With Checkmarx One, you can uncover critical vulnerabilities that most vendors miss. Checkmarx One simplifies security across your entire application, including source code, open-source components, supply chains, APIs, infrastructure as code (IaC), containers, and more. Achieve this comprehensive protection with just a single automated scan

Comprehensive, unified security scans

In some cases, AppScan misses critical vulnerabilities. As a result, the tool may overlook critical vulnerabilities and other risks, with potentially serious consequences for teams who rely on the solution to detect issues prior to deploying code.

 

With Checkmarx One, you can uncover critical vulnerabilities that most vendors miss. Checkmarx One simplifies security across your entire application, including source code, open-source components, supply chains, APIs, infrastructure as code (IaC), containers, and more. Achieve this comprehensive protection with just a single automated scan

Hassle-free security scans

One engineer says in a review that “I can’t scan applications behind Azure that use MFA” and that AppScan scanning doesn’t support cached credentials.

 

Limitations like these make it challenging to secure complex applications using AppScan. They also increase the burden placed on developers, who need to spend more time setting up scans and troubleshooting scanning issues.

 

Checkmarx One offers the opposite – a simple developer experience that minimizes cognitive load and workflow completion time. As one customer put it, “Compared to the solutions we used previously, Checkmarx has reduced our workload by almost 75%.”

Hassle-free security scans

One engineer says in a review that “I can’t scan applications behind Azure that use MFA” and that AppScan scanning doesn’t support cached credentials.

 

Limitations like these make it challenging to secure complex applications using AppScan. They also increase the burden placed on developers, who need to spend more time setting up scans and troubleshooting scanning issues.

 

Checkmarx One offers the opposite – a simple developer experience that minimizes cognitive load and workflow completion time. As one customer put it, “Compared to the solutions we used previously, Checkmarx has reduced our workload by almost 75%.”

Product support and updates

AppScan users complain about poor technical support and “high turnaround time” for product updates. Lack of efficient support and rapid product updates further hampers the ability of teams to work quickly and gain access to advanced security features.

 

Against this backdrop, Checkmarx stands out for its world-class customer support services and continuous stream of product updates.

Product support and updates

AppScan users complain about poor technical support and “high turnaround time” for product updates. Lack of efficient support and rapid product updates further hampers the ability of teams to work quickly and gain access to advanced security features.

 

Against this backdrop, Checkmarx stands out for its world-class customer support services and continuous stream of product updates.

Checkmarx One vs. HCL AppScan

AppSec Solutions Capability Comparison

Table’s title or description
Feature Feature HCL AppScan Checkmarx One
Speed and remediation time
Speed and remediation time Slow scans are a common complaint of AppScan users. Scans are fast by default, and developers can customize scanning parameters to gain even more speed.
Confusing configuration controls also slow remediation efforts. Best Fix Location, auto-remediation and in-IDE real time guidance make remediation a breeze.
Integrations
Integrations Plugins support integration with some popular IDEs and CI/CD suites, but many platforms and configurations are not supported. Supports a broad range of integrations, many of which can be deployed in minutes.
Developer experience
Developer experience Documentation shortcomings, bugs, and high false positive rates hamper the ability of developers to work quickly and accurately. Simple deployment and configuration processes let developers focus on finding and fixing issues. Checkmarx One helps developers prioritize what to fix, integrates with their existing SDLC, and through in-app training and Codebashing, helps equip them with the tools and knowledge to write secure code.
Remediation guidance
Remediation guidance Offers basic remediation guidance, but advice is often generic, leaving it to developers to determine exactly how to implement suggestions. Advanced, detailed remediation guidance helps developers fix security flaws fast. Automated remediation is available as well.
Pricing
Pricing High price relative to feature set is a common complaint among users. Transparent, scalable pricing that is easy to optimize for different use cases.
Services and support
Services and support Basic Web-based support is available across all HCL products, but lacks premium support options tailored for application security. Premium support is available from application security experts.
Platform coverage
Platform coverage Covers SAST, DAST, SCA, and basic IaC scanning. Covers SAST, DAST, SCA, API security, IaC scanning, Container Security, Supply Chain Security, and Developer Training in one unified platform.

What Our Customers Say About Us

Learn why the world’s top enterprises choose Checkmarx to secure their applications

“We view Checkmarx as our trusted partner. They’ve elevated our security posture by consolidating our SAST, SCA, and API Security into a unified platform, Checkmarx One, enabling us to achieve vulnerability remediation, reduce noise, and benefit from strong support.”

“Incorporating Checkmarx’s technology has revolutionized our development culture. It’s more than just technology; it serves as the foundation of our security strategy, ensuring that our applications are secure by design.”

“Checkmarx One definitely checks all my boxes from a security standpoint and has a great interface that’s engaging and easy to use. Some of the solutions we considered were more complicated. With Checkmarx One, it’s easy to get right to the problem with little to no learning curve.”

“The success of our AppSec program can be directly attributed to the tooling, processes and support provided by Checkmarx managed services. Our mission revolves around providing secure and compliant lottery and gaming applications and services to our clients around the globe, and with Checkmarx SAST, SCA and associated components enhanced by their stellar service support, we deliver on this promise with confidence and certainty.”

“After nearly nine years of using Checkmarx’s SAST, CGI’s journey has been one of seamless integration and consistent satisfaction. The last three years have been particularly smooth, reflecting the solution’s reliability and our successful partnership.”

“After reviewing the Checkmarx platform, I’m not sure how Veracode is able to exist while being at a similar price point.”

“Checkmarx’s execution is impressive; it’s brought all the products under one cloud platform.”

“By Far The Best AppSec Tooling Decision We Have Made!!”

“We were thrilled to find Checkmarx, which helped us improve the SLA for identifying and remediating risk, reduce risk and the number of vulnerabilities, and eliminate high- and medium-risk issues.”

“Checkmarx made security team and developers life easier.”

See it in action

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