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Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management vs Rapid7 InsightVM comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 6, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
4.9
Determining ROI for Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management is challenging due to service bundling and mixed-use of other products.
Sentiment score
6.5
Rapid7 InsightVM reduces cyber risks and incidents, enhancing security and cost-efficiency, with positive financial and risk reduction outcomes.
Organizations typically do not rely solely on Microsoft products to avoid putting all eggs in one basket, which presents a challenge for maximizing ROI.
Cloud Security Engineer at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
As a Microsoft partner, we receive significant discounts, making the solution affordable for us.
COO at Floating-Dot Technology LTD
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.6
Microsoft Defender's support is praised for expertise but criticized for communication delays and varying service quality.
Sentiment score
6.9
Rapid7 InsightVM's customer service is praised for professionalism, though some experience delays; dedicated managers are preferred by some.
They are sometimes responsive, however, often issues cannot be reproduced on their end, making it challenging.
Security Specialist at Prudential Systems Japan
The support we receive from Microsoft is declining, and for example, after taking advanced support, we have not received satisfactory answers.
Microsoft Solutions Manager at Self-Employed
They are familiar with Microsoft products but are not direct Microsoft staff, which is an area needing improvement.
Cloud Security Engineer at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
Support is not available promptly, especially when issues are escalated to another region.
Head Of Cyber Security at Super Secure
Sometimes support requests coincide with holidays in their support region, causing slight delays.
Professional services team lead at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
I cannot comment specifically regarding the support part because I have never needed Rapid7 support for the InsightVM solution as it is very stable.
Senior Manager - Pre-Sales at Trillium Information Security Systems
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.6
Microsoft Defender excels in scalability and integration but faces documentation and on-premise infrastructure challenges across industries.
Sentiment score
7.5
Rapid7 InsightVM is highly scalable, flexible, and well-suited for varied environments, accommodating growth without performance issues.
The integration is straightforward for those who understand it, though documentation needs improvement.
Cloud Security Engineer at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
It is scalable; I evaluated the product and decided to use Defender on over 700 of our company servers.
Security Specialist at Prudential Systems Japan
Scalability in the Rapid7 InsightVM solution is straightforward.
Senior Manager - Pre-Sales at Trillium Information Security Systems
Rapid7 InsightVM is recommended for large-scale companies with more than 30,000 users.
Enterprise Security Architect at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
According to the environment requirements, we can scale the solution as needed.
Professional services team lead at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
6.6
Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management is highly stable and reliable, with minimal downtime, despite minor resource-related and compatibility issues.
Sentiment score
8.1
Rapid7 InsightVM is reliable and stable, despite occasional communication issues, scoring highly in user satisfaction ratings.
There are compatibility issues occasionally arising with false positives when other security tools are not whitelisted in Microsoft Defender.
information Security and IT Manager at Discover Dollar Technologies Pvt Ltd.
It is very resource-intensive, consuming a lot of memory and CPU.
Security Specialist at Prudential Systems Japan
If Microsoft experiences downtime, this solution goes down as it is a SaaS-based solution where we have no control.
Cloud Security Engineer at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
We have not faced any issues with stability, and I would rate it a nine out of ten.
Professional services team lead at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
The stability of Rapid7 InsightVM is excellent.
0 at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees
There have been some challenges, especially with support response times, which affect stability.
Head Of Cyber Security at Super Secure
 

Room For Improvement

Microsoft Defender needs better false positive reduction, integration, cost management, risk scoring, and documentation for small enterprises.
Rapid7 InsightVM users seek improved integration, reporting, and usability with better support, automation, cloud features, and secure ticketing.
This scoring should be for specific industries as well. If I belong to the healthcare industry using Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management, it should provide me with a risk score and show how I fare against the risk score of my industry.
DGM. Technical Security at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
A vulnerability I patch within 15 minutes takes 24 additional hours for an update.
information Security and IT Manager at Discover Dollar Technologies Pvt Ltd.
The product is not stable; it often uses excessive memory and CPU, which makes it slow.
Security Specialist at Prudential Systems Japan
Having the ability to build our own audit file, similar to a feature in Tenable, would be beneficial.
Professional services team lead at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
The major improvement needed is prompt support.
Head Of Cyber Security at Super Secure
The current process requires manually telling IT teams to remediate vulnerabilities, and then they update the status of these vulnerabilities in the platform.
Senior Manager - Pre-Sales at Trillium Information Security Systems
 

