Qualys WAS Free Edition offers cloud‑based web‑application scanning with limited monthly scans. Below are 20 free‑or‑freemium tools that can be used as alternatives for discovering web‑app vulnerabilities, each with its own strengths and community support.
Get targeted exposure with custom position pinning and highlighted placement.
Open‑source dynamic application security testing (DAST) tool with automated scanners, passive scanning, and a rich set of plugins.
Free version of PortSwigger’s popular web security testing suite; includes an intercepting proxy, scanner (limited), and repeater.
Command‑line web server scanner that checks for over 6,700 potentially dangerous files/CGIs, outdated server software, and version‑specific problems.
Python‑based black‑box scanner that crawls webpages and attacks them for XSS, SQLi, file inclusion, and other common vulnerabilities.
Feature‑rich, modular DAST platform written in Ruby; supports multi‑threaded scanning, reporting, and integration with CI pipelines.
GUI‑driven open‑source scanner built on Java; provides automated testing for XSS, SQLi, and other web flaws with easy plugin development.
Comprehensive open‑source framework that combines vulnerability detection and exploitation modules for thorough assessments.
High‑performance, recursive web application security scanner that builds a site map and reports security issues in an interactive UI.
Free, Windows‑focused DAST tool with a scripting engine for custom attacks and detailed vulnerability reports.
Limited‑time free trial of the commercial Netsparker scanner; offers automated vulnerability discovery with false‑positive‑free technology.
30‑day free trial of Acunetix’s web‑app scanner, providing full‑featured crawling, XSS/SQLi detection, and detailed remediation guidance.
Developer‑centric platform that scans open‑source dependencies and container images for known vulnerabilities; includes a limited number of free scans per month.
Cloud‑based web‑app scanner with a 14‑day free trial; leverages a community‑driven vulnerability database and provides actionable remediation steps.
Dynamic application security testing tool from Rapid7; free 14‑day trial includes automated crawling, authentication handling, and detailed reporting.
Free, web‑based service that evaluates a site’s security headers, TLS configuration, and best‑practice implementations.
Simple online scanner that checks HTTP response headers for common security misconfigurations.
Open‑source network vulnerability scanner that includes web‑application checks via NSE scripts; useful for broader asset coverage.
Nmap’s scripting engine includes a suite of HTTP vulnerability checks (e.g., http‑sql-injection, http‑xss) that can be run for free.
Enterprise‑grade DAST platform from Micro Focus; free 14‑day trial provides full scanning capabilities and integration hooks.
Qualys offers a Community Edition with a small number of free web‑app scans per month, suitable for small projects or learning purposes.