Checkmarx vs OpenVAS

Checkmarx One is a broad, AI-powered application security platform covering SAST, DAST, SCA, container, secrets, IaC, and API security, priced through custom…

Best for Checkmarx: Enterprises needing a single AI-assisted platform to cover SAST, DAST, SCA, container, secrets, IaC, and API security across a large development organization, especially those needing SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, or FedRAMP-aligned vendors.
Best for OpenVAS: Organizations that need free, self-hosted network vulnerability scanning with a daily-updated detection feed, particularly as part of the broader Greenbone Community Edition.

At a Glance

 CheckmarxOpenVAS
Primary categorySecuritySecurity
RatingNot documentedNot documented
Pricing modelSubscriptionOpen Source
Starting priceNot documentedFree (open source); Greenbone Enterprise appliances at custom pricing
Free planNot documentedYes
Free trialNot documentedNot documented
PlatformsWebNot documented
Team collaborationNot documentedNot documented
AI featuresYesNot documented
Public APIYesNot documented

Key Differences

Scan Coverage

Checkmarx: Checkmarx One covers NG SAST (source code analysis), DAST, SCA, container security, secrets detection, IaC security, and API security in one platform.

OpenVAS: OpenVAS performs authenticated and unauthenticated network vulnerability scanning across internet and industrial protocols; source code or dependency analysis is not documented.

Application-layer vulnerabilities (in code, dependencies, containers) and network-layer vulnerabilities require fundamentally different scanning engines.

AI-Powered Remediation

Checkmarx: Checkmarx includes AI-powered agents — Developer Assist and Triage & Remediation Assist — plus a Checkmarx MCP Server to help developers fix findings faster.

OpenVAS: Not documented as an OpenVAS feature.

AI-assisted triage and remediation can significantly reduce the manual effort of fixing large volumes of findings.

Pricing Transparency

Checkmarx: Checkmarx pricing is fully custom, calculated on developers, apps, and usage, with no public price list and no advertised free trial.

OpenVAS: OpenVAS is free and open source, forming the core of the free Greenbone Community Edition, with no cost to start.

Budget-constrained teams need to know upfront whether a tool is free to adopt or requires a sales conversation and enterprise budget.

Compliance Certifications

Checkmarx: Checkmarx holds SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 certification, and FedRAMP authorization, and was recognized as a Leader in the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Software Supply Chain Security.

OpenVAS: Not documented as holding formal compliance certifications; OpenVAS is instead positioned on its open-source pedigree and daily-updated feed since 2006.

Regulated industries and government-adjacent buyers often require vendor compliance attestations before procurement.

Custom Scan Scripting

Checkmarx: Not documented as a Checkmarx feature.

OpenVAS: OpenVAS includes an internal scripting language for writing custom vulnerability tests.

The ability to write custom detection logic matters for niche or internally developed protocols and systems.

Feature-by-Feature

Scan Coverage

FeatureCheckmarxOpenVAS
Static application security testing (SAST)AvailableNot documented
Dynamic application security testing (DAST)AvailableNot documented
Network / infrastructure vulnerability scanningNot documentedAvailable
Software composition analysis (SCA)AvailableNot documented
IaC security scanningAvailableNot documented
Secrets detection in source codeAvailableNot documented

AI & Automation

FeatureCheckmarxOpenVAS
AI-powered remediation agentsAvailableNot documented
Model Context Protocol (MCP) serverAvailableNot documented
Custom scan test scriptingNot documentedAvailable

Pricing, Compliance & Support

FeatureCheckmarxOpenVAS
Publicly published pricingUnavailableAvailable
Free / open-source tierUnavailableAvailable
Formal compliance certifications listedAvailableNot documented
Enterprise commercial support optionAvailableAvailable

Pricing Compared

Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.

Checkmarx

No individual plan breakdown documented yet.

