Head to head
Defender for Cloud vs Wiz: which reaches your whole cloud estate faster?
Short answer
On our coverage weights Wiz scores 9.03 against 7.86 for Defender for Cloud. Defender for Cloud scores higher on cost visibility before purchase; Wiz scores higher on clouds and environments named, agentless workload depth, path to first findings, risk context from day one, runtime layer when you need it and integrations and reach. Defender for Cloud names 4 of 8 environments and Wiz 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 | Wiz | Higher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clouds and environments named 20% | 7.5 | 9.0 | Wiz |
| Agentless workload depth 25% | 7.4 | 9.6 | Wiz |
| Path to first findings 15% | 8.0 | 8.5 | Wiz |
| Risk context from day one 15% | 7.8 | 9.8 | Wiz |
| Runtime layer when you need it 10% | 8.0 | 8.4 | Wiz |
| Integrations and reach 7% | 8.6 | 9.8 | Wiz |
| Cost visibility before purchase 8% | 9.2 | 7.0 | Defender for Cloud |
| Total | 7.86 | 9.03 | Wiz |
Defender for Cloud
Wiz
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
Wiz
Wiz names AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and OCI, and after Google completed its acquisition on 11 March 2026 Wiz stated that it "remains a multi-cloud platform".
Source: Wiz blog: Google closes deal to acquire Wiz · 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 Wiz: 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 API connection; Wiz states it reaches VMs, containers, serverless, PaaS and AI resources without agents and maps them in its Security Graph.
- Runtime layer
- Wiz Sensor, eBPF-based, blocks threats on VMs, containers and serverless containers (Wiz Defend). Optional.
- Path to first findings
- Connects to each cloud by API with no agent for the core scan. The pages reviewed do not state a setup time.
Wiz
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
Wiz
AWS Marketplace, 12-month contract: Wiz Essential, 100 cloud workloads, $24,000.00; Wiz Advanced, 100 cloud workloads, $38,000.00. Add-ons: Wiz Sensor (100 sensors, for Wiz Advanced) $28,000.00; Wiz Code (100 licenses) $58,500.00; Wiz Defend (300 GB of logs per month, for Wiz Advanced) $18,000.00. Wiz's own site quotes custom prices.
Source: AWS Marketplace: Wiz Cloud Infrastructure 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.
Wiz
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 Wiz if
you value a ranked fix list from attack paths and integrations and platform reach.
Best fit: Teams on the four largest public clouds who want agentless coverage tied to the strongest attack-path graph and the widest integration catalog.
Frequently asked questions
Which scores higher for multi-cloud coverage, Defender for Cloud or Wiz?
Wiz scores 9.03 against 7.86 on our default weights. With equal weights the order is Wiz first (8.87 against 8.07). The coverage calculator lets you set your own weights.
Which clouds do Defender for Cloud and Wiz 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. Wiz: On the pages we reviewed: AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and Oracle Cloud. Wiz names AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and OCI, and after Google completed its acquisition on 11 March 2026 Wiz stated that it "remains a multi-cloud platform".
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%. Wiz: AWS Marketplace, 12-month contract: Wiz Essential, 100 cloud workloads, $24,000.00; Wiz Advanced, 100 cloud workloads, $38,000.00. Add-ons: Wiz Sensor (100 sensors, for Wiz Advanced) $28,000.00; Wiz Code (100 licenses) $58,500.00; Wiz Defend (300 GB of logs per month, for Wiz Advanced) $18,000.00. Wiz's own site quotes custom prices. Neither figure is a quote for your estate.