Nuclei

Fast, template-based open-source vulnerability scanner with 8,000+ community-contributed detection templates

ToolOpen Source Vulnerability ScannerOpen SourceCloudSelf-hosted

Pricing: Nuclei CLI free (open source, Apache-2.0); ProjectDiscovery Cloud Platform pay-as-you-go from $250 (50 credits/seat, $5/extra credit); Enterprise custom quote

Reviewed by the CyberSecTool editorial team against the public sources cited below · Last reviewed February 2026 · How we review listings

What is Nuclei?

Nuclei is a fast, template-based open-source vulnerability scanner developed by ProjectDiscovery. Built in Go for high performance, Nuclei uses YAML-based templates to define and execute vulnerability checks across web applications, networks, DNS, cloud services, and more. With over 8,000 community-contributed templates covering CVEs, misconfigurations, exposed panels, default credentials, and technology detection, Nuclei has become the preferred tool for security researchers, bug bounty hunters, and organizations wanting a highly customizable and extensible scanning engine.

Best for: Security teams and researchers wanting a fast, customizable, template-driven vulnerability scanner for web and infrastructure testing

Pros

✓ Extremely fast scanning with Go-based concurrent execution
✓ Highly customizable with easy-to-write YAML templates
✓ Massive community-driven template library covering latest CVEs
✓ Lightweight CLI tool perfect for CI/CD and automation pipelines
✓ Active development with rapid community response to new vulnerabilities

Considerations

• Requires security expertise to interpret results and write custom templates
• No built-in vulnerability management workflow or dashboard
• Template quality varies across community contributions
• Limited authenticated scanning compared to enterprise scanners
• Not a complete vulnerability management platform. Scanning engine only

Reported in public reviews and vendor documentation. See sources below.

Key Features

→YAML-based template engine for custom checks

→8,000+ community-contributed vulnerability templates

→High-speed concurrent scanning in Go

→Multi-protocol support (HTTP, DNS, TCP, SSL)

→CI/CD pipeline integration for DevSecOps

→Headless browser support for JavaScript-heavy applications

→Automatic template updates from community repository

→Output in JSON, SARIF, and multiple reporting formats

Are you Nuclei? Improve this listing with screenshots, case studies and more.

Nuclei Comparisons

Nuclei vs Tenable→Nuclei vs Arctic Wolf→Nuclei vs CrowdStrike Falcon Spotlight→Nuclei vs Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management→Nuclei vs Greenbone OpenVAS→Nuclei vs Tanium→Nuclei vs Qualys VMDR→Nuclei vs Rapid7 InsightVM→

Sources & references

Where the information on this listing comes from. Always verify pricing and capabilities against the vendor before a purchasing decision.

Nuclei — official websitePrimary source

Nuclei questions on Stack Overflow

Stack Overflow

ProjectDiscovery - Pricing (official)

Vendor pricing page

projectdiscovery/nuclei (GitHub repository, Apache-2.0, open source)

Vendor source repository

Best ProjectDiscovery Alternative for VM and EASM (notes former Growth tier $3,500/yr removed mid-2025, free + enterprise now)

Independent (Attaxion)

Spot an error, or do you represent Nuclei? Request a correction.

Quick Info

Pricing	Nuclei CLI free (open source, Apache-2.0); ProjectDiscovery Cloud Platform pay-as-you-go from $250 (50 credits/seat, $5/extra credit); Enterprise custom quote
Model	Open source with optional cloud platform
Founded	2020
Cloud	Yes
Self-Hosted	Yes
Open Source	Yes

Visit Website →View on GitHub →

Last updated: Feb 20, 2026

Nuclei Alternatives

View All Alternatives

Tenable
Vulnerability management platform with Nessus scanning, clou...Qualys VMDR
Cloud-native vulnerability management platform with integrat...Rapid7 InsightVM
Risk-based vulnerability management platform with live dashb...CrowdStrike Falcon Spotlight
EDR-integrated scanless vulnerability assessment built on th...Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management
Microsoft's built-in vulnerability management integrated wit...