No more typing reviews! Try our Samantha, our new voice AI agent.

Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management vs The NodeZero Platform by Horizon3.ai comparison

Sponsored
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 8, 2026

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
5.5
Qualys TotalCloud boosts efficiency, reduces manual effort, decreases risk, and offers significant cost savings with a notable ROI.
Sentiment score
4.4
Microsoft Defender's financial benefits are unclear, best within E5 suite, and difficult to assess against AWS for mixed solution users.
Sentiment score
3.7
NodeZero Platform reduces pen testing costs and time, improves scalability, and increases efficiency through continuous autonomous capabilities.
It has saved about 90% of our time.
Senior Consultant at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
TotalCloud has generated overall savings of 30 to 40 percent across various departments.
Security Manager at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
CallStream helps us integrate and automate tasks.
Senior Security Consultant at CyberNxt Solutions LLP
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
A reduction in remediation time has been seen because it is finding things before they happen.
Director of Enterprise Security at a energy/utilities company with 51-200 employees
Being able to find them because there have been no eyes on that particular section so far ever, and fixing those potentially prevented those companies from getting breached.
IT Security Consultant at Systemhaus for you GmbH
So far, I have seen a return on investment with The NodeZero Platform by Horizon3.ai, as we managed to save a lot of time and effort with this because this is an autonomous tool, and our manual effort is significantly reduced because of a product of this type.
Senior Manager | Manager Security Services at RISK ASSOCIATES
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.4
Qualys TotalCloud support is praised for efficiency and staff knowledge but criticized for delays and inconsistent quality.
Sentiment score
6.1
Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management receives mixed reviews, highlighting expertise gaps and communication delays but valued for friendly assistance.
Sentiment score
7.1
Horizon3.ai's NodeZero Platform is praised for responsive, efficient support, though licensing negotiations need improvement according to users.
They are helpful, respond to my queries, and can answer any question.
Developer at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
Qualys's tech support is highly responsive, providing multiple ways to interact with them.
Service Manager, Security Operations at CDA IT SOLUTIONS
Qualys' customer service provides quality answers, but the response time is long, even though it is within the SLA.
Works at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
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
Overall, when it comes to The NodeZero Platform's tech support, you can reach them via a chat message on their website, and they respond almost immediately.
Director of IT Security at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Previously, with time-sensitive engagements, I would worry about resolving issues before deadlines. That concern has diminished as they've become more responsive and require less escalation to engineering.
Principal Consultant at JTI Cybersecurity
The vast majority of times they are able to resolve the exact questions my team has on the first attempt, which is really good for customer or technical support.
Chief Information Officer at a construction company with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.8
Qualys TotalCloud excels in scalability, efficiently supporting diverse environments and business sizes, though it may require skilled management.
Sentiment score
7.0
Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management is lauded for scalability and integration across environments, though some users seek improved documentation.
Sentiment score
7.2
NodeZero Platform is scalable for enterprises, easily manages assets, and could benefit from expanded web app capabilities.
We started our organization about nine months back. We started with about 30 users, and we now have more than 100 users.
CIO at a venture capital & private equity firm with 11-50 employees
Our organization currently uses it to manage over 1200 web applications.
Analyst, Information Security at Infosys
It is absolutely scalable, and I would rate its scalability as nine out of ten.
retired at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
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
We have conducted pen tests in environments with hundreds of thousands of IP addresses without any scalability issues.
CEO at cybovate
We currently scan approximately 1,500-2,000 assets and haven't encountered any scaling or throughput issues.
Information Security Manager at a non-profit with 51-200 employees
The platform offers various insider threats, segmentation tests, phishing tests, and PCI DSS tests.
Head Dig IT Al And Response/ Consultant at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.3
Qualys TotalCloud is highly stable with reliable support, 99.9% uptime, minimal bugs, and effective maintenance communication.
Sentiment score
6.7
Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management is appreciated for stability and ease despite resource intensity and occasional compatibility issues.
Sentiment score
8.2
NodeZero Platform by Horizon3.ai is generally stable, with occasional minor memory and network issues, but rated highly by users.
Overall, the support provided has been excellent.
Analyst, Information Security at Infosys
It is a stable solution, which is why we chose it.
CIO at a venture capital & private equity firm with 11-50 employees
Continuous monitoring is crucial to ensure system stability and avoid vulnerabilities or threats.
Developer at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
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 encountered any issues on the platform regarding accessibility, performance, or stability.
CEO at cybovate
Regarding stability, it has never crashed, and there has not been any lagging from deployment or running.
Director of Enterprise Security at a energy/utilities company with 51-200 employees
I would rate the stability of The NodeZero Platform by Horizon3.ai as a ten.
Senior Manager | Manager Security Services at RISK ASSOCIATES
 

