HackerOne vs Microsoft Defender for Cloud comparison

HackerOne and Microsoft are both solutions in the Vulnerability Management category. HackerOne is ranked #39 with an average rating of 8.3, while Microsoft is ranked #7 with an average rating of 8.1. HackerOne holds a 0.4% mindshare in VM, compared to Microsoft’s 5.5% mindshare. Additionally, 85% of HackerOne users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 13, 2025

HackerOne and Microsoft Defender for Cloud are competitors in the cybersecurity space. Microsoft Defender for Cloud appears to have a slight advantage due to its comprehensive integration capabilities with Azure, while HackerOne's community-driven approach is highly valued.

Features: HackerOne provides access to a global community of security researchers who deliver vulnerability assessments with precision. It offers third-party integrations including payment systems and project management tools, enhancing usability. The speed of vulnerability reporting is another strength, allowing businesses to react quickly. Microsoft Defender boasts robust integration across Microsoft products, offering seamless protection within Azure environments. It provides an extensive range of compliance policies and dynamic networking support, alongside Azure's multi-cloud capabilities and robust alert and incident management systems.

Room for Improvement: HackerOne could improve by offering more native cloud integrations to simplify deployment for cloud-based systems. Simplifying the initial setup process and integrating more directly with development tools would enhance its offering. Community management tools could also be expanded to facilitate better interaction between companies and researchers. Microsoft Defender could enhance threat intelligence by incorporating more real-time updates. Its dashboard might benefit from a more user-friendly interface. Some users may find its reliance on the Microsoft ecosystem a limitation, suggesting a need for broader interoperability with non-Microsoft products.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft Defender for Cloud excels in deployment within Azure, benefiting from native integration and extensive customer support options. The integration across Microsoft's ecosystem simplifies setup, particularly for existing Azure users. HackerOne's focus on vulnerability reporting requires more initial setup, lacking streamlined native integrations, demanding more effort from users to align it with their existing tools.

Pricing and ROI: HackerOne's flexible pricing depends on community engagement levels, offering scalable ROI through bounty programs and improved security posture. Microsoft Defender for Cloud tends to be more costly but offers significant ROI through tight Azure integration, which can reduce security incidents and enhance overall system protection.

To learn more, read our detailed HackerOne vs. Microsoft Defender for Cloud Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

HackerOne vs. Microsoft Defender for Cloud

July 2025

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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

Zafran Security

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Vulnerability Management category, the mindshare of Zafran Security is 0.9%, up from 0.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of HackerOne is 0.4%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Cloud is 5.5%, up from 5.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Vulnerability Management

Featured Reviews

Israel Cavazos Landini

Associate Director IT Security Operations at a pharma/biotech company with 10,001+ employees

Weekly insights and risk analysis facilitate informed security decisions

I appreciate the weekly insights Zafran provides, which include critical topics for networks and IT security, allowing us to evaluate which insights apply to our environment. The organization score feature is valuable to keep the leadership team updated on how our infrastructure fares security-wise. The applicable risk level versus base risk level feature is beneficial because prior to Zafran, we only used the base risk level, but now understand that risk depends on the asset itself. Zafran is an excellent tool.

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Faizan Nehal

dApp Auditor at Hacken

Platform supports skill development with effective vulnerability reporting

Everything has become slower on HackerOne. I have noticed that older researchers receive all the private invites while newer ones receive fewer. The same goes for real-life events, where the same people are invited repeatedly. There are no clear guidelines for being invited to programs and conferences, and the process for receiving invitations appears arbitrary.

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Vibhor Goel

Senior Cloud Platform Engineer at Deutsche Börse

A single tool for complete visibility and addressing security gaps

Currently, issues are structured in Microsoft Defender for Cloud at severity levels of high, critical, or warning, but these severity levels are not always right. For example, Microsoft might consider a port being open as critical, but that might not be the case for our company. Similarly, it might suggest closing some management ports, but you might need them to be able to log in, so the severity levels for certain things can be improved. Even though Microsoft Defender for Cloud provides a way to temporarily disable certain alerts or notifications without affecting our security score, it would be better to have more granularized control over these recommendations. Currently, we cannot even disable certain alerts or notifications. There should be an automated mechanism to design Azure policies based on the recommendations, possibly with AI integration. Instead of an engineer having to write a policy to fix security gaps, which is very time-consuming, there should be an inbuilt capability to auto-remediate everything and have proper control in place. Additionally, enabling Defender for Cloud at the resource group level, rather than only at the subscription level, would be beneficial.

