Amazon Inspector vs Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management comparison

Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft are both solutions in the Vulnerability Management category. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is ranked #22 with an average rating of 8.6, while Microsoft is ranked #13 with an average rating of 8.1. Amazon Web Services (AWS) holds a 1.3% mindshare in VM, compared to Microsoft’s 1.8% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of Amazon Web Services (AWS) users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

Amazon Inspector

Read 9 Amazon Inspector reviews

3,337 Views
2,903 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Microsoft Defender Vulnerab...

Read 18 Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management reviews

5,326 Views
3,941 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

Amazon Inspector

Microsoft Defender Vulnerab...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 9, 2024

Amazon Inspector and Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management are competing products in the category of vulnerability management. Microsoft Defender seems to have the upper hand due to its extensive feature set, despite Amazon Inspector's smooth AWS integration.

Features: Amazon Inspector provides automated security assessments, tight integration with AWS services, and a focus on cloud-native environments, making it ideal for AWS-centric organizations. Microsoft Defender offers comprehensive vulnerability coverage, integration across Windows environments, and robust threat intelligence features, appealing to businesses seeking extensive capabilities.

Room for Improvement: Amazon Inspector could improve by expanding support beyond AWS-centric environments, enhancing threat intelligence capabilities, and offering more detailed reporting features. Microsoft Defender could benefit from simplifying its deployment process, improving integration with non-Microsoft environments, and offering more customizable reporting options.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Amazon Inspector benefits from quick deployment within AWS, facilitating straightforward integration for existing AWS customers. Microsoft Defender, while more comprehensive, requires more effort in deployment but offers extensive Microsoft ecosystem integration and support. Customers report Amazon Inspector is easier to deploy, but Defender's support services may offer better long-term value.

Pricing and ROI: Amazon Inspector typically presents a cost-effective solution for AWS users due to its usage-based pricing model. Microsoft Defender has a higher initial setup cost but justifies this with a rich feature set and comprehensive management capabilities. Organizations leveraging cloud-native and Microsoft solutions may find the ROI attractive despite the higher upfront costs. Amazon Inspector may appear more budget-friendly, while Microsoft Defender appeals to businesses seeking extensive vulnerability management features.

To learn more, read our detailed Amazon Inspector vs. Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management Report (Updated: April 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Amazon Inspector vs. Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management

April 2026

Download the complete report

Helped 893,244 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Amazon Inspector

Ranking in Vulnerability Management

22nd

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

IT Vendor Risk Management (6th)

Microsoft Defender Vulnerab...

Ranking in Vulnerability Management

13th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (18th), Microsoft Security Suite (18th), Risk-Based Vulnerability Management (6th)

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Vulnerability Management category, the mindshare of Amazon Inspector is 1.3%, down from 2.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management is 1.8%, down from 3.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Vulnerability Management Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management	1.8%
Amazon Inspector	1.3%
Other	96.9%

Vulnerability Management

Featured Reviews

Abdalla Kenawy

AWS DevOps SRE/Infrastructure Engineer at Capgemini

Automated insights streamline data security assessment

For Amazon Inspector, we have many EC2 or virtual machines deployed inside our AWS environment, and the problem is that the existing package deployed inside this EC2 instance has already outdated packages. As we progress with time, this package needs to be updated for security enhancement, which requires us to uninstall the package, install the new version, and then we should be fine. However, the challenge comes with how to scan all our EC2 instances for security vulnerabilities, which is currently managed by Amazon Inspector. Amazon Inspector can scan EC2 instances or ECR, which is the ECR registry where we can save artifacts Docker images. Amazon Inspector can also scan Docker images uploaded to ECR for Elastic Registry service, and it can scan databases and S3 based on the latest updates. I noticed this from a couple of months ago, and it provides huge benefits for security. Regarding the best features of Amazon Inspector, it gives us a list of all existing outdated packages as part of a deployed package on EC2 instances or specific Python packages that are part of the Docker file and the Docker image itself, which are causing security concerns. Amazon Inspector can list these security concerns and offer guidance on how we can remediate it by updating the package to a specific upper version or something similar.

Read full review

Okhan BABUCCU

Microsoft Solutions Manager at Self-Employed

Ensures strong threat and vulnerability management with continuous risk assessment

The major priority is identity, which is crucial; we have lots of companies in manufacturing, energy, or various sectors, and it varies from one to another. I assess Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management as very effective in continuously assessing vulnerabilities without requiring scans. We use automatic investigation and remediation features, safe attachments, safe links, and real-time reports, which are also very effective. For Active Directory, Defender has threat intelligence, and we are using that. The risk-based prioritization within Vulnerability Management affects my ability to manage vulnerabilities, particularly in relation to the Zero Trust Model utilized by our customers. The end-users often do as they please in their systems.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The assessment reports provided by Amazon Inspector have helped me in identifying security vulnerabilities in my cloud applications by giving us a nicely designed dashboard that provides all the security information we need to work on remediation."