Setup Cost

Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management provides economical tiered pricing with P1 and P2 options, often included in existing bundles.
Rapid7 InsightVM's pricing is asset-based and flexible, with costs often high but valued for simplicity and included support.
Overall, every organization wishes for cheaper options, but we look at the security side as well, so we are good for now.
Senior Cloud Security Consultant at MetLife
For non-partners, however, the cost could be seen as higher, between seven to ten.
COO at Floating-Dot Technology LTD
The pricing is reasonable, and it's included in the whole Microsoft E5 bundle, so it's all-inclusive.
Corporate Planner at MISC Berhad
Rapid7 InsightVM is expensive, possibly one of the highest in pricing among similar products.
0 at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees
Pricing is reasonable and competitive compared to other solutions in the market.
Head Of Cyber Security at Super Secure
I would rate the pricing for Rapid7 InsightVM as eight out of ten.
Enterprise Security Architect at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
 

Valuable Features

Microsoft Defender excels in compliance, real-time assessments, risk prioritization, integration, asset discovery, and continuous monitoring for enhanced security management.
Rapid7 InsightVM offers versatile modes, seamless integrations, user-friendly interface, effective scanning, and customizable dashboards for efficient vulnerability management.
The main advantage of Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management is that it can locate and prevent most threats even when the endpoints are not connected to the corporate network, as long as the internet is available.
DGM. Technical Security at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
The feature for customizing to region-specific and domain-specific requirements in healthcare is particularly beneficial.
Cloud Security Engineer at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
The most valuable aspect is the kind of assessment results I get, and the recommendations provided in Microsoft products really help in taking care of the resources.
Senior Cloud Security Consultant at MetLife
It's based on the CVSS risk scoring system, which is well-recognized and effective.
Professional services team lead at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
The dashboard is excellent as it helps in visualizing our vulnerability management data.
Manager at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
We have integrated our SIEM solutions and antivirus with each other through Rapid7.
0 at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Defender Vulnerab...
Ranking in Vulnerability Management
13th
Ranking in Risk-Based Vulnerability Management
6th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
17
Ranking in other categories
Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (17th), Microsoft Security Suite (19th)
Rapid7 InsightVM
Ranking in Vulnerability Management
9th
Ranking in Risk-Based Vulnerability Management
4th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
66
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Risk-Based Vulnerability Management category, the mindshare of Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management is 6.7%, down from 8.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Rapid7 InsightVM is 10.5%, down from 13.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Risk-Based Vulnerability Management Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Rapid7 InsightVM10.5%
Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management6.7%
Other82.8%
Risk-Based Vulnerability Management
 

Featured Reviews

OB
Microsoft Solutions Manager at Self-Employed
Ensures strong threat and vulnerability management with continuous risk assessment
The major priority is identity, which is crucial; we have lots of companies in manufacturing, energy, or various sectors, and it varies from one to another. I assess Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management as very effective in continuously assessing vulnerabilities without requiring scans. We use automatic investigation and remediation features, safe attachments, safe links, and real-time reports, which are also very effective. For Active Directory, Defender has threat intelligence, and we are using that. The risk-based prioritization within Vulnerability Management affects my ability to manage vulnerabilities, particularly in relation to the Zero Trust Model utilized by our customers. The end-users often do as they please in their systems.
FL
Senior Manager - Pre-Sales at Trillium Information Security Systems
Offers robust compliance features but needs improved automation in remediation
The automation capability remediation needs improvement. The current process requires manually telling IT teams to remediate vulnerabilities, and then they update the status of these vulnerabilities in the platform. This basic feature that Rapid7 calls an automated remediation process is actually manual. We can update the status of vulnerabilities in the Rapid7 InsightVM platform and collectively see how many vulnerabilities we have identified and how many are remediated by our IT team. More automation in the remediation feature is a basic demand from many customers. The remediation part and vulnerability identification of network devices or rigid devices are not currently supported by Rapid7 InsightVM. More integration and automation are the two areas Rapid7 needs to improve in their product.
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884,797 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
11%
Computer Software Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
8%
Government
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise6
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business29
Midsize Enterprise14
Large Enterprise25
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management?
When I create rules, it gave me problems and I did not know where the problem was located. A small pop-up notification indicating how a rule should be configured would be helpful, rather than the p...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management?
I do not use Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management at work. However, I am currently not working, but I do use Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management on my personal computer.
How would you choose between Rapid7 InsightVM and Tenable Nessus?
You have full visibility across cloud, network, virtual, and containerized infrastructures with Rapid7 Insight VM. You can easily prioritize vulnerabilities using attacker analytics. Overall, Rapid...
What do you like most about Rapid7 InsightVM?
The product's initial setup phase was very easy.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Rapid7 InsightVM?
My experience with the pricing, setup cost, and licensing is that both the setup cost and licensing are great.
 

Also Known As

No data available
InsightVM, NeXpose
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
ACS, Acosta, AllianceData, amazon.com, biogen idec, CBRE, CATERPILLAR, Deloitte, COACH, GameStop, IBM
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management vs. Rapid7 InsightVM and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.
884,797 professionals have used our research since 2012.