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AttackIQ vs Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 22, 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

Qualys TotalCloud
Sponsored
Ranking in Vulnerability Management
11th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
39
Ranking in other categories
Container Security (11th), Cloud Workload Protection Platforms (CWPP) (7th), Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) (8th), SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM) (1st), Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP) (6th)
AttackIQ
Ranking in Vulnerability Management
31st
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
7
Ranking in other categories
Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS) (4th), Attack Surface Management (ASM) (11th), Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) (4th)
Microsoft Defender Vulnerab...
Ranking in Vulnerability Management
13th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
18
Ranking in other categories
Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (20th), Microsoft Security Suite (17th), Risk-Based Vulnerability Management (6th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2026, in the Vulnerability Management category, the mindshare of Qualys TotalCloud is 1.1%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of AttackIQ is 0.7%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management is 1.6%, down from 3.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Vulnerability Management Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Qualys TotalCloud1.1%
Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management1.6%
AttackIQ0.7%
Other96.6%
Vulnerability Management
 

Featured Reviews

RO
IT Security Expert at Alior Bank S.A.
Unified risk scoring has improved our cloud visibility and simplifies remediation priorities
Qualys TotalCloud provides unified vulnerability and threat assessment across both IAS and SaaS. This solution provides a single prioritized view of risk, which helps reduce the work I would have to do. We are no longer based on CVSS; we are based on Qualys risk scoring, which is based on CVSS plus internal findings made by Qualys, and then assigns its own score. The TruRisk insight feature has found a small number of assets with high vulnerability scores, though I am cautious since some information is classified. Qualys TotalCloud has positively impacted our bank's performance, and we have definitely seen benefits after implementing this solution.
Akash Das Barman - PeerSpot reviewer
Cyber Security Trainee at DataSpace Academy
Continuous validation has improved MITRE-based detection coverage across hybrid environments
Overall, AttackIQ is a strong platform, but there are a few areas where it could improve. One area is the learning curve for new users. Since the platform is deeply tied to MITRE ATT&CK mapping and security validation workflows, beginners may need more guided onboarding and simplified explanations for certain modules. Another improvement could be more customizable dashboards and reporting views for different stakeholders, especially for executive-level summaries versus technical SOC analysis. I also think integrations and automation workflows could be expanded further for multi-vendor environments, making it easier to correlate results across different security tools. From an operational perspective, more built-in recommendations for remediation or detection tuning after simulation would also be valuable, especially for teams that are still maturing their security operations.One additional area for improvement in AttackIQ could be deeper real-time guidance during simulations, especially for less experienced analysts. For example, after identifying a detection gap, the platform could provide more prescriptive recommendations on how to improve SIEM correlation rules or EDR configuration. That would help teams move faster from validation to remediation. I also think improving visualization of attack paths and attack chain relationships would make investigations easier during purple team exercises. Another potential improvement is making some workflows lighter and easier for smaller organizations that may not have a large dedicated SOC team, because BAS platforms can sometimes feel enterprise-focused.
reviewer2770602 - PeerSpot reviewer
Cloud Security Engineer at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
Has helped with regional threat monitoring but needs better documentation and real-time capabilities
The documentation from Microsoft needs significant improvement. The documents are disorganized, with one document linking to another, making the steps unclear and difficult to follow. Regarding updates, it is not truly real-time as it takes between eight to twelve hours for updates to occur. It would be beneficial if updates could happen more quickly, perhaps within 10 minutes to half an hour. Support for integration and documentation needs to be more straightforward. The pricing is expensive, even though it is part of the E5 package.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The dashboards are particularly valuable as they offer a comprehensive view of the environment, highlighting any misconfigurations."
"Its dashboards are brilliant. It provides in-depth insights."
"Qualys TotalCloud provides unified vulnerability and threat assessment for IaaS and SaaS and a single prioritized view of risk, which helps reduce my workload by not having to combine multiple sources."
"TruRisk Insights is the most important innovation they've released this year."
"I would definitely recommend Qualys TotalCloud to other users."
"CSPM is currently the most used feature, and we are enjoying the new feature, FlexScan, which is valuable for Internet-facing VMs."
"In my opinion, this is the best tool."
"I appreciate Qualys TotalCloud's ability to onboard any type of device with ease, including containers."
"After using AttackIQ, it has helped the team and the company improve on false positives and reduce risk, as most people are now capable of identifying how to work on detection, improving fine-tuning and all those things."
"Running in our SOC, it moves the conversation from assumptions and dashboards to measurable proof, which is exactly what makes AttackIQ valuable in day-to-day security operations."
"AttackIQ is solving a lot of the problems that I had before or that we as an organization had before, even the security team, so it is solving all my issues."
"AttackIQ has had a positive impact on the organization, especially in the areas of continuous security validation, detection improvement, and overall defensive readiness, with highlights including improved visibility into detection gaps, stronger security controls validation, better SOC readiness, and faster detection engineering improvements, which are improvement areas we have implemented in our project using AttackIQ."
"Overall, I've had a good experience with the product. It's worked well for me."
"Overall, I would rate Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management a nine out of ten."
"The solution is up-to-date and helps prevent zero-day attacks."
"Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management provides several valuable features that I utilize, as I use it to control security configuration, for example, the apps that I use or the many connections from my router, and with this configuration, I can filter content and malware."
"The integration with Sentinel has been one of the most valuable features for my organization."
"The solution helps identify threats and vulnerabilities."
"One valuable feature is the Microsoft Security Scorecard."
"Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management is versatile and assesses vulnerabilities, providing detailed information on CVEs, their categories, and exploit statuses."
"Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management provides regular advisories and recommendations that help improve our security posture."
 