Room For Improvement

Users suggest enhancing Qualys TotalCloud with clearer reports, better integration, intuitive UI, AI risk assessments, and improved documentation.
Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management needs simplified configuration, better integration, faster updates, and advanced features for improved security and efficiency.
Users desire improved whitelisting, reporting, integration, scan speed, automation, and cost efficiency on NodeZero Platform by Horizon3.ai.
Ideally, the scanner should automatically detect and scan all subdomains, even if not explicitly defined, ensuring comprehensive vulnerability assessment.
Analyst, Information Security at Infosys
Ideally, updates should be more immediate, enabling quicker implementation of solutions.
Project Lead at Persistent Systems
Our goal is to integrate all these functions into Qualys, creating a single dashboard for comprehensive security monitoring and management.
Senior Information Security Engineer at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
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
This service reveals which credentials and email addresses are available on the deep web, as well as which domains have been set up using typo-squatting techniques.
Information Security Manager at a non-profit with 51-200 employees
The one thing that is very much asked from us as a service provider is DAST testing, so when a company is building a software, they could see their current security status while they are building the application.
Offensive Security Analyst at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
One of the areas where improvement is needed is in the visibility and reporting for large enterprises.
CEO at cybovate
 

Setup Cost

Qualys TotalCloud's pricing is high yet justified by comprehensive features and flexibility, benefiting larger enterprises seeking robust security.
Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management offers competitive pricing in industry, though costs can be complex, especially for non-partners.
Enterprise users find NodeZero by Horizon3.ai cost-effective, flexible, with stable pricing and valuable compared to traditional testing.
Qualys TotalCloud's pricing is currently acceptable, it is becoming increasingly expensive.
Senior Manager at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Pricing is managed by our finance team; however, Qualys TotalCloud offers cost-effective licensing flexibility.
IT Manager at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
Qualys TotalCloud is expensive, but it offers a premier solution with no headaches.
Vice President at Inspira Enterprise
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
The pricing is much more affordable than traditional penetration tests.
Manager, Information Technology at a performing arts with 11-50 employees
It's a bit cheaper than manual penetration testing because manual testing typically allows you to scan only a few subnets.
Works at a hospitality company with 201-500 employees
Usually, manual penetration test scans take considerable time and money.
Security Engineer at Herjavec Group
 

Valuable Features

Qualys TotalCloud offers comprehensive vulnerability detection, cloud security management, and automation with insightful dashboards for efficient threat management.
Microsoft Defender offers asset discovery, real-time intelligence, seamless integration, risk prioritization, continuous monitoring, and proactive remediation with AI capabilities.
NodeZero Platform provides automated penetration testing, vulnerability verification, and remediation guidance with scalability and effective cybersecurity enhancements for organizations.
This view of risk helps reduce the work we would have to do to combine multiple sources to prioritize risk.
Works at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
It will help cybersecurity professionals monitor the cloud and find vulnerabilities.
Developer at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
We are enjoying the new feature, FlexScan, which is valuable for Internet-facing VMs.
Senior Consultant at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
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
When a new vulnerability, such as a zero-day exploit, is identified, they review your previous scans to determine if you might be vulnerable to it, and they proactively notify you.
Director of IT Security at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
The detailed reports not only list the vulnerabilities that matter, but they also include direct links to patches.
Information Security Manager at a non-profit with 51-200 employees
The NodeZero Platform's real attack capabilities help in identifying vulnerabilities on our on-prem systems because it provides actual vulnerabilities by attacking our systems.
Chief Information Security Officer at a construction company with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

