SIDE BY SIDE · FACTS ONLY

Axonius vs Defender EASM: asset inventory facts side by side

SHORT ANSWER

Axonius describes 3 of the five approaches on the pages we read and Defender EASM describes 2; they differ on CAASM aggregation, External attack surface management, CMDB-centred inventory and Exposure management. On collection, Axonius works without new agents and Defender EASM works without new agents. Many estates run two of these approaches together, so the question is often which pair, not which one; we do not score either.

By The Inventory Desk · CAASM Finder · Published 2026-10-11

Desk research from public vendor pages read on 27 September and 11 October 2026. Profiles follow our published method; we did not run the products.

How do their approaches compare?

Top bar: Axonius
Lower bar, lighter: Microsoft Defender EASM

Full bar: described on the vendor's pages we read
Hatched bar: described with a condition (another product, a higher tier, or part of the approach)
Stub: not in our sources (it may exist; we did not find it)

The bars show what each vendor's own pages describe, or how your answers weigh the five approaches. They are not a measure of how well a product works.

What are the facts, side by side?

From each vendor's own pages. Differs marks rows where the recorded status or check value differs.
Fact	Axonius	Microsoft Defender EASM
Positioning	Axonius grew out of cyber asset attack surface management (CAASM) into a broader asset intelligence platform. Axonius describes the Axonius Asset Cloud: it connects to the tools a company already runs through adapters (its directory lists 1,306), correlates what each one reports into one record per asset, and acts on gaps through workflows and bi-directional integrations.	Microsoft's external attack surface management service, run as an Azure resource, with a prebuilt inventory, recursive discovery from seeds and billing on the Azure bill.
Deployment	Hosted SaaS, or self-managed on-premises or in your own cloud. The hosted option runs on an AWS EC2 instance separated from other customers' environments. Source: Axonius pricing · Read 11 Oct 2026	An Azure resource. Cross-tenant resource access, including Azure Lighthouse, is not supported. Source: Microsoft Learn: Defender EASM overview · Read 27 Sep 2026
CAASM aggregationDiffers	Described Its adapter directory lists 1,306 adapters to security and IT tools; correlating what each reports into one record per asset is the core of the product. Source: Axonius adapter directory · Read 11 Oct 2026	Not in our sources Not described on the pages we read.
Agent-based inventory	Not in our sources Not described on the pages we read.	Not in our sources Not described on the pages we read.
External attack surface managementDiffers	Not in our sources Not described on the pages we read.	Described A prebuilt inventory for many organisations plus recursive discovery from seeds you supply. Source: Microsoft Learn: what is discovery · Read 27 Sep 2026
CMDB-centred inventoryDiffers	With a condition Works alongside a CMDB rather than replacing it: the ServiceNow adapter fetches CMDB tables for reconciliation, and enforcement actions create, update or remove ServiceNow assets. Source: Axonius docs: ServiceNow adapter · Read 11 Oct 2026	Not in our sources Not described on the pages we read.
Exposure managementDiffers	Described A smart prioritization engine and single or multi-step workflows sit on the correlated inventory; prioritization draws on findings from the tools you connect. Source: Axonius platform · Read 27 Sep 2026	With a condition Dashboards for vulnerabilities, compliance and hygiene on external assets; remediation happens downstream through Log Analytics and Azure Data Explorer. Source: Microsoft Learn: data connections · Read 27 Sep 2026
Servers and network devicesDiffers	Partly Network devices are covered through adapters to network tools; a native network scanner is not described. Source: Axonius platform · Read 27 Sep 2026	Not in our sources
Cloud workloadsDiffers	Matches Cloud is a listed asset type. Source: Axonius platform · Read 27 Sep 2026	Not in our sources
SaaS applicationsDiffers	Matches Discovers sanctioned, unsanctioned and unmanaged SaaS, including shadow apps, OAuth tokens and risky extensions. Source: Axonius: SaaS applications · Read 27 Sep 2026	Not in our sources
