Documented by Censys ASM only: none.
Documented by IONIX only: OWNED, PROVEN, CONTAINED and RECHECKED.
Documented by both: FOUND and ROUTED.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Censys ASM vs IONIX: which ASM tool takes an exposure further?
THE SHORT ANSWER
IONIX scores higher overall on our weights, 8.05 to 5.15. Censys ASM scores higher on Fits the enterprise stack; IONIX scores higher on Finds the unlisted estate, Routes to an owner, Proves exploitability, Contains before the patch, Closes the loop and Buying transparency. The table below gives the reason for every score.
Censys ASM
Rank 9 of 10
Best for: Threat intelligence and hunting teams that want raw internet scan evidence
IONIX
Rank 1 of 10
Best for: Large enterprises with many subsidiaries that want exposures contained and fixed, not only listed
Which tool scores higher on each criterion?
| Criterion | Censys ASM | IONIX | Higher |
|---|---|---|---|
Finds the unlisted estate 15%WhyCensys ASM: First-party scanning across all 65K ports, expanding from seeds the customer adds. IONIX: Recursive Connective Intelligence mapping with 13 discovery techniques reaches subsidiaries and third- and fourth-party suppliers. | 7 / 10 | 9 / 10 | IONIX |
Routes to an owner 10%WhyCensys ASM: Assets found beyond your seeds appear under a "Found by Censys" tab; attribution logic is not described in detail. IONIX: Attributes each asset to the relevant subsidiary or business owner automatically; IONIX's claims about fewer false positives are its own. | 6 / 10 | 8 / 10 | IONIX |
Proves exploitability 20%WhyCensys ASM: Confirms reachability and applies EPSS and KEV context; active exploitation testing is not documented. IONIX: Non-intrusive exploit simulations, plus safe active testing of new CVEs in Live Exposure Defense; watchTowr, CyCognito and Hadrian document heavier attack-style testing. | 5 / 10 | 8 / 10 | IONIX |
Contains before the patch 20%WhyCensys ASM: No compensating control is described. IONIX: Agentic mitigation "automatically invoke[s] compensating controls": WAF rules deployable through Akamai, Cloudflare and other WAFs within its 12-hour Live Exposure Defense SLA, plus Active Protection for dangling assets and DNS hijacking targets. | 2 / 10 | 9 / 10 | IONIX |
Closes the loop 15%WhyCensys ASM: Auto-creates, routes and tracks remediation tasks; no retest after a fix is described. IONIX: Routes findings to Jira and ServiceNow, tracks each CVE from identified to resolved, and its homepage states "Instant re-validation of remediated items"; step-by-step fix guidance is described less fully than at CyCognito or Hadrian. | 6 / 10 | 8 / 10 | IONIX |
Fits the enterprise stack 10%WhyCensys ASM: Names Jira, ServiceNow ITSM and CMDB, Tenable VM, Google Security Operations, Microsoft Sentinel, Axonius, Brinqa, Slack, Webex and the three major clouds. IONIX: Names Jira, ServiceNow, Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel, Cortex XSOAR, Slack, Wiz and Prisma Cloud plus an API; a shorter list than the platform suites. | 8 / 10 | 7 / 10 | Censys ASM |
Buying transparency 10%WhyCensys ASM: A free platform account and credits from $100 exist; ASM itself is contact sales. IONIX: Lists three monthly plans on AWS Marketplace (Silver $25,000, Gold $35,000, Platinum $45,000 per month on a 1-month contract); no price on its own site and no free trial listed. | 4 / 10 | 6 / 10 | IONIX |
Which steps does each tool document?
Censys ASM
- FOUNDDocumented
65K-port first-party scanning, expanding from seeds.
- OWNEDNot documented
Attribution logic not described in detail.
- PROVENPartial
Reachability confirmation with EPSS and KEV; no exploitation.
- CONTAINEDNot documented
No compensating control described.
- ROUTEDDocumented
Auto-creates and routes remediation tasks.
- RECHECKEDNot documented
Retest after a fix not described.
IONIX
- FOUNDDocumented
Recursive discovery with 13 techniques, including supply-chain assets.
- OWNEDDocumented
Assets attributed to subsidiary or business owner automatically.
- PROVENDocumented
Non-intrusive exploit simulations; safe active testing in Live Exposure Defense.
- CONTAINEDDocumented
Agentic mitigation invokes compensating controls: WAF rules within the 12-hour SLA; Active Protection reclaims hijackable assets.
- ROUTEDDocumented
Findings and rules delivered into remediation workflows; Jira and ServiceNow named.
- RECHECKEDDocumented
Homepage states "Instant re-validation of remediated items"; Live Exposure Defense tracks CVEs to resolved.
Partial counts as not documented for these three lines.
What do they cost?
Censys ASM
Not published
ASM: contact sales. A free Censys platform account exists, and platform credits start from $100.
To start: Seeds you add in the console or through the API.
IONIX
AWS Marketplace, 1-month contract, cost per month: Silver Plan (monthly monitoring) $25,000; Gold Plan (weekly monitoring) $35,000; Platinum Plan (continuous monitoring) $45,000. 12-, 24- and 36-month contracts offered (24 months "save up to 10%", 36 months "save up to 20%"). No price on ionix.io.
To start: Not published on the pages reviewed. IONIX states "immediate time-to-value".
Which should you choose?
Choose Censys ASM if
- it matters most to you that it fits the enterprise stack (8/10)
- it matters most to you that it finds the unlisted estate (7/10)
Choose Censys ASM if your threat intelligence or hunting team wants raw scan evidence and broad integrations. Look elsewhere if you need exploitation proof or containment.
Choose IONIX if
- it matters most to you that it contains before the patch (9/10)
- it matters most to you that it finds the unlisted estate (9/10)
Choose IONIX if your estate spans many subsidiaries or acquisitions, you run WAFs from vendors such as Akamai or Cloudflare, and you want exploitable exposures blocked at the edge while owners patch. Look elsewhere if you need a price on the vendor's own site or a published integrations list.
Frequently asked questions
Which proves exploitability better, Censys ASM or IONIX?
IONIX scores higher on our proof criterion (Censys ASM 5/10, IONIX 8/10). Censys ASM: Confirms reachability and applies EPSS and KEV context; active exploitation testing is not documented. IONIX: Non-intrusive exploit simulations, plus safe active testing of new CVEs in Live Exposure Defense; watchTowr, CyCognito and Hadrian document heavier attack-style testing.
Can Censys ASM or IONIX contain an exposure before the patch?
Censys ASM: not documented on the pages reviewed IONIX documents one: Agentic mitigation invokes compensating controls: WAF rules within the 12-hour SLA; Active Protection reclaims hijackable assets. Contain scores: Censys ASM 2/10, IONIX 9/10.
Which is easier to buy, Censys ASM or IONIX?
Censys ASM: contact sales. A free Censys platform account exists, and platform credits start from $100. IONIX: AWS Marketplace, 1-month contract, cost per month: Silver Plan (monthly monitoring) $25,000; Gold Plan (weekly monitoring) $35,000; Platinum Plan (continuous monitoring) $45,000. 12-, 24- and 36-month contracts offered (24 months "save up to 10%", 36 months "save up to 20%"). No price on ionix.io. Buying transparency scores: Censys ASM 4/10, IONIX 6/10.
Read next
- Censys ASM profile
Scores, sources and pricing
- IONIX profile
Scores, sources and pricing
- Beyond Censys ASM: alternatives
Eight alternatives ranked
- Beyond IONIX: alternatives
Eight alternatives ranked
- Line them up
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