Microsoft Defender EASM is a commercial external attack surface management solution by Microsoft. Puredns is a free external attack surface management solution. Features, integrations, deployment and the company behind each one, side by side.
What our shortlists say about the one we picked.
Best for: Microsoft shops adding external asset discovery
It belongs here if you already pay for Microsoft security, because discovered assets can move into Defender for Cloud and Copilot in Azure turns plain questions into inventory searches. It fits companies from small to enterprise. Its features center on discovery and flagging, so ask whether you also need active testing to prove which exposures are real.
From Best Attack Surface Management Solutions for Business, Fall 2026
Reviewed by Nika (Nikoloz) Kokhreidze.
Discovers and monitors external-facing assets and vulnerabilities
A fast domain resolver and subdomain bruteforcing tool
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Based on what each listing shows: deployment, company size, price and open source.
Microsoft Defender EASM fits if you want a cloud product.
Puredns fits if you need to run it on your own servers, you are a startup, you need a free product and you want an open-source product.
Common questions when comparing Microsoft Defender EASM vs Puredns for external attack surface management.
Microsoft Defender EASM: Discovers and monitors external-facing assets and vulnerabilities. Built by Microsoft.
Puredns: A fast domain resolver and subdomain bruteforcing tool.
The table above shows where their features, integrations, deployment and company size fit differ.
Microsoft Defender EASM is made by Microsoft. Puredns is open-source with 1,982 GitHub stars. The vendor behind a product decides its roadmap, support, and longevity, so check each company's profile before you commit.
Often, yes. Microsoft Defender EASM and Puredns are both External Attack Surface Management products. Key differences: Microsoft Defender EASM is Commercial while Puredns is Free, Puredns is open-source. Use the table above to see where features, deployment and company size fit differ.
Need the answer fast? Best Attack Surface Management Solutions for Business picks Palo Alto Networks Cortex Xpanse, Microsoft Defender EASM, Mandiant Attack Surface Management and 4 more.See the shortlist