Identities as assetsDiffers	Matches Human and non-human identities, including service accounts, API keys and automation identities. Source: Axonius: identities · Read 27 Sep 2026	Not in our sources
Off-network laptopsDiffers	Partly Devices are collected through the endpoint and management tools you connect, such as Microsoft Intune or CrowdStrike Falcon; no Axonius agent is described. Source: Axonius docs: Microsoft Intune adapter · Read 11 Oct 2026	Not in our sources
OT and IoT devicesDiffers	Matches IoT and OT are listed asset types. Source: Axonius platform · Read 27 Sep 2026	Not in our sources
Internet-facing discoveryDiffers	Not in our sources	Matches Prebuilt inventory and recursive discovery from seeds. Source: Microsoft Learn: what is discovery · Read 27 Sep 2026
Offers its own agent	Not in our sources	Not in our sources
Works without new agents	Matches Collects through adapters (API connections) to tools you already run; the pages we read describe no Axonius endpoint agent. Source: Axonius platform · Read 27 Sep 2026	Matches An Azure service that discovers from seeds and a prebuilt inventory. Source: Microsoft Learn: Defender EASM overview · Read 27 Sep 2026
Merges records from several sourcesDiffers	Matches Correlates data from every connected adapter into one record per asset. Source: Axonius platform · Read 27 Sep 2026	Not in our sources
Feeds or updates a CMDBDiffers	Matches Enforcement actions create, update, and disable or remove assets in ServiceNow, and can create ServiceNow incidents. Source: Axonius docs: ServiceNow adapter · Read 11 Oct 2026	Not in our sources
Cross-source queries and reportsDiffers	Matches Query Wizard for questions across all connected sources. Source: Axonius documentation · Read 27 Sep 2026	Partly Dashboards for vulnerabilities, compliance and hygiene. Source: Microsoft Learn: Defender EASM overview · Read 27 Sep 2026
Workflows, tickets or actionsDiffers	Matches Workflows run single actions or multi-step sequences with ticket tracking; enforcement sets live in the Action Center. Source: Axonius platform · Read 27 Sep 2026	Partly Data connections to Log Analytics and Azure Data Explorer trigger remediation actions downstream. Source: Microsoft Learn: data connections · Read 27 Sep 2026
Price or pricing basis publishedDiffers	Matches Device-based pricing is published: the pricing page shows a starting rate of $8.55 per asset for 15,000 to 24,999 assets, and each device seen by several tools counts once. Source: Axonius pricing · Read 11 Oct 2026	Partly Billable assets are defined (approved host:IP combinations, domains and IP addresses) and charged on the Azure bill; Microsoft's pricing page showed no rate when we read it. Source: Microsoft Learn: understanding billable assets · Read 27 Sep 2026
Free tier or trialDiffers	Not in our sources	Matches A 30-day free trial, then Azure billing. Source: Microsoft Learn: understanding billable assets · Read 27 Sep 2026
Platform it is part of	None	Microsoft: Native to Azure, billed on the Azure bill, with a Security Copilot integration in preview. Source: Microsoft Learn: Defender EASM documentation · Read 27 Sep 2026
Integrations	1,306 adapters in its adapter directory, including documented adapters for CrowdStrike Falcon, Tenable Vulnerability Management, Rapid7 Nexpose and InsightVM, Microsoft Intune and Entra ID, and ServiceNow. We did not reproduce the full list. Source: Axonius adapter directory · Read 11 Oct 2026	Data connections to Log Analytics and Azure Data Explorer, and a Security Copilot integration in preview. Source: Microsoft Learn: data connections · Read 27 Sep 2026
Price	Published: device-based pricing on unique, correlated devices, with tiers from under 500 devices to 10M+ and volume discounts in every tier. The pricing page shows "Starting at $8.55 per asset for 15,000-24,999 assets"; the billing period is not stated in what we read. AWS Marketplace listing: 500 assets for $90,625 on a 12-month contract. Source: Axonius pricing · Read 11 Oct 2026	Billed through Azure on billable assets (approved host:IP combinations, domains and IP addresses) after a 30-day free trial. Microsoft's pricing page did not show a rate when we read it; check it for the current figure. Source: Microsoft Learn: understanding billable assets · Read 27 Sep 2026

Where do they differ?

