No more typing reviews! Try our Samantha, our new voice AI agent.

Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management vs Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management comparison

Why PeerSpot?
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 8, 2026

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

Microsoft Defender External...
Ranking in Attack Surface Management (ASM)
13th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.0
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
Microsoft Security Suite (33rd)
Qualys CyberSecurity Asset ...
Ranking in Attack Surface Management (ASM)
2nd
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
35
Ranking in other categories
Vulnerability Management (8th), Patch Management (5th), Cyber Asset Attack Surface Management (CAASM) (2nd), Software Supply Chain Security (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Attack Surface Management (ASM) category, the mindshare of Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management is 3.0%, down from 3.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management is 3.4%, down from 4.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Attack Surface Management (ASM) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management3.4%
Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management3.0%
Other93.6%
Attack Surface Management (ASM)
 

Featured Reviews

AndyChan3 - PeerSpot reviewer
General manager at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Enhanced visibility and exposes vulnerabilities but needs more integration
I am currently in the pilot stage of implementing Microsoft External Attack Surface Management (EASM). My organization is transitioning to a comprehensive track of Microsoft solutions, and we will move to full-scale production in another year, maybe Microsoft External Attack Surface Management…
CM
SENIOR MANAGER, CYBERSECURITY THREAT, RISK & ARCHITECTURE at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees
Has accelerated vulnerability remediation by syncing with asset ownership data
Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management has Qualys Query Language that works within itself. However, when switching to other modules the QQL either doesn't work or requires a different query to access the information, including in dashboards. They need to make their query language universal across the entire product so when using one module and making a query, it doesn't require changing the query to work in another module.The stability has decreased significantly on the product in the last couple of months. It takes considerable time to log into the product, and sometimes access is denied. Screens take long to load and occasionally crash. The product stability has notably declined over the last two months, and the performance to fulfill a page request is very slow compared to its previous performance.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It seems to be better at protecting from cyberattacks."
"Microsoft External Attack Surface Management helps improve the visibility of my exposed vulnerabilities and provides an overview of my security posture across the globe."
"The asset management part is very simple and essential, and Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management was particularly effective because the information was available exactly where needed, enabling automation and quick access to necessary answers."
"It de-duplicates findings and helps you understand what the vulnerabilities from your external scans and your external attack surface management are and how they connect to the vulnerabilities on your internal scans."
"I would rate Qualys CSAM a ten out of ten."
"It provides most of the information needed regarding the assets, including the operating system and whether the assets are network devices or servers."
"Authorized and unauthorized software visibility is the best feature for me. It helps me understand security controls on our network and where we lack visibility. With a single security tool, we are able to get an extensive list."
"ESAM covers the entire attack surface, discovers more, and provides complete details about the assets, such as the external interface and internal interface, correlating them so we get the complete details of the assets, which were not given by the other solution."
"I really enjoy the flexibility of the interface setup configuration for my network VLANs, which makes it very easy to configure."
"We have a diverse organization with a robust infrastructure of more than 300,000 assets. By creating unauthorized lists and rules in the Qualys CSAM module, I can block certain software from being used in the organization."
 

Cons

"Further integration across different Microsoft products would be an improvement."
"With Microsoft, support is always crazy, it's not easy to get support."
"The integration is not as seamless compared to competitors like Palo Alto."
"Currently, in the EASM module, the scan frequency is limited to once daily, but allowing end users control over scan scheduling would be advantageous."
"Some areas that would be helpful are more comprehensive tagging and the ability to set up better dynamic rules."
"The UI needs improvement as it can become overwhelming after prolonged use."
"We've received very poor guidance from them, especially after learning several things we need to fix during the Qualys conference."
"Sometimes both updates and software types appear together on one list, making it hard to differentiate."
"Based on the company's budget, Qualys offers limited features, which can also be utilized in other environments."
"Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management is moderately good, while Rapid7 is slightly much better."
"Qualys could improve by enhancing its dynamic tagging and role-based access control features, and by refining its user interface for a more intuitive and efficient user experience."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management can be expensive, especially if we already have VMDR."
"It is cost-effective because, in a single tool, we are getting everything. All the solutions come in a single license or price."
"The cost for Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management is high."
"The pricing is reasonable relative to the features provided, as it collects all module data and operates as a main, centralized inventory, making it a cost-effective solution."
"The Qualys Cybersecurity Asset Management pricing is well-aligned with our usage."
"Qualys is competitively priced for its features. Its pricing is suitable for large organizations with more than 4,000 assets, but for smaller organizations with few assets, such as banks, the costs might be high. They should come up with packages that are suitable for small organizations."
"Qualys offers excellent value for money."
"Though the solution is considered expensive, if bundled with other services such as VMDR or cloud agents, its value would significantly increase. It is currently a bit costly, but with bundling, it could become attractive to more customers."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Attack Surface Management (ASM) solutions are best for your needs.
913,924 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Outsourcing Company
13%
Computer Software Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Comms Service Provider
6%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Outsourcing Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business8
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise23
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management?
Further integration across different Microsoft products would be an improvement. Introduction of more AI automation into the products would also be beneficial. The integration is not as seamless co...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management?
I am currently in the pilot stage of implementing Microsoft External Attack Surface Management (EASM). My organization is transitioning to a comprehensive track of Microsoft solutions, and we will ...
What needs improvement with Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management?
I think the one thing Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management can do better is the package management and the updating process. Knowing that you can't update any of the packages until you've done the...
What is your primary use case for Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management?
I primarily use it for a small, single-site, multi-source setup with multi-WAN inputs. I have a main fiber connection and a couple of failovers while managing different networks across different se...
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management vs. Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
913,924 professionals have used our research since 2012.