"It operates continuously, so as soon as resources are created, it scans them for vulnerabilities."

"The most valuable feature of Amazon Inspector is the categorization of findings, which filters vulnerabilities by instance, container image, container repository, and Lambda function."

"Amazon Inspector is highly stable, rated ten out of ten, and this stability impacts business security and administration positively."

"The findings dashboards are neat and easy to understand, offering clear demarcations for different types of findings and detailed insights into specific vulnerabilities and their associated instances. It is not a place where everything is dumped together. It offers an easy-to-understand layout."

"I recommend Amazon Inspector because it allows the automation of processes and requires less manual monitoring."

"The scalability of the solution itself is unparalleled."

"The automated vulnerability detection aspect is most valuable."

More Amazon Inspector pros

"The solution helps identify threats and vulnerabilities."

"Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management is versatile and assesses vulnerabilities, providing detailed information on CVEs, their categories, and exploit statuses."

"The product's stability is very high...The scalability of the product is amazing."

"A valuable feature is the ease of management and integration with Microsoft products."

"The product’s most valuable features are compliance, recommendations, and inventories."

"The integration with Sentinel has been one of the most valuable features for my organization."

"The integration with SIEM is the best, specifically the native integration with Microsoft SIEM."

"The solution is up-to-date and helps prevent zero-day attacks."

More Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management pros

Cons

"It has automated vulnerability assessment, yet I seek more flexibility in defining custom vulnerability checks tailored to my needs, which is more difficult."

"One area for improvement in Amazon Inspector is the automation aspect."

"It has a limited scope. So, AWS Inspector primarily focuses on the security of the EC2 instance. So, if your architecture includes other AWS services, then you may need to use additional tools for your comprehensive security assessment. So that is one con. Another is, like, we have a dependency on agents."

"There is room for improvement in the scanning capabilities. I'd like to see broader coverage in terms of the vulnerabilities detected."

"There isn't too much to improve right now. Scanning on demand or as a part of the pipeline versus a post pipeline solution would be good, but it is not a deal breaker by any means."

"There are challenges associated with the interdependencies in AWS services, like requiring an Active Directory for other services, resulting in additional charges."

"The other point is that the reporting features of Inspector need improvement. For example, I am in an organization with millions of CVEs, and getting an overview of all this is challenging."

More Amazon Inspector cons

"There should be risk scoring added to Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management; specifically, they call it quantification of the risk."

"The technical support takes too much time to resolve tickets."

"The setup phase of the product is not that easy and needs a person to have a certain level of expertise."

"There is a good solution from Microsoft, however, there is a gap between Windows and Linux management."

"They may need to improve the portal refresh rate for Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management because it takes time for recommendations to disappear after mitigation; sometimes, it takes one week, when it should ideally take only one to two hours."

"We have experienced some logging issues, including a few hours of downtime initially. Despite this, I would rate the overall stability as an eight."

"The worst aspect is the refresh rate of the dashboard."

"The product is not stable; it is very resource-intensive, consuming a lot of memory and CPU, which makes it slow."

More Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is scaled as you go. There are probably a certain number of scans per month, and there are tiers. If you're under a certain tier, it is free. The second level is pennies, and then all the way up to like a million. So, it has a tiered pricing program. They're pretty good with your initial scanning, and there is room to scale based on being affordable, but it is fairly cheap. There are no additional costs. They pretty much think about it as a pay-per-scan type model."

"It's priced according to market standards for its services."

"The lowest cost would be around $10 for a few small accounts, however, for thousands of accounts, it could be around $5000 to $6000 dollars per month."

"The pricing is very transparent and clear."

"The product’s pricing is medium."

"The licensing costs are reasonable."

"I rate the product's price a three on a scale of one to ten, where one is a low price, and ten is a high price."

"The tool is a bit costly."

"The licensing model follows a per-user per-month structure."

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Vulnerability Management solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

893,244 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

15%

Computer Software Company

Government

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	2
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	6

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	9
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	7

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Amazon Inspector?

I am not honestly sure about the pricing side of Amazon Inspector, but that is taken care of by a separate team. I believe it's cheaper than the other third-party solutions.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Amazon Inspector?

They might launch support for third-party environments in the next version regarding the best features in Amazon Inspector from my perspective. The false positive rate of Amazon Inspector is a litt...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Amazon Inspector?

I mostly use Amazon Inspector for vulnerability scanning on AWS native applications. For hybrid applications, we have different security scanners.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management?

We are open to discounts on the pricing.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management?

