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Cymulate vs Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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

Cymulate
Ranking in Attack Surface Management (ASM)
10th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
Threat Intelligence Platforms (TIP) (9th), Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS) (1st), Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) (2nd)
Microsoft Defender External...
Ranking in Attack Surface Management (ASM)
14th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.0
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
Microsoft Security Suite (33rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Attack Surface Management (ASM) category, the mindshare of Cymulate is 2.7%, down from 3.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management is 3.1%, up from 2.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Attack Surface Management (ASM) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Cymulate2.7%
Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management3.1%
Other94.2%
Attack Surface Management (ASM)
 

Featured Reviews

SB
Security Architec at Shikun & Binui
Support and integration enhance security posture over three years
I don't know if there's something that could be improved. They surprise me. As I mentioned, I returned a month ago. I haven't fully investigated the complete system yet. I must say that we have been with them for around three years. This is amazing because throughout these three years, they have supported us every week. We meet weekly to review results and fix issues together. Apart from occasional days off, this weekly support has been consistent for three years. It's remarkable because many products are sold and then the product teams forget about you, but this isn't the case with Cymulate.
AndyChan3 - PeerSpot reviewer
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…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"With Cymulate, the best features are the capacity to test the EDR or malware, anti-malware solution."
"The most valuable feature for us is the zero-day."
"Cymulate has positively impacted our organization by helping us to take care of the efficacy and reviewing the policies and configuration."
"The reporting capabilities are very good."
"The security validation feature helps my organization in assessing our security posture."
"Cymulate is easy to set up, install, and configure."
"Microsoft External Attack Surface Management helps improve the visibility of my exposed vulnerabilities and provides an overview of my security posture across the globe."
"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."
 

Cons

"The product must provide consultancy for initial setup."
"I will be honest, we have it, but in the last year, I didn't maintain the system until a month ago."
"The way Cymulate works for EDR could be improved, as it drops payload and requires action from the EDR console for remediation, which can block the whole process of Cymulate execution."
"We have had some trouble with the agents."
"The cost can be quite high, and it impacts scalability as more simulations require additional expenses."
"The reporting process requires significant improvement as it often takes longer than expected and the quality is lacking."
"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

"The product is affordable."
"Cymulate's services are expensive."
Information not available
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
17%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Retailer
6%
Computer Software Company
17%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Energy/Utilities Company
6%
Outsourcing Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business4
Large Enterprise3
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cymulate?
The most valuable feature for us is the zero-day.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cymulate?
I don't know if it's expensive. It depends on the modules that you want, or the time, because they give you a tenant. A tenant for you.
What needs improvement with Cymulate?
I don't know if that helped with quick decision making for my security team because I am the security team and you must have a dedicated team to work with this tool. I don't use the analytics modul...
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?
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 ...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Euronext, YMCA, Telit, Nemours 
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Cymulate vs. Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
879,443 professionals have used our research since 2012.