SIDE BY SIDE · FACTS ONLY

Rapid7 vs Tenable: asset inventory facts side by side

SHORT ANSWER

Rapid7 describes 3 of the five approaches on the pages we read and Tenable describes 3; they differ on CAASM aggregation and Exposure management. On collection, Rapid7 does not describe its collection method on the pages we read and Tenable does not describe its collection method on the pages we read. Many estates run two of these approaches together, so the question is often which pair, not which one; we do not score either.

By The Inventory Desk · CAASM Finder · Published 2026-10-11

Desk research from public vendor pages read on 27 September and 11 October 2026. Profiles follow our published method; we did not run the products.

How do their approaches compare?

Top bar: Rapid7 Surface Command
Lower bar, lighter: Tenable One

Full bar: described on the vendor's pages we read
Hatched bar: described with a condition (another product, a higher tier, or part of the approach)
Stub: not in our sources (it may exist; we did not find it)

The bars show what each vendor's own pages describe, or how your answers weigh the five approaches. They are not a measure of how well a product works.

What are the facts, side by side?

From each vendor's own pages. Differs marks rows where the recorded status or check value differs.
Fact	Rapid7 Surface Command	Tenable One
Positioning	Rapid7's attack surface product, combining external discovery (EASM) with asset discovery and a unified internal and external inventory (CAASM), part of the Rapid7 Command platform.	Tenable's exposure management platform. Tenable Attack Surface Management, part of Tenable One, maps external assets from a map of more than 5 billion assets; Tenable One adds attack path analysis, Hexa AI remediation and connectors for third-party data.
Deployment	Part of the Rapid7 Command platform with Exposure Command, InsightVM and InsightCloudSec. Source: Rapid7 products · Read 27 Sep 2026	Tenable Attack Surface Management is sold through a demo request, not online. Source: Tenable: buy · Read 27 Sep 2026
CAASM aggregationDiffers	Described Asset discovery and a unified inventory (CAASM) including devices, software, identities and controls. Source: Rapid7 Command platform packages and pricing · Read 11 Oct 2026	With a condition Tenable One Connectors bring third-party data into the platform; a unified asset inventory is not described in detail on the pages we read. Source: Tenable One · Read 27 Sep 2026
Agent-based inventory	Not in our sources Not described on the pages we read.	Not in our sources Not described on the pages we read.
External attack surface management	Described Internal and external attack surface visibility (EASM), including unknown internet-facing assets and shadow IT. Source: Rapid7 Surface Command · Read 27 Sep 2026	Described Identifies domains related to your inventory from a map of 5 billion+ assets with 200+ metadata fields. Source: Tenable Attack Surface Management · Read 27 Sep 2026
CMDB-centred inventory	Not in our sources Not described on the pages we read.	Not in our sources Not described on the pages we read.
Exposure managementDiffers	With a condition Includes an Exposure Management dashboard and remediation hub; vulnerability scanning sits in the Exposure Command Essentials tier above it. Source: Rapid7 Command platform packages and pricing · Read 11 Oct 2026	Described Tenable One is Tenable's exposure management platform, with attack path analysis across 150+ techniques and Hexa AI automated remediation. Source: Tenable One · Read 27 Sep 2026
Servers and network devices	Partly Internal attack surface visibility is described; network devices are not called out. Source: Rapid7 Surface Command · Read 27 Sep 2026	Partly Tenable One includes vulnerability management alongside external attack surface data. Source: Tenable: buy · Read 27 Sep 2026
Cloud workloadsDiffers	Partly InsightCloudSec sits in the same platform. Source: Rapid7 products · Read 27 Sep 2026	Not in our sources
SaaS applications	Not in our sources	Not in our sources
Identities as assetsDiffers	Matches Identities are part of the unified inventory. Source: Rapid7 Command platform packages and pricing · Read 11 Oct 2026	Not in our sources
Off-network laptops	Not in our sources	Not in our sources
OT and IoT devices	Not in our sources	Not in our sources
Internet-facing discovery	Matches External attack surface visibility (EASM). Source: Rapid7 Surface Command · Read 27 Sep 2026	Matches A 5 billion+ asset map with 200+ metadata fields. Source: Tenable Attack Surface Management · Read 27 Sep 2026
Offers its own agent	Not in our sources	Not in our sources
Works without new agents	Not in our sources	Not in our sources
Merges records from several sourcesDiffers	Matches A unified asset inventory (CAASM). Source: Rapid7 Surface Command · Read 27 Sep 2026	Partly Tenable One Connectors bring third-party data into the platform. Source: Tenable One · Read 27 Sep 2026
Feeds or updates a CMDB	Not in our sources	Not in our sources
Cross-source queries and reportsDiffers	Partly Asset graph and blast radius views. Source: Rapid7 Command platform packages and pricing · Read 11 Oct 2026	Not in our sources
Workflows, tickets or actionsDiffers	Matches Remediation hub and built-in, SOAR-ready automation and integrations in the Surface Command package. Source: Rapid7 Command platform packages and pricing · Read 11 Oct 2026	Partly Hexa AI orchestrates automated remediation in Tenable One. Source: Tenable One · Read 27 Sep 2026
Price or pricing basis published	Partly Pricing basis published: asset types and use cases in scope; no amounts. Source: Rapid7 Command platform packages and pricing · Read 11 Oct 2026	Partly Attack Surface Management is not sold online; Tenable publishes adjacent prices, such as Tenable One Vulnerability Management at $3,700 for one year for up to 250 assets. Source: Tenable: buy · Read 27 Sep 2026
Free tier or trialDiffers	Matches Public trial. Source: Rapid7 Surface Command · Read 27 Sep 2026	Partly Free trials for Tenable One Vulnerability Management and Nessus; the Tenable One platform and its exposure products are demo only. Source: Tenable free trials · Read 11 Oct 2026
Platform it is part of	Rapid7: Shares the Command platform with Exposure Command, InsightVM and InsightCloudSec. Source: Rapid7 products · Read 27 Sep 2026	Tenable: External findings sit in Tenable One next to Tenable vulnerability data. Source: Tenable One · Read 27 Sep 2026
Integrations	SOAR-ready integrations, with Exposure Command, InsightVM and InsightCloudSec in the same platform. Source: Rapid7 Surface Command · Read 27 Sep 2026	Tenable One Connectors bring third-party data into the platform. Source: Tenable One · Read 27 Sep 2026
Price	No amounts published. Priced on the asset types and use cases in scope; Start Trial offered. Exposure Command Essentials adds vulnerability scanning and Ultimate adds cloud, IaC and DAST. Source: Rapid7 Command platform packages and pricing · Read 11 Oct 2026	Attack Surface Management: demo request only. Adjacent published price: Tenable One Vulnerability Management at $3,700 for one year for up to 250 assets. Source: Tenable: buy · Read 27 Sep 2026

