SIDE BY SIDE · FACTS ONLY

Defender EASM vs Rapid7: asset inventory facts side by side

SHORT ANSWER

Defender EASM describes 2 of the five approaches on the pages we read and Rapid7 describes 3; they differ on CAASM aggregation. On collection, Defender EASM works without new agents and Rapid7 does not describe its collection method on the pages we read. 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: Microsoft Defender EASM
Lower bar, lighter: Rapid7 Surface Command

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	Microsoft Defender EASM	Rapid7 Surface Command
Positioning	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.	Rapid7's attack surface product, combining external discovery (EASM) with asset discovery and a unified internal and external inventory (CAASM), part of the Rapid7 Command platform.
Deployment	An Azure resource. Cross-tenant resource access, including Azure Lighthouse, is not supported. Source: Microsoft Learn: Defender EASM overview · Read 27 Sep 2026	Part of the Rapid7 Command platform with Exposure Command, InsightVM and InsightCloudSec. Source: Rapid7 products · Read 27 Sep 2026
CAASM aggregationDiffers	Not in our sources Not described on the pages we read.	Described Asset discovery and a unified inventory (CAASM) including devices, software, identities and controls. Source: Rapid7 Command platform packages and pricing · Read 11 Oct 2026
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 management	Described A prebuilt inventory for many organisations plus recursive discovery from seeds you supply. Source: Microsoft Learn: what is discovery · Read 27 Sep 2026	Described Internal and external attack surface visibility (EASM), including unknown internet-facing assets and shadow IT. Source: Rapid7 Surface Command · Read 27 Sep 2026
CMDB-centred inventory	Not in our sources Not described on the pages we read.	Not in our sources Not described on the pages we read.
Exposure management	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	With a condition Includes an Exposure Management dashboard and remediation hub; vulnerability scanning sits in the Exposure Command Essentials tier above it. Source: Rapid7 Command platform packages and pricing · Read 11 Oct 2026
Servers and network devicesDiffers	Not in our sources	Partly Internal attack surface visibility is described; network devices are not called out. Source: Rapid7 Surface Command · Read 27 Sep 2026
Cloud workloadsDiffers	Not in our sources	Partly InsightCloudSec sits in the same platform. Source: Rapid7 products · Read 27 Sep 2026
SaaS applications	Not in our sources	Not in our sources
Identities as assetsDiffers	Not in our sources	Matches Identities are part of the unified inventory. Source: Rapid7 Command platform packages and pricing · Read 11 Oct 2026
Off-network laptops	Not in our sources	Not in our sources
OT and IoT devices	Not in our sources	Not in our sources
Internet-facing discovery	Matches Prebuilt inventory and recursive discovery from seeds. Source: Microsoft Learn: what is discovery · Read 27 Sep 2026	Matches External attack surface visibility (EASM). Source: Rapid7 Surface Command · Read 27 Sep 2026
Offers its own agent	Not in our sources	Not in our sources
Works without new agentsDiffers	Matches An Azure service that discovers from seeds and a prebuilt inventory. Source: Microsoft Learn: Defender EASM overview · Read 27 Sep 2026	Not in our sources
Merges records from several sourcesDiffers	Not in our sources	Matches A unified asset inventory (CAASM). Source: Rapid7 Surface Command · Read 27 Sep 2026
Feeds or updates a CMDB	Not in our sources	Not in our sources
Cross-source queries and reports	Partly Dashboards for vulnerabilities, compliance and hygiene. Source: Microsoft Learn: Defender EASM overview · Read 27 Sep 2026	Partly Asset graph and blast radius views. Source: Rapid7 Command platform packages and pricing · Read 11 Oct 2026
Workflows, tickets or actionsDiffers	Partly Data connections to Log Analytics and Azure Data Explorer trigger remediation actions downstream. Source: Microsoft Learn: data connections · Read 27 Sep 2026	Matches Remediation hub and built-in, SOAR-ready automation and integrations in the Surface Command package. Source: Rapid7 Command platform packages and pricing · Read 11 Oct 2026
Price or pricing basis published	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	Partly Pricing basis published: asset types and use cases in scope; no amounts. Source: Rapid7 Command platform packages and pricing · Read 11 Oct 2026
Free tier or trial	Matches A 30-day free trial, then Azure billing. Source: Microsoft Learn: understanding billable assets · Read 27 Sep 2026	Matches Public trial. Source: Rapid7 Surface Command · Read 27 Sep 2026
Platform it is part of	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	Rapid7: Shares the Command platform with Exposure Command, InsightVM and InsightCloudSec. Source: Rapid7 products · Read 27 Sep 2026
Integrations	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	SOAR-ready integrations, with Exposure Command, InsightVM and InsightCloudSec in the same platform. Source: Rapid7 Surface Command · Read 27 Sep 2026
Price	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	No amounts published. Priced on the asset types and use cases in scope; Start Trial offered. Exposure Command Essentials adds vulnerability scanning and Ultimate adds cloud, IaC and DAST. Source: Rapid7 Command platform packages and pricing · Read 11 Oct 2026

Where do they differ?

CAASM aggregation: Defender EASM is not in our sources; Rapid7 describes it.
Servers and network devices: Defender EASM is not in our sources; Rapid7 partly matches.
Cloud workloads: Defender EASM is not in our sources; Rapid7 partly matches.
Identities as assets: Defender EASM is not in our sources; Rapid7 matches.
Works without new agents: Defender EASM matches; Rapid7 is not in our sources.
Merges records from several sources: Defender EASM is not in our sources; Rapid7 matches.
Workflows, tickets or actions: Defender EASM partly matches; Rapid7 matches.

Can they work together?

Neither vendor's pages we read name the other as an integration. That does not mean they cannot work together; ask both vendors.

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

Choose Rapid7 if

You already run InsightVM or another Rapid7 product
You want internal and external assets in one inventory

Which limits should you check?

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.

Rapid7

No price amounts published; pricing depends on the asset types and use cases in scope.
Vulnerability scanning sits in the Exposure Command tiers, and SaaS apps and OT are not described on the pages we read.

Put Defender EASM and Rapid7 in the asset census with others Run the finder

Questions people ask

Is Defender EASM or Rapid7 better?

Neither is scored on this site. Defender EASM describes 2 of five approaches and Rapid7 3 on the pages we read, and they differ on 7 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 Defender EASM and Rapid7 work with a CMDB?

Defender EASM: Not in our sources. Rapid7: Not in our sources.

Do Defender EASM or Rapid7 publish prices?

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. Rapid7: No amounts published. Priced on the asset types and use cases in scope; Start Trial offered. Exposure Command Essentials adds vulnerability scanning and Ultimate adds cloud, IaC and DAST.