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) (8th), Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) (8th), SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM) (1st), Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP) (6th)
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)
The NodeZero Platform by Ho...
Ranking in Vulnerability Management
8th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.1
Number of Reviews
24
Ranking in other categories
Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (13th), Penetration Testing Services (1st), Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS) (1st), Risk-Based Vulnerability Management (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the Vulnerability Management category, the mindshare of Qualys TotalCloud is 1.0%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management is 1.6%, down from 3.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of The NodeZero Platform by Horizon3.ai is 1.4%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Vulnerability Management Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
The NodeZero Platform by Horizon3.ai1.4%
Qualys TotalCloud1.0%
Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management1.6%
Other96.0%
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.
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.
Brent Hamlin - PeerSpot reviewer
Infrastructure Manager at a construction company with 501-1,000 employees
Continuous threat scanning has improved remediation time and strengthened executive reporting
The best features that The NodeZero Platform by Horizon3.ai offers include the automated scans, which are great to use; you set it, scope it, and let it go, which works really well. The executive reporting feature is impactful for me as a manager, providing a strong foundation to give quarterly and yearly reports to our executives and board to see the state of our infrastructure from a security standpoint. The level of detail and clarity in the executive reports from The NodeZero Platform by Horizon3.ai absolutely helps me communicate effectively with leadership. They are detailed enough for me to extract the necessary information tailored for the executives and to provide a broader perspective on our mitigation efforts or accepted risk stance and where additional controls exist. The NodeZero Platform by Horizon3.ai has positively impacted my organization by giving us a better continuous picture of our security posture, what's exploitable, and what can be used against the organization. It allows us to run scans whenever needed, unlike a single third-party system that only provides a snapshot in time; our processes must be ongoing as the security landscape is dynamic. NodeZero's endpoint security effectiveness feature impacts my understanding of potential security threats by providing a clear picture of both the external and internal landscapes within my organization, enabling me to prioritize and adjust as needed for vulnerabilities such as WordPress plugin issues or user enumerations and software code version assessments. I have built The NodeZero Platform by Horizon3.ai into our weekly and monthly workflows for security CI/CD, and we scan our externally accessible assets every week to address anything quickly if it comes up. That includes our firewalls, websites, and anything that is an external web server, which we scan weekly, while the monthly scans are for internal systems that feed our security CI/CD pipeline, enabling us to action across and prioritize any vulnerabilities caught by The NodeZero Platform by Horizon3.ai.
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Vulnerability Management solutions are best for your needs.
900,747 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
18%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Construction Company
7%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
7%
Government
7%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
8%
Educational Organization
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business10
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise29
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise8
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business14
Midsize Enterprise4
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 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 ...
What needs improvement with Horizon3.ai?
The NodeZero Platform by Horizon3.ai could be improved by reducing the elapsed time from identifying a zero-day vulne...
What is your primary use case for Horizon3.ai?
My main use case for The NodeZero Platform by Horizon3.ai includes pen testing and vulnerability management. I use Th...
What advice do you have for others considering Horizon3.ai?
My advice to others looking into using The NodeZero Platform by Horizon3.ai is to do yourself a favor and see what th...
 

Also Known As

Qualys TotalCloud with FlexScan
No data available
Horizon3.ai
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Information Not Available
Government agencies, Defense Industrial Base organizations, and enterprises in regulated industries such as finance, healthcare, manufacturing, and criticalinfrastructure rely on NodeZero to meet rigorous security and compliance requirements with continuous, scheduled, and on-demand testing.
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management vs. The NodeZero Platform by Horizon3.ai and other solutions. Updated: May 2026.
900,747 professionals have used our research since 2012.