Where do they differ?

CAASM aggregation: Rapid7 describes it; Tenable describes it with a condition.
Exposure management: Rapid7 describes it with a condition; Tenable describes it.
Cloud workloads: Rapid7 partly matches; Tenable is not in our sources.
Identities as assets: Rapid7 matches; Tenable is not in our sources.
Merges records from several sources: Rapid7 matches; Tenable partly matches.
Cross-source queries and reports: Rapid7 partly matches; Tenable is not in our sources.
Workflows, tickets or actions: Rapid7 matches; Tenable partly matches.
Free tier or trial: Rapid7 matches; Tenable partly matches.

Can they work together?

Neither vendor's pages we read name the other as an integration. That does not mean they cannot work together; ask both vendors.

Choose Rapid7 if

You already run InsightVM or another Rapid7 product
You want internal and external assets in one inventory

Choose Tenable if

You already run Tenable vulnerability management
Your question is which exposures to fix first more than which assets exist

Which limits should you check?

Rapid7

No price amounts published; pricing depends on the asset types and use cases in scope.
Vulnerability scanning sits in the Exposure Command tiers, and SaaS apps and OT are not described on the pages we read.

Tenable

Attack Surface Management and the Tenable One platform are demo only; free trials cover Vulnerability Management and Nessus.
A unified internal asset inventory, SaaS apps and identities are not described on the pages we read.

Put Rapid7 and Tenable in the asset census with others Run the finder

Questions people ask

Is Rapid7 or Tenable better?

Neither is scored on this site. Rapid7 describes 3 of five approaches and Tenable 3 on the pages we read, and they differ on 8 recorded facts. Which fits depends on where your assets live, whether you can install agents, your CMDB and your tools; the finder checks those.

Do Rapid7 and Tenable work with a CMDB?

Rapid7: Not in our sources. Tenable: Not in our sources.

Do Rapid7 or Tenable publish prices?

Rapid7: No amounts published. Priced on the asset types and use cases in scope; Start Trial offered. Exposure Command Essentials adds vulnerability scanning and Ultimate adds cloud, IaC and DAST. Tenable: Attack Surface Management: demo request only. Adjacent published price: Tenable One Vulnerability Management at $3,700 for one year for up to 250 assets.