# ManageEngine Vulnerability Manager Plus vs Tenable Nessus: which do AI models recommend for vuln management, October 2026

IT AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, Vulnerability management platforms. Zero of fourteen models named ManageEngine Vulnerability Manager Plus first on the direct prompt; zero named Tenable Nessus. Page: https://it-ai-index.com/security/vulnerability-management-platforms/manageengine-vulnerability-manager-plus-vs-tenable-nessus/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ManageEngine Vulnerability Manager Plus | 7% | #5 of 10 | 10% | 29 | 11 of 14 |
| Tenable Nessus | 4% | #8 of 10 | 30% | 23 | 11 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- Claude Haiku 4.5: neither first, one named (first choices: Rapid7 InsightVM) (alternatives: ManageEngine Vulnerability Manager Plus, Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Tenable Vulnerability Management, Vicarius vRx)
- Perplexity Sonar: neither first, one named (first choices: Rapid7 InsightVM) (alternatives: ManageEngine Vulnerability Manager Plus, Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management, Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Qualys VMDR, Vicarius vRx)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: neither first, one named (first choices: Rapid7 InsightVM) (alternatives: Intruder, ManageEngine Vulnerability Manager Plus, Qualys VMDR, Tenable Vulnerability Management)
- Mistral Small: neither first, one named (first choices: Rapid7 InsightVM) (alternatives: Intruder, ManageEngine Vulnerability Manager Plus, SureCloud)
- Llama 4 Maverick: neither first, one named (first choices: Intruder) (alternatives: ManageEngine Vulnerability Manager Plus, Rapid7's Insight platform)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: neither first, one named (first choices: Qualys VMDR) (alternatives: ManageEngine Vulnerability Manager Plus, Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management, Tenable Vulnerability Management)
- Muse Glimmer 30B: neither first, one named (first choices: Rapid7 InsightVM) (alternatives: Intruder, ManageEngine Vulnerability Manager Plus)
- GPT-5.4 mini: neither named (first choices: Rapid7 InsightVM) (alternatives: Qualys VMDR, Tenable Vulnerability Management)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: neither named (first choices: SecPod SanerNow, Vicarius vRx) (alternatives: CrowdStrike Falcon Spotlight, Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management, Nucleus Security, Rapid7 InsightVM)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: neither named (first choices: Rapid7 InsightVM, Vicarius vRx) (alternatives: Intruder, Tenable Vulnerability Management)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: neither named (first choices: Rapid7 InsightVM) (alternatives: Qualys VMDR, Tenable Vulnerability Management)
- Kimi K2: neither named (first choices: Intruder, Rapid7 InsightVM) (alternatives: Qualys VMDR)
- MiniMax M2.5: neither named (first choices: Rapid7 InsightVM) (alternatives: Intruder, Tenable One)
- GPT-6 Luna: neither named (first choices: Tenable Vulnerability Management) (alternatives: Qualys VMDR, Rapid7 InsightVM)

## What the models said about ManageEngine Vulnerability Manager Plus

- "The vulnerability intelligence falls behind security-first platforms, with risk scoring lacking threat intelligence depth" (Claude Haiku 4.5, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "noted for their automated patch deployment, but they also do not offer patchless protection" (Mistral Small, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "Limited native remediation options compared to others." (Mistral Small, comparative prompt, soft negative)
- "the most practical recommendation from the results because it is repeatedly positioned as suitable for budget-conscious teams" (Perplexity Sonar, budget prompt, first choice)
- "I would recommend ManageEngine Vulnerability Manager Plus ... is the safest fit for a mid-sized B2B company" (Perplexity Sonar, paraphrase prompt, first choice)
- "Top Recommendation: ManageEngine Vulnerability Manager Plus" (GLM 4.7 FlashX, paraphrase prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about Tenable Nessus

- "Avoid trying to scrape out a "Free" version of Nessus; Tenable discontinued its unlimited community scanner" (Qwen 3.7 Flash, budget prompt, hard negative)
- "Avoid Standalone "Point-in-Time" Scanners for Enterprise VM ... Why to avoid them for enterprise VM" (Gemini 3.5 Flash, negative prompt, hard negative)
- "scanners like older Nessus/OpenVAS versions criticized for inaccurate Windows scans or signature mismatches" (Grok 4.1 Fast, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "the best starting point is Nessus Essentials (free) + a free vulnerability feed for on‑prem scanning" (GLM 4.7 FlashX, budget prompt, first choice)
- "I'd recommend Tenable Nessus Professional as the starting point" (Grok 4.1 Fast, paraphrase prompt, first choice)
- "useful for getting started with proven scanning technology, with the limitation of scan limits and lack of centralized reporting" (Muse Glimmer 30B, budget prompt, alternative)

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category. Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category. Published under CC BY 4.0; the output is the models' output, and nothing here is a recommendation by the index.