Documented by IONIX only: OWNED, PROVEN, CONTAINED, ROUTED and RECHECKED.
Documented by Microsoft Defender EASM only: none.
Documented by both: FOUND.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
IONIX vs Microsoft Defender EASM: which ASM tool takes an exposure further?
THE SHORT ANSWER
IONIX scores higher overall on our weights, 8.05 to 4.70. IONIX scores higher on Finds the unlisted estate, Routes to an owner, Proves exploitability, Contains before the patch and Closes the loop; Microsoft Defender EASM scores higher on Fits the enterprise stack and Buying transparency. The table below gives the reason for every score.
IONIX
Rank 1 of 10
Best for: Large enterprises with many subsidiaries that want exposures contained and fixed, not only listed
Microsoft Defender EASM
Rank 10 of 10
Best for: Azure-first teams that want a self-serve start and Azure billing
Which tool scores higher on each criterion?
| Criterion | IONIX | Microsoft Defender EASM | Higher |
|---|---|---|---|
Finds the unlisted estate 15%WhyIONIX: Recursive Connective Intelligence mapping with 13 discovery techniques reaches subsidiaries and third- and fourth-party suppliers. Microsoft Defender EASM: A prebuilt inventory for many organizations plus recursive discovery from seeds. | 9 / 10 | 7 / 10 | IONIX |
Routes to an owner 10%WhyIONIX: Attributes each asset to the relevant subsidiary or business owner automatically; IONIX's claims about fewer false positives are its own. Microsoft Defender EASM: Every asset carries a confidence-based state such as Approved Inventory, Candidate or Requires Investigation. | 8 / 10 | 7 / 10 | IONIX |
Proves exploitability 20%WhyIONIX: Non-intrusive exploit simulations, plus safe active testing of new CVEs in Live Exposure Defense; watchTowr, CyCognito and Hadrian document heavier attack-style testing. Microsoft Defender EASM: Dashboards cover vulnerabilities, compliance and hygiene; no exploitability testing is documented. | 8 / 10 | 3 / 10 | IONIX |
Contains before the patch 20%WhyIONIX: 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. Microsoft Defender EASM: No compensating control; remediation actions are triggered downstream after export. | 9 / 10 | 2 / 10 | IONIX |
Closes the loop 15%WhyIONIX: 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. Microsoft Defender EASM: Findings export to Log Analytics and Azure Data Explorer, where you build the workflow; no built-in ticketing or retest. | 8 / 10 | 3 / 10 | IONIX |
Fits the enterprise stack 10%WhyIONIX: Names Jira, ServiceNow, Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel, Cortex XSOAR, Slack, Wiz and Prisma Cloud plus an API; a shorter list than the platform suites. Microsoft Defender EASM: Data connections to Log Analytics and Azure Data Explorer and Security Copilot in preview; no cross-tenant resource access. | 7 / 10 | 8 / 10 | Microsoft Defender EASM |
Buying transparency 10%WhyIONIX: 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. Microsoft Defender EASM: Self-serve Azure billing against a published billable-asset definition after a 30-day free trial. | 6 / 10 | 7 / 10 | Microsoft Defender EASM |
Which steps does each tool document?
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.
Microsoft Defender EASM
- FOUNDDocumented
Prebuilt inventory plus recursive discovery from seeds.
- OWNEDPartial
Confidence-based inventory states, not owner attribution.
- PROVENNot documented
No exploitability testing documented.
- CONTAINEDNot documented
No compensating control.
- ROUTEDPartial
Via export to Log Analytics and Azure Data Explorer.
- RECHECKEDNot documented
Retest after a fix not described.
Partial counts as not documented for these three lines.
What do they cost?
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".
Microsoft Defender EASM
Billed through Azure on billable assets (approved host:IP combinations, domains and IP addresses) after a 30-day free trial. The per-asset rate is on Microsoft's pricing page; it was not captured in our sources.
To start: A prebuilt inventory for many organizations, or seeds such as domains, IP blocks, hosts, email contacts, ASNs and Whois organizations.
Which should you choose?
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.
Choose Microsoft Defender EASM 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 Microsoft Defender EASM if you are Azure-first and want an external inventory you can try today. Look elsewhere if you need proof, containment or a built-in fix loop.
Frequently asked questions
Which proves exploitability better, IONIX or Microsoft Defender EASM?
IONIX scores higher on our proof criterion (IONIX 8/10, Microsoft Defender EASM 3/10). 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. Microsoft Defender EASM: Dashboards cover vulnerabilities, compliance and hygiene; no exploitability testing is documented.
Can IONIX or Microsoft Defender EASM contain an exposure before the patch?
IONIX documents one: Agentic mitigation invokes compensating controls: WAF rules within the 12-hour SLA; Active Protection reclaims hijackable assets. Microsoft Defender EASM: not documented on the pages reviewed Contain scores: IONIX 9/10, Microsoft Defender EASM 2/10.
Which is easier to buy, IONIX or Microsoft Defender EASM?
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. Microsoft Defender EASM: Billed through Azure on billable assets (approved host:IP combinations, domains and IP addresses) after a 30-day free trial. The per-asset rate is on Microsoft's pricing page; it was not captured in our sources. Buying transparency scores: IONIX 6/10, Microsoft Defender EASM 7/10.
Read next
- IONIX profile
Scores, sources and pricing
- Microsoft Defender EASM profile
Scores, sources and pricing
- Beyond IONIX: alternatives
Eight alternatives ranked
- Beyond Microsoft Defender EASM: alternatives
Eight alternatives ranked
- Line them up
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