CrowdStrike Falcon vs Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management comparison

CrowdStrike Falcon vs. Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management

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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

CrowdStrike Falcon

Ranking in Attack Surface Management (ASM)

1st

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

126

Ranking in other categories

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) (6th), Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (2nd), Threat Intelligence Platforms (2nd), Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) (1st), Extended Detection and Response (XDR) (1st), Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) (3rd), AI-Powered Cybersecurity Platforms (1st)

Microsoft Defender External...

Ranking in Attack Surface Management (ASM)

12th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Microsoft Security Suite (34th)

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Attack Surface Management (ASM) category, the mindshare of CrowdStrike Falcon is 17.3%, down from 29.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management is 3.0%, up from 2.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Attack Surface Management (ASM)

Featured Reviews

Chintan-Vyas

Associate Director at KPMG

Easy to set up with good behavior-based analysis but needs a single-click recovery option

Most organizations are currently looking for a scheduled scan to meet their compliance needs. Other players like Symantec and Trend Micro, FireEye, et cetera, are still providing the signature-based regular scheduled scans also, which is not available in CrowdStrike. That is one parameter that we feel should be there in CrowdStrike. CrowdStrike is only working on the dynamic or the files under execution. CrowdStrike is not scanning the static files. The product could be more accurate in terms of performance. We'd like to have a single-click recovery option. With some machines getting corrupted by malware, we need an easy way to start with a blank slate if things happen. That one feature should be there in the EDR.

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AndyChan3

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…

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The ability to execute real-time response, or, that you can connect to the agent and see exactly what processes are operating, is the most important feature of this solution."

"The most valuable feature of CrowdStrike Falcon is its accuracy."

"CrowdStrike has improved our incident response capabilities."

"It's really good because it can detect anything."

"It's given me a level of confidence that my network is secure."

"I like the dashboard nature of it. Everything is clickable, linkable, and information is easy to obtain and find. How it presents that information is probably the biggest win as far as the information correlation aspect. The presentation of it is very good."

"As long as the machine is connected to the Internet, and CrowdStrike is running, then it will be on and we will have visibility; no VPNing in or making some type of network connection. CrowdStrike always there and running in the background; for us, that is big. We wanted something that could give us data as long as the machines connected to the Internet and be almost invisible to the employees."

"CrowdStrike Falcon is a very light solution. It does not use too much processor or RAM."

More CrowdStrike Falcon pros

"Microsoft External Attack Surface Management helps improve the visibility of my exposed vulnerabilities and provides an overview of my security posture across the globe."

"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."

Cons

"The Integration with tools, SOC tools, could be better."

"The KDR solution is immature. They do not have much preemption in ITDR. Threat prevention should be their first priority, and false positive reductions are needed."

"CrowdStrike Falcon could improve if it became an XDR. When we look only to an end-point, we lost the context of the environment. I know it's another line of design of the product. However, if CrowdStrike becomes an XDR, it could be very good."

"The pricing structure should allow for some flexibility."

"I would like to see a little bit more in the offline scanning ability. This just comes from my background in what I have done in other positions. They only scan on demand, so I always have this fear that we sometimes maybe email out a dormant virus and can be held liable for that. That is something where I would like to see a little bit more robustness to the tool."

"I would rate it an eight out of ten. It does what it needs to do but there's always room for improvement."

"Falcon could be improved with more function on the mobile end of things and better optimization with mobile devices."

"It would be nice if the dashboard had some more information upfront, and looked a little better."

More CrowdStrike Falcon cons

"The integration is not as seamless compared to competitors like Palo Alto."

"With Microsoft, support is always crazy, it's not easy to get support."

"Further integration across different Microsoft products would be an improvement."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"When comparing to Microsoft, CrowdStrike Falcon is more expensive."

"The pricing on CrowdStrike is per license. It was about $42 per seat yearly."

"CrowdStrike Falcon is one of the more expensive endpoint solutions on the market."

"It's an expensive solution but you get a very good product for the price. Compared to other products, SentinelOne is definitely cheaper and the Microsoft E5 package is probably more expensive. Not many companies are willing to purchase CrowdStrike Falcon in Turkey due to the cost, but the market is changing."