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

"We saw benefits from Zafran Security almost immediately after deploying it."

"Zafran is an excellent tool."

"We are able to see the real risk of a vulnerability on our environment with our security tools."

"Zafran has become an indispensable tool in our cybersecurity arsenal."

"Overall, we have seen about eighty-seven percent reduction of the number of vulnerabilities that require urgency to remediate, specifically the number of criticals."

"It helps me to get new sales, profits, and other benefits."

"The most valuable feature of HackerOne is its variety of programs. These programs provide depth into various areas, such as mobile, API, and websites."

"Apart from getting all the bug bounty opportunities, we also get the chance to practice in a safe environment, like a demo setup. These features are great for beginners who want to explore bug bounties in the future."

"HackerOne is larger than WebCloud and has a better reputation than BugCloud, which results in a smoother process."

"The UX and UI are very good. Users have more of a taste for Microsoft UI."

"It isn't a highly complex solution. It's something that a lot of analysts can use. Defender gives you a broad overview of what's happening in your environment, and it's a great solution if you're a Microsoft shop."

"Defender for Cloud is an improvement over Trend Micro, our previous solution. We like integrating our endpoints and visualizing everything in one place. It provides comprehensive coverage for endpoints, servers, and overall environmental security."

"With respect to improving our security posture, it helps us to understand where we are in terms of compliance. We can easily know when we are below the standard because of the scores it calculates."

"Microsoft Defender has a lot of features including regulatory compliance and attaching workbooks but the most valuable is the recommendations it provides for each and every resource when we open Microsoft Defender."

"I would like to see more connectors and plugins with other platforms."

"The first valuable feature was the fact that it gave us a list of everything that users were surfing on the web. Having the list, we could make decisions about those sites."

"DSPM is the most valuable feature."

More Microsoft Defender for Cloud pros

Cons

"The dashboarding and reporting functionality of Zafran Security is an area that definitely could use some improvements."

"Initially, we were somewhat concerned about the scalability of Zafran due to our large asset count and the substantial amount of information we needed to process."

"I think the ability to have some enhanced reporting capabilities is something they can improve on, as they have good reports but we have asked for some specific reporting enhancements."

"Everything has become slower on HackerOne. I have noticed that older researchers receive all the private invites while newer ones receive fewer."

"The ability to view the conversation between the triagers and the programs will be really good."

"Everything has become slower on HackerOne."

"Response time can be improved. The HackerOne Trust team can be slow to respond sometimes. They're not using AI, which could help reduce the number of duplicate reports."

"One issue I've experienced is traffic. Many people try to participate when an opportunity with a bounty of around 1,000-15,000 dollars comes up. In this case, the first person to report the vulnerability gets the bounty. If a second person reports the same vulnerability, they are marked as duplicated instead of receiving some recognition. The second person also invested time finding the issue, so I think this can be improved."

"An area where Microsoft Defender for Cloud could be improved is in getting away from having multiple menus that do the same thing, which seems imposing when looking at it."

"Although Microsoft Defender for Cloud is based on security, I wish it went beyond providing assessments, reports, and generic steps. More detailed procedures would be helpful, especially for lower-level support staff."

"I would like to have the ability to customize executive reporting."

"Microsoft sources most of their threat intelligence internally, but I think they should open themselves up to bodies that provide feel intelligence to build a better engine. There may be threats out there that they don't report because their team is not doing anything on that and they don't have arrangements with another party that is involved in that research."

"The most significant areas for improvement are in the security of our identity and endpoints and the posture of the cloud environment. Better protection for our cloud users and cloud apps is always welcome."

"However, some Copilot features aren't available in the GCP environment. This is something we hope will be addressed in the future."

