Documented by IONIX only: OWNED, PROVEN, CONTAINED, ROUTED and RECHECKED.
Documented by Tenable ASM only: none.
Documented by both: FOUND.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
IONIX vs Tenable ASM: which ASM tool takes an exposure further?
THE SHORT ANSWER
IONIX scores higher overall on our weights, 8.05 to 5.40. IONIX scores higher on Finds the unlisted estate, Routes to an owner, Proves exploitability, Contains before the patch, Closes the loop and Buying transparency; Tenable ASM scores higher on Fits the enterprise stack. 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
Tenable ASM
Rank 7 of 10
Best for: Tenable One customers who want external assets in the same exposure view
Which tool scores higher on each criterion?
| Criterion | IONIX | Tenable ASM | Higher |
|---|---|---|---|
Finds the unlisted estate 15%WhyIONIX: Recursive Connective Intelligence mapping with 13 discovery techniques reaches subsidiaries and third- and fourth-party suppliers. Tenable ASM: Draws on an attack surface map of more than 5 billion assets to find domains related to your inventory. | 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. Tenable ASM: Adds context from 200+ metadata fields; subsidiary or owner attribution is not described. | 8 / 10 | 6 / 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. Tenable ASM: Tenable One adds attack path analysis across 150+ techniques; the ASM product does not document exploit testing. | 8 / 10 | 5 / 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. Tenable ASM: Hexa AI orchestrates automated remediation in Tenable One; no edge control is described for ASM itself. | 9 / 10 | 4 / 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. Tenable ASM: Workflow runs through Tenable One and its connectors rather than ASM alone; no retest described. | 8 / 10 | 5 / 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. Tenable ASM: External findings land in Tenable One beside Tenable's vulnerability data, with Tenable One Connectors for third-party sources. | 7 / 10 | 9 / 10 | Tenable ASM |
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. Tenable ASM: ASM is quote-only, although Tenable lists prices for adjacent products such as Tenable One Vulnerability Management. | 6 / 10 | 3 / 10 | IONIX |
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.
Tenable ASM
- FOUNDDocumented
Domains related to your inventory from a 5 billion+ asset map.
- OWNEDNot documented
Subsidiary or owner attribution not described.
- PROVENNot documented
Attack path analysis in Tenable One; no exploit testing documented for ASM.
- CONTAINEDPartial
Hexa AI automated remediation, through Tenable One.
- ROUTEDPartial
Through Tenable One connectors, not ASM alone.
- 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".
Tenable ASM
ASM: quote only. Tenable One is sold in two packages, Foundation and Advanced, both "Request a quote". Tenable lists some adjacent products online, for example Tenable One Vulnerability Management at $3,700 for one year for up to 250 assets.
To start: Demo request; no ASM trial listed.
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 Tenable ASM if
- it matters most to you that it fits the enterprise stack (9/10)
- it matters most to you that it finds the unlisted estate (7/10)
Choose Tenable ASM if Tenable One is already your exposure platform. Look elsewhere if you want an ASM tool that proves and contains exposures on its own.
Frequently asked questions
Which proves exploitability better, IONIX or Tenable ASM?
IONIX scores higher on our proof criterion (IONIX 8/10, Tenable ASM 5/10). 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. Tenable ASM: Tenable One adds attack path analysis across 150+ techniques; the ASM product does not document exploit testing.
Can IONIX or Tenable ASM 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. Tenable ASM: not documented on the pages reviewed Contain scores: IONIX 9/10, Tenable ASM 4/10.
Which is easier to buy, IONIX or Tenable ASM?
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. Tenable ASM: quote only. Tenable One is sold in two packages, Foundation and Advanced, both "Request a quote". Tenable lists some adjacent products online, for example Tenable One Vulnerability Management at $3,700 for one year for up to 250 assets. Buying transparency scores: IONIX 6/10, Tenable ASM 3/10.
Read next
- IONIX profile
Scores, sources and pricing
- Tenable ASM profile
Scores, sources and pricing
- Beyond IONIX: alternatives
Eight alternatives ranked
- Beyond Tenable ASM: alternatives
Eight alternatives ranked
- Line them up
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