"The price is too high."

"The price is fixed with no room for negotiation."

"Annual licensing."

"Crowdstrike Falcon is relatively cheap."

More CrowdStrike Falcon pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Computer Software Company

19%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Insurance Company

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

Comparing CrowdStrike Falcon to Cortex XDR (Palo Alto)

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto vs. CrowdStrike Falcon Both Cortex XDR and Crowd Strike Falcon offer cloud-based solutions that are very scalable, secure, and user-friendly. Cortex XDR by Palo Alto offers ...

How does Crowdstrike Falcon compare with Darktrace?

Both of these products perform similarly and have many outstanding attributes. CrowdStrike Falcon offers an amazing user interface that makes setup easy and seamless. CrowdStrike Falcon offers a cl...

How does Microsoft Defender for Endpoint compare with Crowdstrike Falcon?

The CrowdStrike solution delivers a lot of information about incidents. It has a very light sensor that will never push your machine hardware to "test", you don't have the usual "scan now" feature ...

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management?

I rate the pricing of the solution as eight out of ten.

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?

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs CrowdStrike Falcon

Comparisons

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Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response vs CrowdStrike Falcon

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Compared 4% of the time

Symantec Endpoint Security vs CrowdStrike Falcon

Compared 3% of the time

Microsoft Defender XDR vs CrowdStrike Falcon

Compared 3% of the time

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Compared 12% of the time

Mandiant Advantage vs Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management

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Darktrace vs Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management

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Product Reports

CrowdStrike Falcon

Download CrowdStrike Falcon product report

Attack Surface Management (ASM)

Download Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management product report

Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management report

Also Known As

CrowdStrike Falcon, CrowdStrike Falcon XDR, CrowdStrike Falcon Threat Intelligence, CrowdStrike Identity Protection, CrowdStrike Falcon Surface

No data available

Overview

CrowdStrike Falcon provides endpoint protection and threat intelligence using a cloud-based platform for real-time detection and response. Its minimal impact on system performance and ease of deployment are key benefits along with advanced logging and reporting for compliance and forensic analysis.

CrowdStrike Falcon is known for its efficacy in identifying malware, ransomware, and sophisticated cyber threats. The platform's cloud-native architecture and advanced AI capabilities ensure comprehensive endpoint visibility and rapid response times. Users appreciate the lightweight agent and seamless deployment process, along with detailed reporting features. Integration with security tools and efficient customer support are essential features, although some users highlight high pricing, occasional detection delays, and challenges with integration. Frequent alerts and the mobile app's performance are areas for improvement.

What are the key features of CrowdStrike Falcon?

Real-time Threat Detection: Provides immediate threat identification and response.
Lightweight Agent: Minimal impact on system performance.
Cloud-native Architecture: Ensures flexibility and scalability.
Advanced AI Capabilities: Enhances threat detection and prevention.
Comprehensive Endpoint Visibility: Complete insight into endpoint activities.
Detailed Reporting: Facilitates compliance and forensic analysis.
Security Tool Integration: Seamless integration with other tools.
Efficient Customer Support: Robust support services.

What are the benefits or ROI of CrowdStrike Falcon?

Improved Threat Detection: Identifies sophisticated threats, reducing risk.
Enhanced System Performance: Lightweight agent ensures minimal disruption.
Faster Response Times: Swift reaction to incidents minimizes damage.
Better Compliance: Detailed logs meet regulatory requirements.
Streamlined Deployment: Easy to implement with minimal downtime.

In industries like finance, healthcare, and retail, CrowdStrike Falcon is often used for critical security due to its robust threat detection capabilities. Financial firms value its rapid response and detailed reporting for compliance, while healthcare providers appreciate the minimal system performance impact. Retailers benefit from its comprehensive endpoint visibility and integration with other security tools.

CrowdStrike

In this era of hybrid work, shadow IT creates an increasingly serious security risk. Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management helps cloud security teams see unknown and unmanaged resources outside the firewall.

Microsoft

CrowdStrike Falcon vs. Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management