Cobalt
Cobalt is a Pentest as a Service platform that combines SaaS efficiency with a global community of security experts to identify and remediate vulnerabilities in your applications.
Qualys
Qualys is a cloud-based security platform that helps you identify vulnerabilities, ensure compliance, and protect your entire IT infrastructure from cyber threats through a single, integrated dashboard.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Cobalt | Qualys |
|---|---|---|
| Website | cobalt.io | qualys.com |
| Pricing Model | Custom | Custom |
| Starting Price | Custom Pricing | Custom Pricing |
| FREE Trial | ✘ No free trial | ✓ 30 days free trial |
| Free Plan | ✘ No free plan | ✘ No free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2013 | 1999 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, USA | Foster City, USA |
Overview
Cobalt
Cobalt transforms traditional penetration testing into a dynamic, tech-enabled experience through its Pentest as a Service (PtaaS) platform. You can move away from slow, static PDF reports and instead launch comprehensive security assessments in days rather than weeks. The platform connects you directly with a vetted community of on-demand security researchers who test your web applications, APIs, and cloud infrastructure in real-time.
You can manage the entire testing lifecycle from a single dashboard, allowing your developers to communicate directly with testers for faster vulnerability remediation. It integrates with your existing development workflows to ensure security keeps pace with your release cycles. Whether you need to meet compliance requirements like SOC2 or harden your external attack surface, you get actionable data and on-demand retesting to stay secure.
Qualys
Qualys provides you with a unified view of your entire IT environment, from on-premise systems and endpoints to clouds and mobile devices. You can automatically discover every asset in your network and identify security gaps before attackers find them. The platform simplifies the complex task of managing vulnerabilities by prioritizing the most critical risks based on real-time threat intelligence, allowing your team to focus on what matters most.
You can also automate your compliance audits and ensure your systems meet industry standards like PCI DSS or HIPAA without manual spreadsheets. Because it operates as a cloud-based service, you don't have to manage hardware or software updates. It scales effortlessly with your business, whether you are securing a small office or a global enterprise with thousands of remote endpoints.
Overview
Cobalt Features
- On-Demand Pentesting Launch a manual pentest in as little as 24 hours to meet tight production deadlines or compliance windows.
- Real-Time Reporting View vulnerabilities as testers find them so your team can start fixing critical bugs before the test even finishes.
- Direct Researcher Access Chat directly with your assigned security experts to clarify findings and get specific guidance on complex remediation steps.
- SDLC Integrations Push findings automatically to Jira, GitHub, or Slack so your developers can manage security fixes in their existing tools.
- Complimentary Retesting Request a free retest once you've applied a fix to ensure the vulnerability is fully resolved and verified.
- Compliance Reporting Generate audit-ready reports for SOC2, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS with a single click to satisfy your stakeholders and auditors.
Qualys Features
- Asset Inventory. Discover and categorize every device on your network automatically so you never have to worry about blind spots.
- Vulnerability Management. Scan your systems continuously to find security weaknesses and get actionable instructions on how to fix them quickly.
- Threat Prioritization. Focus your efforts on the vulnerabilities most likely to be exploited using real-time data and risk scoring.
- Patch Management. Deploy software updates and security patches directly from the console to remediate vulnerabilities across your entire fleet.
- Compliance Monitoring. Automate your configuration checks and generate audit-ready reports to prove you meet internal and external regulatory requirements.
- Cloud Security. Secure your public cloud workloads in AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud with specialized tools for container and serverless environments.
Pricing Comparison
Cobalt Pricing
Qualys Pricing
Pros & Cons
Cobalt
Pros
- Significantly faster setup time than traditional consulting firms
- Direct communication with testers speeds up remediation
- Clean dashboard replaces messy PDF report management
- High-quality, vetted researchers provide deep manual insights
Cons
- Credit-based pricing can be complex to forecast
- Platform focus is primarily on manual testing over automation
- Premium pricing reflects the high-touch expert service
Qualys
Pros
- Extensive library of vulnerability signatures updated daily
- Centralized dashboard provides excellent visibility across assets
- Cloud-native architecture eliminates the need for local servers
- Highly accurate scanning with very low false-positive rates
Cons
- Interface can feel complex for new security users
- Reporting engine requires a learning curve to master
- Pricing can be high for smaller organizations