Platform profile · Rank 4 of 9
Microsoft Defender for Cloud review: the cloud security platform you can price before you buy
Short answer
Microsoft Defender for Cloud is the only platform here with a free tier, published per-resource pricing and a public calculator. It covers Azure, AWS, Google Cloud and on-premises servers, but agentless workload scanning sits in paid tiers. It scores 7.86 and ranks 4 of 9. From 27 October 2026 the free Foundational CSPM tier becomes opt-in for new Azure subscriptions.
Desk research from public vendor pages read in September 2026, updated 2026-10-11. Editorial assessment; we did not run the products.
Coverage score
Rank 4 of 9 on default weights. Change the weights in the coverage calculator
Which environments does Defender for Cloud name?
Microsoft documents Azure, AWS and Google Cloud, and on-premises servers through Azure Arc.
Source: Microsoft Learn: Defender for Servers overview · Read 27 Sep 2026
- Named on the vendor's pages we reviewed
- Not named on the pages we reviewed (this does not mean unsupported)
Learn more: what a vendor's list of named clouds tells you
How does Defender for Cloud see workloads?
- Coverage model
- Free Foundational CSPM for posture; agentless VM, secrets and Kubernetes scanning only in the paid Defender CSPM and Defender for Servers Plan 2 tiers.
Source: Microsoft Learn: Defender for Cloud CSPM · Read 27 Sep 2026
- Runtime layer
- Microsoft Defender for Endpoint EDR through Defender for Servers Plan 1 and Plan 2.
Source: Microsoft Learn: Defender for Servers overview · Read 27 Sep 2026
- Path to first findings
- Foundational CSPM is free; AWS and Google Cloud are added as connectors. Microsoft states that from 27 October 2026 Foundational CSPM becomes opt-in for new Azure subscriptions. Paid plans have a 30-day free trial.
Source: Microsoft Learn: Defender for Cloud CSPM · Read 27 Sep 2026
What does Defender for Cloud claim?
No speed, count or customer figure from Defender for Cloud is quoted on this site.
What does Defender for Cloud cost?
Published list prices (USD, monthly, East/Central US): Foundational CSPM free; Defender CSPM $5.11 per billable resource; Defender for Servers Plan 1 $4.906 and Plan 2 $14.60 per server; Defender for Containers $6.8693 per vCore; Defender for Storage $10 per storage account; Defender for AI Services $0.0008 per 1,000 tokens. Free for the first 30 days; 1-year pre-purchase commit units save up to 22%.
Source: Azure: Defender for Cloud pricing (per-plan list prices) · Read 11 Oct 2026
How does Defender for Cloud score on each criterion?
| Criterion | Weight | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clouds and environments named | 20% | 7.5 | Azure, AWS and Google Cloud, plus on-premises servers through Azure Arc; no Oracle, Alibaba, Tencent or disconnected environments named. |
| Agentless workload depth | 25% | 7.4 | Agentless VM, secrets and Kubernetes scanning exist, but only in paid Defender CSPM and Defender for Servers Plan 2. |
| Path to first findings | 15% | 8.0 | Foundational CSPM is free and Azure-native; AWS and Google Cloud are added by connector, and the free tier becomes opt-in for new Azure subscriptions from 27 October 2026. |
| Risk context from day one | 15% | 7.8tied lowest in set | Attack path analysis, cloud security explorer and internet exposure analysis, all in paid Defender CSPM. |
| Runtime layer when you need it | 10% | 8.0 | Server runtime protection comes through Defender for Endpoint EDR across Azure, AWS, Google Cloud and on-premises. |
| Integrations and reach | 7% | 8.6 | Native to Azure and Microsoft's security stack, with AWS and Google Cloud resources billed alongside Azure. |
| Cost visibility before purchase | 8% | 9.2highest in set | Free Foundational CSPM, per-resource pricing with a public calculator, and a 30-day free trial. |
- Clouds:
Source: Microsoft Learn: Defender for Servers overview · Read 27 Sep 2026
- Agentless:
Source: Microsoft Learn: Defender for Cloud CSPM · Read 27 Sep 2026
- Setup:
Source: Microsoft Learn: Defender for Cloud CSPM · Read 27 Sep 2026
- Context:
Source: Microsoft Learn: Defender for Cloud CSPM · Read 27 Sep 2026
- Runtime:
Source: Microsoft Learn: Defender for Servers overview · Read 27 Sep 2026
- Integrations:
Source: Microsoft Learn: Defender for Cloud CSPM · Read 27 Sep 2026
- Pricing:
Source: Azure: Defender for Cloud pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026
Briefings about Defender for Cloud
- Which Clouds Each CNAPP Names: Nine Platforms, Eight Environments
- Agentless Reach by Workload Type: VMs, Containers, Serverless, PaaS
- Defender for Cloud's Free CSPM Tier Becomes Opt-In on 27 October 2026
- Why Pricing Visibility Counts in a Cloud Coverage Ranking, and Why Only 8%
- Air-Gapped and Private Cloud Coverage: Where Cloud-Hosted CNAPPs Stop
Where does it lead, and where does it fall short?