OpenVAS

OpenVAS/GVM Community Edition — Free N/A
OPENVAS BASIC — Custom Annual license
Greenbone Enterprise — Custom Quoted per deployment

Pros & Cons

Checkmarx

Pros

  • Consolidates SAST, SCA, DAST, and API security into one platform rather than multiple point tools
  • Established, mature vendor with broad programming language and framework coverage
  • Deep CI/CD and developer-workflow integrations for shifting security left
  • Backed by significant enterprise support infrastructure and a large customer base

Cons

  • No public pricing; getting an accurate cost requires a sales conversation
  • Modular licensing across SAST, SCA, DAST, and other add-ons can be complex to budget for
  • Primarily built for mid-size and large enterprises, less accessible for small teams
  • Can involve a steeper learning curve and tuning period to reduce false positives

OpenVAS

Pros

  • Core scanner is free and fully open source, with no license fee for the community edition.
  • Backed by Greenbone, a dedicated company actively maintaining and extending the project since 2006.
  • Broad vulnerability test coverage mapped to CVE and CVSS for standardized prioritization.
  • German, GDPR-conscious origin appeals to privacy- and compliance-sensitive European organizations.
  • Commercial Greenbone tiers are priced below several established proprietary competitors.

Cons

  • Community feed updates slightly later than Greenbone's paid enterprise feed.
  • Enterprise and Basic tier pricing is not published; buyers must contact sales for a quote.
  • Setup and tuning can be more involved than some polished commercial-only scanners.
  • Smaller company size than large competitors like Tenable or Qualys can mean a smaller partner/integration ecosystem.
  • Scan performance and false-positive rates require ongoing tuning compared to some mature commercial alternatives.

Use Cases

Choose Checkmarx: Enterprises needing a single AI-assisted platform to cover SAST, DAST, SCA, container, secrets, IaC, and API security across a large development organization, especially those needing SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, or FedRAMP-aligned vendors.
Choose OpenVAS: Organizations that need free, self-hosted network vulnerability scanning with a daily-updated detection feed, particularly as part of the broader Greenbone Community Edition.
Need both: A realistic combination: an enterprise security program runs Checkmarx to scan application source code, dependencies, containers, and IaC templates across its development pipeline, while separately running OpenVAS (or Greenbone Community Edition) to perform network vulnerability scans of the servers and infrastructure that host those applications.

Checkmarx

  • Enterprise DevSecOps programs — Large engineering organizations use Checkmarx One to run automated SAST, SCA, and DAST scans across many repositories from a single console.
  • Regulated industry compliance — Companies in finance, healthcare, and government use Checkmarx to document vulnerability management and software supply-chain controls for audits.
  • Software supply-chain security — Organizations shipping software to customers use SCA and SBOM generation to track open-source risk across their products.

OpenVAS

  • Internal network vulnerability assessment — Security teams run regular OpenVAS scans across internal networks to find missing patches and misconfigurations before attackers do.
  • Managed security services — MSSPs use OpenVAS or Greenbone's commercial tiers to deliver vulnerability scanning as a service across multiple client environments.
  • Compliance and audit scanning — Organizations use OpenVAS's compliance-oriented scan policies to support regulatory audits and security certification requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Checkmarx free?

No, Checkmarx One is priced through custom, quote-based sales conversations based on developers, apps, and usage, with no advertised free trial.

Is OpenVAS free?

Yes, OpenVAS is open source and forms the core of the free Greenbone Community Edition.

Does Checkmarx scan network infrastructure?

This is not documented as a Checkmarx capability; its documented scope is application source code, dependencies, containers, IaC, and APIs.

Does OpenVAS analyze application source code?

This is not documented as an OpenVAS capability; its documented scope is authenticated and unauthenticated network protocol scanning.

Which tool uses AI?

Checkmarx includes AI-powered agents (Developer Assist, Triage & Remediation Assist) and a Checkmarx MCP Server; AI features are not documented for OpenVAS.

Who are these tools built for?

Checkmarx is built for enterprise application security teams needing broad SDLC coverage with custom pricing, while OpenVAS is built for teams needing a free, self-hosted network vulnerability scanner.

Read the full Checkmarx review · Read the full OpenVAS review