HackerOne vs Microsoft Defender for Cloud comparison

HackerOne and Microsoft are both solutions in the Vulnerability Management category. HackerOne is ranked #30 with an average rating of 8.3, while Microsoft is ranked #8 with an average rating of 8.1. HackerOne holds a 0.7% mindshare in VM, compared to Microsoft’s 3.6% mindshare. Additionally, 88% of HackerOne users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

HackerOne

Read 7 HackerOne reviews

4,032 Views
605 Comparison Views

88% willing to recommend

Microsoft Defender for Cloud

Read 87 Microsoft Defender for Cloud reviews

20,963 Views
5,031 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

HackerOne

Microsoft Defender for Cloud

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 25, 2026

HackerOne and Microsoft Defender for Cloud are in the cybersecurity sector. Microsoft Defender for Cloud has the upper hand due to its superior features and integration capabilities.

Features: HackerOne offers vulnerability assessment, a bug bounty program, and connections to ethical hackers for identifying security flaws. Microsoft Defender for Cloud integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Azure, offers hybrid infrastructure security, and provides threat protection across cloud platforms.

Room for Improvement: HackerOne could improve in expanding its features beyond vulnerability handling, better documentation, and enhancing its analytics tools. Microsoft Defender for Cloud could improve in third-party service integration, ease of use for non-Microsoft environments, and pricing transparency.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: HackerOne is flexible in deployment with strong community interaction, offering accessible support. Microsoft Defender for Cloud benefits from tight Azure integration, efficient deployment processes, and comprehensive documentation.

Pricing and ROI: HackerOne’s pay-per-vulnerability model is cost-effective with high ROI due to reduced upfront costs. Microsoft Defender for Cloud has higher initial investments but justifies this expense through extensive features and integration benefits, offering solid long-term value.

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

Buyer's Guide

HackerOne vs. Microsoft Defender for Cloud

December 2025

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Helped 881,707 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

HackerOne

Ranking in Vulnerability Management

30th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Security Tools (19th), Bug Bounty Platforms (2nd), Penetration Testing Services (2nd), Attack Surface Management (ASM) (8th), AI Observability (10th)

Microsoft Defender for Cloud

Ranking in Vulnerability Management

8th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Container Management (7th), Container Security (7th), Cloud Workload Protection Platforms (CWPP) (1st), Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) (4th), Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP) (4th), Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) (5th), Microsoft Security Suite (7th), Compliance Management (4th), Cloud Detection and Response (CDR) (2nd)

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Vulnerability Management category, the mindshare of HackerOne is 0.7%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Defender for Cloud is 3.6%, down from 4.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Vulnerability Management Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Microsoft Defender for Cloud	3.6%
HackerOne	0.7%
Other	95.7%

Vulnerability Management

Featured Reviews

Ruphus Muita

Senior ICT Security Consultant at Applied Principles Limited

Has improved my motivation to submit bugs consistently through fast response and clear filtering

I think HackerOne can be improved by allowing new users to gain access to certain programs that are only open to known, renowned users. Sometimes new users don't receive invites just because they are new, despite potentially being very skilled hackers, so I feel new users should get more chances and opportunities. I am currently satisfied with the rewards, response time, and other aspects of the platform, so I don't have anything else to add about the necessary improvements. I give HackerOne a nine out of ten because if new hackers are given more opportunities, it could be a perfect 10 for me. However, the reason I gave a nine is that I don't have much to complain about; I specifically love the program and don't have many concerns.

Read full review

David Birhange

Director, Cloud and Modern Workplace at Informanix Technology Group

Brings together cloud security insights through a unified view and supports agentless protection for virtual machines

Copilot and similar features are already being used, though not necessarily for Microsoft Defender for Cloud specifically. We are trying to get more experience before rolling out most of Microsoft Defender for Cloud's AI capabilities. This is definitely on our to-do list, and the priority is urgent as we seek to learn more about these capabilities. The GenAI threat protection from Microsoft Defender for Cloud has not been enabled yet. There are many unknowns with AI applications. AI agents will operate while you're not present, whether you are sleeping or awake, and it's unclear whether there would be any exfiltration of data or how data is being managed. Microsoft Purview is being used extensively, and there is significant development going on with DSPM that will be rolled out to address security concerns. Data labeling and proper demarcation for sensitivity of data before it is received are being actively pursued.

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

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

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

"The fast verification process impacts my motivation significantly because a quick response keeps me motivated, and if I'm going to try and hunt bugs today, I would appreciate a response within the day or at least within a few days."

"HackerOne has been the right fit for our current situation from both a functionality and cost-effectiveness perspective."