Leads
- Highest or tied highest in set on cost visibility before purchase.
- The only platform here with a free tier, published per-resource pricing and a public cost calculator.
- Covers Azure, AWS, Google Cloud and on-premises servers in one console, billed alongside Azure.
Falls short
- Lowest or tied lowest in set on risk context from day one.
- Scores below 6 platforms on agentless.
- Agentless workload scanning sits in paid tiers, so the free start is posture only.
- Oracle, Alibaba, Tencent and disconnected environments are not named on the pages reviewed.
Key facts
| Ownership | Microsoft |
|---|---|
| Open-source project | None named |
| Best fit | Azure-first teams that also run AWS or Google Cloud and want to start free and model cost before buying |
| FedRAMP | Not in our sources |
| Compliance frameworks | Includes CIS, PCI DSS v4.0.1, HIPAA, ISO/IEC 27001:2022, SOC 2023, NIST CSF v2.0, NIST 800-171 Rev3 and NIST SP 800-53, assignable to Azure subscriptions, AWS accounts and Google Cloud projects Source: Microsoft Learn: Defender for Cloud regulatory compliance standards · Read 11 Oct 2026 |
| Website | azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/defender-for-cloud |
How does Defender for Cloud compare head to head?
- Defender for Cloud 7.86 v Orca 9.09 · Orca scores higherHead to head
- Defender for Cloud 7.86 v Wiz 9.03 · Wiz scores higherHead to head
- Defender for Cloud 7.86 v CrowdStrike 7.94 · CrowdStrike scores higherHead to head
- Defender for Cloud 7.86 v Cortex Cloud 7.75 · Defender for Cloud scores higherHead to head
- Defender for Cloud 7.86 v Sysdig 7.67 · Defender for Cloud scores higherHead to head
- Defender for Cloud 7.86 v Upwind 7.63 · Defender for Cloud scores higherHead to head
- Defender for Cloud 7.86 v SentinelOne 7.49 · Defender for Cloud scores higherHead to head
- Defender for Cloud 7.86 v Aqua 7.45 · Defender for Cloud scores higherHead to head
Switching from Defender for CloudStack up Defender for Cloud with the top two
Frequently asked questions
How does Microsoft Defender for Cloud score for multi-cloud coverage?
7.86 out of 10, rank 4 of 9 on our default weights. Its highest score is on Cost visibility before purchase (9.2) and its lowest on Agentless workload depth (7.4).
Which clouds does Microsoft Defender for Cloud name?
On the pages we reviewed: AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and On-premises or private cloud. Microsoft documents Azure, AWS and Google Cloud, and on-premises servers through Azure Arc.
What does Microsoft Defender for Cloud cost?
Published list prices (USD, monthly, East/Central US): Foundational CSPM free; Defender CSPM $5.11 per billable resource; Defender for Servers Plan 1 $4.906 and Plan 2 $14.60 per server; Defender for Containers $6.8693 per vCore; Defender for Storage $10 per storage account; Defender for AI Services $0.0008 per 1,000 tokens. Free for the first 30 days; 1-year pre-purchase commit units save up to 22%.