"Azure's system could be more on point like AWS support. For example, if I have an issue with AWS, I create a support ticket, then I get a call or a message. With Azure support, you raise a ticket, and somebody calls back depending on their availability and the priority, which might not align with your business priority."

"Sometimes it's very difficult to determine when I need Microsoft Defender for Cloud for a special resource group or a special kind of product."

More Microsoft Defender for Cloud cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"The solution is free."

"The tool is open-source and free for bug bounty hunters."

"There is a helpful cost-reducing option that allows you to integrate production subscriptions with non-production subscriptions."

"I am not involved much with the pricing but the bundle offering is good."

"It has global licensing. It comes with multiple licenses since there are around 50,000 people (in our organization) who look at it."

"While we pay for any additional features, the pricing seems competitive, though I am not involved in the specific cost details."

"The price of the solution is good for the features we receive and there is an additional cost for Microsoft premier support. However, some of my potential customers have found it to be expensive and have gone on to choose another solution."

"Our clients complain about the cost of Microsoft Defender for Cloud."

"Security Center charges $15 per resource for any workload that you onboard into it. They charge per VM or per data-base server or per application. It's not like Microsoft 365 licensing, where there are levels like E3 and E5. Security Center is pretty straightforward."

"Pricing is difficult because each license has its own metrics and cost."

More Microsoft Defender for Cloud pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

10%

Computer Software Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

Healthcare Company

Computer Software Company

13%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

13%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zafran Security?

Since we stood Zafran Security up in our private cloud, we handle the maintenance on our side. As we opted not to use...

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What needs improvement with Zafran Security?

In terms of areas for improvement, Zafran Security is doing a really great job as a new and emerging company. Oftenti...

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What is your primary use case for Zafran Security?

My use cases for Zafran Security revolve around two primary areas. One is around vulnerability management and priorit...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for HackerOne?

The cost is rated as one since there is no need to pay anything, not even a fee or commission.

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What needs improvement with HackerOne?

Everything has become slower on HackerOne. I have noticed that older researchers receive all the private invites whil...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for HackerOne?

My use case is similar to DuckTron. The processes I use for DuckTron are exactly the same for HackerOne. Therefore, t...

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How is Prisma Cloud vs Azure Security Center for security?

Azure Security Center is very easy to use, integrates well, and gives very good visibility on what is happening acros...

See all answers

What do you like most about Microsoft Defender for Cloud?

The entire Defender Suite is tightly coupled, integrated, and collaborative.

See all answers

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

The pricing is pretty standard.

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 37% of the time

Vulcan Cyber vs Zafran Security

Compared 15% of the time

Tenable Vulnerability Management vs Zafran Security

Compared 9% of the time

ServiceNow Security Operations vs Zafran Security

Compared 8% of the time

Tenable Nessus vs Zafran Security

Compared 4% of the time

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Bugcrowd vs HackerOne

Compared 46% of the time

Intigriti vs HackerOne

Compared 16% of the time

Synack vs HackerOne

Compared 14% of the time

YesWeHack vs HackerOne

Compared 9% of the time

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AWS GuardDuty vs Microsoft Defender for Cloud

Compared 25% of the time

Wiz vs Microsoft Defender for Cloud

Compared 12% of the time

Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks vs Microsoft Defender for Cloud

Compared 8% of the time

Microsoft Defender XDR vs Microsoft Defender for Cloud

Compared 5% of the time

Orca Security vs Microsoft Defender for Cloud

Compared 3% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Zafran Security

July 2025

Download Zafran Security product report

Buyer's Guide

HackerOne

August 2025

Download HackerOne product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Defender for Cloud

August 2025

Download Microsoft Defender for Cloud product report

Also Known As

No data available

HackerOne Assets, HackerOne Pentesting Services, HackerOne Security Assessments, HackerOne Vulnerability Management

Microsoft Azure Security Center, Azure Security Center, Microsoft ASC, Azure Defender

Interactive Demo

Demo not available

Zafran Security

Demo not available

HackerOne

Microsoft

Overview

Zafran Security integrates with existing security tools to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities effectively, proving that most critical vulnerabilities are not exploitable, optimizing threat management.