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

"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."

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

"The most valuable feature for me is the variety of APIs available."

"If you are a Microsoft organization and most of your organization uses Microsoft, Microsoft Defender for Cloud will be the best approach as it provides the easiest implementation to the most robust solution for a Microsoft suite."

"We can create alerts that trigger if there is any malicious activity happening in the workflow and these alerts can be retrieved using the query language."

"It alerts us to our vulnerabilities and ensures compliance by marking off a compliance tool checklist."

"The solution is up-to-date with the latest updates and identified threats."

"Most importantly, it's an integrated solution. We not only have Defender for Cloud, but we also have Defender for Endpoint, Defender for Office 365, and Defender for Identity. It's an integrated, holistic solution."

"The most valuable feature is the recommendations provided on how to improve security. It has made the cloud environment more secure, thanks to all the recommendations we can get."

"The dashboard is very good. It gives our clients a lot of information and allows them to have a complete overview of the system. Everything is visible in one glance."

More Microsoft Defender for Cloud pros

Cons

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

"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."

"One limitation is that if a finding has been reported on HackerOne and was also reported earlier by another user or outsider, the platform is not able to collate that information together."

"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."

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

"Sometimes new users don't receive invites just because they are new, despite potentially being very skilled hackers, so I feel new users should get more chances and opportunities."

"Another thing that could be improved was that they could recommend processes on how to react to alerts, or recommend best practices based on how other organizations do things if they receive an alert about XYZ."

"Microsoft has much room for improvement regarding the support for Microsoft Defender for Cloud. Their competitors are much better regarding support."

"Microsoft Graph needs improvement."

"Microsoft Defender for Cloud is pricey, especially for Kubernetes clusters. It could be cheaper."

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

"Customer service and support from Microsoft are very poor. Even for high-severity cases, response or resolution time can extend to three or four weeks."

"After getting a recommendation, it takes time for the solution to refresh properly to show that the problem has been eliminated."

"We would like to have better transparency as to how the security score is calculated because as it is now, it is difficult to understand."

More Microsoft Defender for Cloud cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"The solution is free."

"The tool is pretty expensive."

"This solution is more cost-effective than some competing products. My understanding is that it is based on the number of integrations that you have, so if you have fewer subscriptions then you pay less for the service."

"This is a worldwide service and depending on the country, there will be different prices."

"The licensing is straightforward but can become expensive if you cover everything. You must balance the cost against the importance of what needs covering."

"Microsoft Defender for Cloud is pricey, especially for Kubernetes clusters."

"The licensing cost per server is $15 per month."

"Defender's basic version is free, which is good. Many of our teams are evaluating the paid version against third-party products."

"The pricing and licensing of Microsoft Defender for Cloud have been good for us. We appreciate the licensing approach based on employee count rather than a big enterprise license."

More Microsoft Defender for Cloud pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Comms Service Provider

11%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Financial Services Firm

13%

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	4
Large Enterprise	4

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	27
Midsize Enterprise	10
Large Enterprise	49

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for HackerOne?

I have not experienced any costs since I use HackerOne independently, just logging into the site, hunting bugs, and submitting them without any expenses.

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What needs improvement with HackerOne?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for HackerOne?

My main use case for HackerOne is mostly for submitting bugs. I get into the programs listed there, find one that is suitable for me, do my penetration testing on the systems, try to bypass some co...

See all answers

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 across your ecosystem. It also has great remote workforce capabilities and supports a...

See all answers

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

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Microsoft Defender for Cloud was pretty straightforward. We did have a consultation with a third party to go over different tiers and produ...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender for Cloud?

Microsoft Defender for Cloud can be improved. An additional feature that should be included in the next release is Zero Trust, similar to ThreatLocker software.

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 38% of the time

Synack vs HackerOne

Compared 14% of the time

Intigriti vs HackerOne

Compared 8% of the time

YesWeHack vs HackerOne

Compared 8% of the time

Crowdcurity vs HackerOne

Compared 4% of the time

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Compared 36% of the time

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Compared 8% of the time

Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks vs Microsoft Defender for Cloud

Compared 4% of the time

Microsoft Defender XDR vs Microsoft Defender for Cloud

Compared 2% of the time

SentinelOne Singularity Cloud Security vs Microsoft Defender for Cloud

Compared 2% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

HackerOne

January 2026

Download HackerOne product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Defender for Cloud

January 2026

Download Microsoft Defender for Cloud product report

Also Known As

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

HackerOne

Microsoft

Overview

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

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

December 2025

Free Report: HackerOne vs. Microsoft Defender for Cloud

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