When I create rules, it gave me problems and I did not know where the problem was located. A small pop-up notification indicating how a rule should be configured would be helpful, rather than the p...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management?

I do not use Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management at work. However, I am currently not working, but I do use Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management on my personal computer.

See all answers

Comparisons

Tenable Nessus vs Amazon Inspector

Compared 9% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Cloud vs Amazon Inspector

Compared 8% of the time

Tenable Vulnerability Management vs Amazon Inspector

Compared 8% of the time

Rapid7 Metasploit vs Amazon Inspector

Compared 7% of the time

Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management vs Amazon Inspector

Compared 6% of the time

More Amazon Inspector Competitors

Qualys VMDR vs Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management

Compared 7% of the time

SentinelOne Singularity Cloud Security vs Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management

Compared 7% of the time

Tenable Nessus vs Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management

Compared 7% of the time

Rapid7 InsightVM vs Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management

Compared 5% of the time

Rapid7 Metasploit vs Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management

Compared 4% of the time

More Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Amazon Inspector

May 2026

Download Amazon Inspector product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management

April 2026

Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management report

Download Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management product report

Overview

Amazon Inspector offers automated vulnerability detection, scanning AWS workloads and recommending remediation, ensuring enhanced security without constant supervision.

Amazon Inspector provides advanced automated vulnerability assessments, specifically designed for AWS environments. It scans EC2 instances, ECR, and container images for vulnerabilities, ranking them by priority. With capabilities like integration with CloudTrail and CloudWatch, adherence to compliance benchmarks, and a comprehensive view for diverse resources, it supports continuous detection and detailed reporting. Users can schedule regular scans, maintaining strong security oversight. Current feedback highlights a need for improved scanning of EBS, S3, and EFS, as well as expanded databases and better patch integration.

What features make Amazon Inspector stand out?

Automated Vulnerability Assessments: Detects and prioritizes vulnerabilities in AWS workloads.
Continuous Detection: Keeps an eye on EC2, ECR, and container images for ongoing risk management.
Integration Capabilities: Works with CloudTrail and CloudWatch to centralize oversight and alerts.
Compliance Adherence: Aligns with industry benchmarks for strengthened regulatory compliance.
Detailed Reporting: Provides comprehensive reports with findings and CVEs.

What benefits do users gain from Amazon Inspector?

Enhanced Security: Automates vulnerability detection, reducing manual efforts.
Efficiency: Identifies and prioritizes threats, streamlining resource allocation.
Comprehensive Oversight: Detailed reports improve understanding and response strategies.
Regulatory Compliance: Aligns with compliance standards, aiding legal adherence.

Amazon Inspector is utilized across industries, including finance, healthcare, and tech, assisting with robust security management in cloud-native environments. By integrating with services like Security Hub and SIEM, businesses maintain compliance and streamline alert management. This solution supports broader security frameworks, often paired with third-party tools to enhance protection strategies.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management enables organizations to identify vulnerabilities, manage patches, and fortify threat detection. It offers endpoint assessments, cloud incident management, and dynamic security through Microsoft's Security Scorecard integration.

Organizations leverage Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management for advanced threat detection and response. It provides robust tools for vulnerability assessment and cloud incident management, integrated with Microsoft's Security Scorecard to enhance dynamic security profiling. Key features include automatic patch deployment, security configuration management, and seamless integration with Microsoft platforms, benefiting both on-prem and cloud environments. Organizations can track vulnerabilities with severity-based reports, helping manage outdated software and minimizing threat exposure.

What are the key features of Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management?

Compliance: Ensures adherence to security regulations.
Recommendations: Provides actionable advice for security enhancements.
Inventories: Offers detailed inventory tracking for software and hardware.
Threat Identification: Detects potential threats proactively.
Vulnerability Assessment: Evaluates system vulnerabilities comprehensively.
Zero-day Protection: Shields systems from newly discovered exploits.

What benefits should users look for in reviews?

Integration: Facilitates seamless integration with Microsoft and diverse platforms.
Risk Mitigation: Assists in mitigating risks through accurate assessments.
Prioritization: Helps prioritize vulnerabilities for efficient patch management.
Up-to-date Protection: Ensures systems remain secured and current.

In healthcare, Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management helps manage compliance with health regulations, while in finance, it aids in securing sensitive data from cyber threats. Manufacturing sectors benefit from its patch management, keeping operational technology systems less vulnerable to disruptions.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

betterment, caplinked, flatiron, university of nutri dame

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Amazon Inspector vs. Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management

April 2026

Free Report: Amazon Inspector vs. Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management

Find out what your peers are saying about Amazon Inspector vs. Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.

DOWNLOAD NOW

893,244 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our Amazon Inspector vs. Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management report.

See our list of best Vulnerability Management vendors.

We monitor all Vulnerability Management reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.