Zafran Security introduces an innovative operating model for managing security threats and vulnerabilities. By leveraging the threat exposure management platform, it pinpoints and prioritizes exploitable vulnerabilities, reducing risk through immediate remediation. This platform enhances your hybrid cloud security by normalizing vulnerability signals and integrating specific IT context data, such as CVE runtime presence and internet asset reachability, into its analysis. No longer reliant on patch windows, Zafran Security allows you to manage risks actively.

What are the key features of Zafran Security?

Threat Exposure Management: Utilizes existing tools to prioritize vulnerabilities and manage threats.
Integrative Analysis: Combines security data with IT context for precise vulnerability management.
Real-time Risk Reduction: Enables immediate risk management without waiting for patches.
Hybrid Cloud Compatibility: Functions across diverse cloud environments for comprehensive security.

What benefits can users expect from Zafran Security?

Improved Security: Enhances protection by efficiently identifying and mitigating risks.
Cost Efficiency: Reduces unnecessary patching expenses by confirming non-exploitable vulnerabilities.
Time Savings: Frees developers to focus on root causes by handling immediate threats.
Comprehensive Insight: Offers a holistic view of security threats and vulnerabilities.

In industries where security is paramount, such as finance and healthcare, Zafran Security provides invaluable protection by ensuring that only exploitable vulnerabilities are addressed. It allows entities to maintain robust security measures while allocating resources efficiently, fitting seamlessly into existing security strategies.

Zafran Security

HackerOne leads in offensive security with a platform that expertly identifies and remedies security vulnerabilities using AI and a vast researcher community. Trusted by industry giants, it integrates bug bounties, vulnerability disclosure, and code security in software development.

The HackerOne Platform offers a comprehensive suite of services, combining advanced AI technology with the skills of a global security researcher community to address complex security challenges. It facilitates an understanding of vulnerabilities, promoting better remediation practices across software lifecycles. Notable clients include Anthropic, Crypto.com, General Motors, GitHub, Goldman Sachs, Uber, and U.S. Department of Defense. Recognized for innovation and workplace excellence, HackerOne continues to set standards in security solutions.

What key features does HackerOne offer?

Skilled Hacker Community: Access a large pool of expert security researchers.
Third-Party Integrations: Seamless compatibility with various tools like payment systems and project management applications.
Bug Bounty Programs: Incentivized vulnerability discovery across industries.
Direct Communication: Facilitates dialogue for better understanding of vulnerabilities.
Safe Practice Environments: Supports learning for both beginners and seasoned professionals.

Why is HackerOne beneficial for your needs?

Speed of Delivery: Quickly identifies and resolves security issues.
Responsive Support: Reliable assistance enhances user experience.
Transparency in Communication: Clear reporting processes aid in issue resolution.
Income Opportunities: Bug bounties offer financial incentives.

HackerOne finds significant applications in various sectors with its focus on vulnerability assessment, testing, and responsible disclosure. Organizations utilize it for ethical hacking and efficient vulnerability coordination, making it essential in cybersecurity strategies. The platform's reliability is evident in its ability to identify and document security threats effectively.

HackerOne

Microsoft Defender for Cloud is a comprehensive security solution that provides advanced threat protection for cloud workloads. It offers real-time visibility into the security posture of cloud environments, enabling organizations to quickly identify and respond to potential threats. With its advanced machine learning capabilities, Microsoft Defender for Cloud can detect and block sophisticated attacks, including zero-day exploits and fileless malware.

The solution also provides automated remediation capabilities, allowing security teams to quickly and easily respond to security incidents. With Microsoft Defender for Cloud, organizations can ensure the security and compliance of their cloud workloads, while reducing the burden on their security teams.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Anthropic, Crypto.com, General Motors, GitHub, Goldman Sachs, Uber, and the U.S. Department of Defense

Microsoft Defender for Cloud is trusted by companies such as ASOS, Vatenfall, SWC Technology Partners, and more.

Buyer's Guide

HackerOne vs. Microsoft Defender for Cloud

July 2025

Free Report: HackerOne vs. Microsoft Defender for Cloud

Find out what your peers are saying about HackerOne vs. Microsoft Defender for Cloud and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.

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