Cons

"Qualys's ticketing system can be confusing when assigning tasks to individuals, and support could be improved by offering instant call solutions with engineers in addition to ticket replies."
"Although TotalCloud is a helpful tool, some of its advanced features are still under development."
"There is a lack of data segregation according to criticality or inventory."
"The onboarding process is a bit difficult. In the initial phase, it is very difficult to understand the features, what the dashboard contains, and what criteria they are using."
"I would like the ability to disable certain default built-in policies as they can be misleading when creating dashboards. That is the top one."
"A feature improvement could be the inclusion of Windows OS support for container security, as it is currently only supported for Linux."
"Their customer support needs improvement."
"Areas that need improvement in every solution include the remediation part. The remediation steps should be simple enough for everyone to understand."
"The customer support for AttackIQ is good but can be better."
"One area for improvement is the initial configuration complexity, which is very complex in the initial stage to configure the whole thing and integrate with the SOC, presenting a learning curve for organizations that are new to adversary emulation or continuous security validation, particularly concerning the initial setup scenario customization and workflow tuning."
"The main reasons I would not give it a full perfect score are the learning curve for new users and some opportunities for improvement in reporting, customization, and remediation guidance."
"There is a learning curve at the beginning, especially for teams that are quite new to a BAS or continuous validation solution."
"The initial setup was difficult. It was not straightforward."
"The initial setup was quite difficult and took a long time."
"The documentation from Microsoft needs significant improvement. The documents are disorganized, with one document linking to another, making the steps unclear and difficult to follow."
"The constant changes in the product configuration or the console setup can sometimes be challenging."
"The technical support takes too much time to resolve tickets."
"Regarding Microsoft's technical support, I would rate it a three out of ten; they could be more responsive and knowledgeable."
"We have experienced some logging issues, including a few hours of downtime initially. Despite this, I would rate the overall stability as an eight."
"There is a good solution from Microsoft, however, there is a gap between Windows and Linux management."
"The automated remediations can be more specific."
"Probably my only criticism would be the cost. It is expensive."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Qualys TotalCloud offers competitive pricing given its comprehensive suite of features, including integration, assessment, remediation, and detection capabilities, all within a single platform."
"Qualys TotalCloud offers good pricing that is affordable and competitive with the market. Our partnership also provides us with additional benefits."
"Qualys TotalCloud offers cost-effective licensing flexibility."
"Qualys TotalCloud is cost-efficient and was selected for its value compared to other products."
"TotalCloud's price is about right where I would expect it to be."
"Qualys TotalCloud is expensive, but it offers a premier solution with no headaches."
"The pricing for TotalCloud is attractive and competitive in the market. Given the features, especially the dashboard, I have no concerns regarding pricing."
"It isn't cheap, but it's reasonable. It helps us to manage things with very few resources."
Information not available
"The licensing model follows a per-user per-month structure."
"I rate the product's price a three on a scale of one to ten, where one is a low price, and ten is a high price."
"The product’s pricing is medium."
"The licensing costs are reasonable."
"The tool is a bit costly."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
17%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Construction Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Financial Services Firm
16%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Government
8%
Construction Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
7%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise29
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business2
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise5
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise8
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Qualys TotalCloud?
Areas that need improvement in every solution include the remediation part. The remediation steps should be simple en...
What is your primary use case for Qualys TotalCloud?
Our use case involves the assets that we have under cloud, the assets exposed to the internet, and the internal appli...
What needs improvement with AttackIQ?
Overall, AttackIQ is a strong platform, but there are a few areas where it could improve. One area is the learning cu...
What is your primary use case for AttackIQ?
My main use case for AttackIQ has been validating security controls and testing detection coverage against MITRE ATT&...
What advice do you have for others considering AttackIQ?
AttackIQ is very strong in continuous security validation, MITRE ATT&CK alignment, and realistic attack simulatio...
What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management?
Configuration of Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management is something that needs improvement. In future updates o...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management?
I can control the applications using Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management, which are its best features for me ...
 

Also Known As

Qualys TotalCloud with FlexScan
DeepSurface
No data available
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about AttackIQ vs. Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.
902,988 professionals have used our research since 2012.