# CIS Benchmarks Audit vs Nessus Professional: side-by-side comparison (2026)

[CIS Benchmarks Audit](https://cybersectools.com/tools/cis-benchmarks-audit) is a free [vulnerability assessment](https://cybersectools.com/categories/vulnerability-assessment) solution. [Nessus Professional](https://cybersectools.com/tools/nessus-professional) is a commercial [vulnerability assessment](https://cybersectools.com/categories/vulnerability-assessment) solution by [Tenable](https://cybersectools.com/companies/tenable). Features, integrations, deployment and the company behind each one, side by side.

## Side-by-side comparison

| | CIS Benchmarks Audit | Nessus Professional |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free | Commercial |
| Category | Vulnerability Assessment | Vulnerability Assessment |
| Verified | No | No |
| Deployment type | On-Premises | On-Premises |
| Company size fit | Startup, SMB, Mid-Market, Enterprise | Startup, SMB, Mid-Market, Enterprise |
| GitHub stars | 273 | – |
| Last commit | Feb 2023 | – |
| Company | – | Tenable |
| Headquarters | – | – |

### Use cases and capabilities

| | CIS Benchmarks Audit | Nessus Professional |
|---|---|---|
| Security Hardening | Yes | – |
| CIS | Yes | Yes |
| Security Standards | Yes | – |
| Security Audit | Yes | – |
| Vulnerability | – | Yes |
| Security Scanning | – | Yes |
| CVE | – | Yes |
| Penetration Testing Framework | – | Yes |
| NIST | – | Yes |
| PCI DSS | – | Yes |
| Network Scanning | – | Yes |
| VAPT | – | Yes |

### Core features

**CIS Benchmarks Audit**

No features listed.

**Nessus Professional**

10 features listed. Sign in on the page to see them.

## Which one fits you

Based on what each listing shows: deployment, company size, price and open source.

- [CIS Benchmarks Audit](https://cybersectools.com/tools/cis-benchmarks-audit) fits if you need a free product and you want an open-source product.

## CIS Benchmarks Audit vs Nessus Professional FAQ

Common questions when comparing CIS Benchmarks Audit vs Nessus Professional for vulnerability assessment.

### What is the difference between CIS Benchmarks Audit and Nessus Professional?

**CIS Benchmarks Audit**: A standalone Python script that audits system configurations against CIS Hardening Benchmarks to assess compliance readiness without requiring installation or dependencies.

**Nessus Professional**: Vulnerability scanner for assessing networks, systems, and apps for security flaws. Built by Tenable.

The table above shows where their features, integrations, deployment and company size fit differ.

### Who makes CIS Benchmarks Audit and Nessus Professional?

**CIS Benchmarks Audit** is open-source with 273 GitHub stars. **Nessus Professional** is made by Tenable. The vendor behind a product decides its roadmap, support, and longevity, so check each company's profile before you commit.

### Is CIS Benchmarks Audit a good alternative to Nessus Professional?

Often, yes. CIS Benchmarks Audit and Nessus Professional are both Vulnerability Assessment products, and both cover CIS. Key differences: CIS Benchmarks Audit is Free while Nessus Professional is Commercial, CIS Benchmarks Audit is open-source. Use the table above to see where features, deployment and company size fit differ.

## Related comparisons

- [CIS Benchmarks Audit vs Webray RayScan](https://cybersectools.com/compare/cis-benchmarks-audit-vs-webray-rayscan)
- [CIS Benchmarks Audit vs Nsauditor Network Security Auditor](https://cybersectools.com/compare/cis-benchmarks-audit-vs-nsauditor-network-security-auditor)
- [CIS Benchmarks Audit vs Positive Technologies XSpider PRO](https://cybersectools.com/compare/cis-benchmarks-audit-vs-positive-technologies-xspider-pro)
- [Nessus Professional vs Webray RayScan](https://cybersectools.com/compare/nessus-professional-vs-webray-rayscan)
- [Nessus Professional vs Nsauditor Network Security Auditor](https://cybersectools.com/compare/nessus-professional-vs-nsauditor-network-security-auditor)
- [Nessus Professional vs Positive Technologies XSpider PRO](https://cybersectools.com/compare/nessus-professional-vs-positive-technologies-xspider-pro)

## Alternatives to each

- [See all CIS Benchmarks Audit alternatives](https://cybersectools.com/alternatives/cis-benchmarks-audit)
- [See all Nessus Professional alternatives](https://cybersectools.com/alternatives/nessus-professional)

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Source: https://cybersectools.com/compare/cis-benchmarks-audit-vs-nessus-professional

For AI agents: each product above has its own Markdown page (add .md to its URL, for example https://cybersectools.com/tools/cis-benchmarks-audit.md). Every CybersecTools shortlist is listed at https://cybersectools.com/shortlists.md.

More on CIS Benchmarks Audit and Nessus Professional: funding, momentum, hiring and news, plus the full product and company record, are available through the Mandos MCP Server (paid plans), which connects to AI assistants: https://mandos.io/mcp?utm_source=cybersectools.com&utm_medium=compare-md