Top 10 Free Vulnerability Scanning Tools You Should Be Using In 2025 (No Cost, All Power)
Here is a list of the Top 10 Free Vulnerability Scanning Tools that are widely used in cybersecurity, suitable for various environments like web applications, networks, and systems :
1. OpenVAS (Greenbone Vulnerability Manager)
- Type : Network vulnerability scanner.
- Best for : Enterprises, sysadmins.
- Features : Regular updates, full vulnerability assessment suite, customizable scans.
- OS : Linux.
- Free Tier : Fully open-source.
Website : https://www.greenbone.net
2. Nikto
- Type: Web server scanner.
- Best for: Web app pentesters.
- Features: Checks for 6700+ potentially dangerous files/CGIs, outdated servers, and more.
- OS: Cross-platform (Perl-based).
- Free Tier: Open-source.
Website : https://github.com/sullo/nikto
3. Nmap (with NSE scripts)
- Type: Network scanner with scripting.
- Best for: Network reconnaissance and vulnerability detection.
- Features: Port scanning, OS detection, NSE for vulnerability discovery.
- OS: Cross-platform.
- Free Tier: Fully open-source.
Webiste : https://nmap.org
4. Nessus Essentials (by Tenable)
- Type: Vulnerability assessment tool.
- Best for: Small businesses, students.
- Features: Over 50,000 CVEs, customizable templates.
- OS: Cross-platform.
- Free Tier: Up to 16 IPs (Nessus Essentials).
Webiste : https://www.tenable.com/products/nessus/nessus-essentials
5. ZAP (OWASP Zed Attack Proxy)
- Type: Web application security scanner.
- Best for: Developers, QA testers, security pros.
- Features: Passive/active scanning, API fuzzing, spidering.
- OS: Cross-platform.
- Free Tier: Fully open-source.
Website : https://www.zaproxy.org
6. Wapiti
- Type: Web application vulnerability scanner.
- Best for: Lightweight scans.
- Features: Detects XSS, SQLi, file disclosure, etc.
- OS: Cross-platform (Python-based).
- Free Tier: Open-source.
Website : https://github.com/wapiti-scanner/wapiti
7. Vega
- Type: Web vulnerability scanner and proxy.
- Best for: Beginner-friendly web scanning.
- Features: GUI, cross-platform, XSS and SQLi detection.
- OS: Windows, macOS, Linux.
- Free Tier: Fully free and open-source.
Website : https://github.com/subgraph/Vega
8. Lynis
- Type: Security auditing and hardening tool.
- Best for: System security (Linux/macOS).
- Features: Audits compliance, kernel settings, installed packages.
- OS: Unix-like systems.
- Free Tier: Open-source.
Website : https://cisofy.com/lynis
9. Arachni
- Type: Web application vulnerability scanner.
- Best for: DevOps teams, CI/CD integration.
- Features: Scans for a wide range of web vulnerabilities, automation-ready.
- OS: Cross-platform.
- Free Tier: Open-source.
Website : https://github.com/Arachni/arachni.
10. SQLMap
- Type: Automated SQL injection tool.
- Best for: Pentesters targeting DB flaws.
- Features: Automates SQLi detection and exploitation, DB fingerprinting.
- OS: Cross-platform (Python-based).
- Free Tier: Fully open-source.
Website : https://sqlmap.org.
Let me know if you want help setting up any of these or want recommendations based on a specific use case.
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