CAASM aggregation: Axonius describes it; Defender EASM is not in our sources.
External attack surface management: Axonius is not in our sources; Defender EASM describes it.
CMDB-centred inventory: Axonius describes it with a condition; Defender EASM is not in our sources.
Exposure management: Axonius describes it; Defender EASM describes it with a condition.
Servers and network devices: Axonius partly matches; Defender EASM is not in our sources.
Cloud workloads: Axonius matches; Defender EASM is not in our sources.
SaaS applications: Axonius matches; Defender EASM is not in our sources.
Identities as assets: Axonius matches; Defender EASM is not in our sources.
Off-network laptops: Axonius partly matches; Defender EASM is not in our sources.
OT and IoT devices: Axonius matches; Defender EASM is not in our sources.
Internet-facing discovery: Axonius is not in our sources; Defender EASM matches.
Merges records from several sources: Axonius matches; Defender EASM is not in our sources.
Feeds or updates a CMDB: Axonius matches; Defender EASM is not in our sources.
Cross-source queries and reports: Axonius matches; Defender EASM partly matches.
Workflows, tickets or actions: Axonius matches; Defender EASM partly matches.
Price or pricing basis published: Axonius matches; Defender EASM partly matches.
Free tier or trial: Axonius is not in our sources; Defender EASM matches.

Can they work together?

Yes, on the pages we read:

Documents Microsoft Intune and Microsoft Entra ID adapters, with Intune enforcement actions.
Source: Axonius docs: Microsoft Intune adapter · Read 11 Oct 2026

Choose Axonius if

You already run many security and IT tools and they disagree about what exists
You need SaaS apps and identities in the same inventory as devices, with workflows to close gaps

Choose Defender EASM if

You are on Azure and want an external inventory without a sales call
You want an outside-in baseline before choosing an inventory platform

Which limits should you check?

Axonius

Coverage depends on the tools you connect: each adapter needs API access and credentials, and no agent or native network scanner of its own is described.
External (internet-facing) discovery is not described on the pages we read.
No free tier or trial is listed on the pages we read, and the AWS Marketplace listing prices 500 assets at $90,625 for 12 months.

Defender EASM

External assets only: internal devices, SaaS apps and identities are not covered.
No built-in remediation workflow, and no cross-tenant resource access for groups with several Azure tenants.

Put Axonius and Defender EASM in the asset census with others Run the finder

Questions people ask

Is Axonius or Defender EASM better?

Neither is scored on this site. Axonius describes 3 of five approaches and Defender EASM 2 on the pages we read, and they differ on 17 recorded facts. Which fits depends on where your assets live, whether you can install agents, your CMDB and your tools; the finder checks those.

Do Axonius and Defender EASM work with a CMDB?

Axonius: Matches. Enforcement actions create, update, and disable or remove assets in ServiceNow, and can create ServiceNow incidents. Defender EASM: Not in our sources.

Do Axonius or Defender EASM publish prices?

Axonius: Published: device-based pricing on unique, correlated devices, with tiers from under 500 devices to 10M+ and volume discounts in every tier. The pricing page shows "Starting at $8.55 per asset for 15,000-24,999 assets"; the billing period is not stated in what we read. AWS Marketplace listing: 500 assets for $90,625 on a 12-month contract. Defender EASM: Billed through Azure on billable assets (approved host:IP combinations, domains and IP addresses) after a 30-day free trial. Microsoft's pricing page did not show a rate when we read it; check it for the current figure.