Head to head
Defender for Cloud vs Upwind: which reaches your whole cloud estate faster?
Short answer
On our coverage weights Defender for Cloud scores 7.86 against 7.63 for Upwind. Defender for Cloud scores higher on clouds and environments named, path to first findings, integrations and reach and cost visibility before purchase; Upwind scores higher on agentless workload depth, risk context from day one and runtime layer when you need it. Defender for Cloud names 4 of 8 environments and Upwind names 4.
Defender for Cloud's free tier covers posture only. Its agentless workload scanning is in the paid Defender CSPM and Defender for Servers Plan 2 tiers, which is what its agentless score reflects.
Desk research from public vendor pages read in September 2026, updated 2026-10-11. Editorial assessment; we did not run the products.
How do the scores compare?
| Criterion | Defender for Cloud | Upwind | Higher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clouds and environments named 20% | 7.5 | 7.0 | Defender for Cloud |
| Agentless workload depth 25% | 7.4 | 8.0 | Upwind |
| Path to first findings 15% | 8.0 | 7.0 | Defender for Cloud |
| Risk context from day one 15% | 7.8 | 9.0 | Upwind |
| Runtime layer when you need it 10% | 8.0 | 9.4 | Upwind |
| Integrations and reach 7% | 8.6 | 7.0 | Defender for Cloud |
| Cost visibility before purchase 8% | 9.2 | 5.0 | Defender for Cloud |
| Total | 7.86 | 7.63 | Defender for Cloud |
Defender for Cloud
Upwind
Which environments does each name?
Microsoft Defender for Cloud
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
Upwind
Upwind's homepage names AWS, Google Cloud, Azure and OCI as partnerships.
Source: Upwind homepage · Read 27 Sep 2026
- Named on the vendor's pages we reviewed
- Not named on the pages we reviewed (this does not mean unsupported)
Named by both: AWS, Azure and Google Cloud. Only Defender for Cloud: On-premises or private cloud. Only Upwind: Oracle Cloud.
How does each 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.
- Runtime layer
- Microsoft Defender for Endpoint EDR through Defender for Servers Plan 1 and Plan 2.
- 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.
Defender for Cloud
- Coverage model
- Agentless scanning combined with eBPF runtime sensors; the design centers on the sensor.
- Runtime layer
- eBPF sensor with baselines of cloud activity and network flows, and forensic event timelines (CDR).
- Path to first findings
- Agentless scanning gives a first view; Upwind's runtime context, which it leads with, needs its sensor.
Upwind
What does each cost?
Defender for Cloud
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
Upwind
AWS Marketplace, 12-month contract: Upwind Cloud Security Platform $30,000.00; Upwind Managed Detection and Response 24/7 Service $6,000.00. The quantity each price covers was not captured in our read. 24-month and 36-month contracts are listed with savings. No price on Upwind's own site.
Source: AWS Marketplace: Upwind Cloud Security Platform · Read 11 Oct 2026
What does each claim?
Defender for Cloud
No speed, count or customer figure from Defender for Cloud is quoted on this site.
Upwind
Which should you choose?
Choose Defender for Cloud if
you value a price you can model before talking to sales and integrations and platform reach.
Best fit: Azure-first teams that also run AWS or Google Cloud and want to start free and model cost before buying.
Choose Upwind if
you value a deep runtime sensor for detection and blocking and a ranked fix list from attack paths.
Best fit: Teams that want runtime context early and are ready to deploy a sensor soon after the first scan.
Frequently asked questions
Which scores higher for multi-cloud coverage, Defender for Cloud or Upwind?
Defender for Cloud scores 7.86 against 7.63 on our default weights. With equal weights the order is Defender for Cloud first (8.07 against 7.49). The coverage calculator lets you set your own weights.
Which clouds do Defender for Cloud and Upwind name?
Defender for Cloud: 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. Upwind: On the pages we reviewed: AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and Oracle Cloud. Upwind's homepage names AWS, Google Cloud, Azure and OCI as partnerships.
Which is cheaper?
Defender for Cloud: 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%. Upwind: AWS Marketplace, 12-month contract: Upwind Cloud Security Platform $30,000.00; Upwind Managed Detection and Response 24/7 Service $6,000.00. The quantity each price covers was not captured in our read. 24-month and 36-month contracts are listed with savings. No price on Upwind's own site. Neither figure is a quote for your estate.