Microsoft Defender for Cloud vs Wiz: 2026 CNAPP comparison
Cloud Security Compare editors · Matchups reviewed September 2026 · Editorial assessment
The short version
Wiz scores higher overall, 4.4 to 4.0, and wins 6 of seven criteria: agentless coverage, runtime protection, risk prioritization, code-to-cloud security, AI workload security and ecosystem and integrations. Defender wins 1: pricing transparency. Choose Defender if you want to model cost from public pricing before a sales call; choose Wiz if you want the widest coverage without installing agents first.
Microsoft Defender for Cloud
4.0/ 5
Wiz
4.4/ 5
Microsoft Defender for Cloud wins 1 criterion, Wiz wins 6.
Who wins Defender vs Wiz?
Wiz is ahead by 0.36 points on exact totals. Defender's wins cover 10% of our weights; Wiz's cover 90%. The largest single gap is on pricing transparency, where Defender leads by 3.1.
Where each design starts, on our reading: Defender, posture plus Defender for Endpoint; Wiz, agentless, with an added sensor.
How do Defender and Wiz compare on each criterion?
| Criterion | Weight | Defender | Wiz | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agentless coverage and time to value | 18% | 3.7 | 4.8 | Wiz +1.1 |
| Runtime protection depth | 16% | 4.0 | 4.2 | Wiz +0.2 |
| Risk prioritization and attack paths | 18% | 3.9 | 4.9 | Wiz +1.0 |
| Code-to-cloud and AppSec | 14% | 3.8 | 4.6 | Wiz +0.8 |
| AI workload security | 12% | 4.0 | 4.6 | Wiz +0.6 |
| Ecosystem and integrations | 12% | 4.3 | 4.9 | Wiz +0.6 |
| Pricing transparency | 10% | 4.6 | 1.5 | Defender +3.1 |
Agentless coverage and time to value
Weight 18%
Defender: Agentless VM, secrets and Kubernetes scanning exist, but only in the paid Defender CSPM and Defender for Servers Plan 2 tiers.
Wiz: Connects by API and, Wiz states, reaches VMs, containers, serverless, PaaS and AI resources without agents.
Runtime protection depth
Weight 16%
Defender: Server runtime protection comes through Defender for Endpoint EDR across Azure, AWS, GCP and on-premises machines.
Wiz: The eBPF-based Wiz Sensor can block threats, but runtime is a layer added to an agentless core rather than where the product started.
Risk prioritization and attack paths
Weight 18%
Defender: Attack path analysis, cloud security explorer and internet exposure analysis sit in Defender CSPM.
Wiz: The Security Graph links infrastructure, identities, data and AI resources into attack paths; it is the design most rivals get compared against.
Code-to-cloud and AppSec
Weight 14%
Defender: Code-to-cloud mapping and agentless code-to-cloud container assessment are included in Defender CSPM.
Wiz: Wiz Code covers SCA and SBOM, IaC, secrets and malware scanning, IDE and GitHub integration, ASPM and code-to-cloud tracing.
AI workload security
Weight 12%
Defender: AI-SPM in Defender CSPM plus Defender for AI Services, billed per 1,000 tokens.
Wiz: Agentless AI-BOM across SageMaker, OpenAI, Bedrock and Vertex AI, AI attack paths, and runtime detection of prompt injection and rogue agents.
Ecosystem and integrations
Weight 12%
Defender: Native to Azure and Microsoft's security stack, with AWS and GCP resources covered and billed alongside Azure.
Wiz: 200+ integrations through its WIN program, a Fortune 100 footprint Wiz puts above 65%, and Google ownership since March 2026.
Pricing transparency
Weight 10%
Defender: Foundational CSPM is free, paid plans bill per resource with a public cost calculator, and there is a 30-day free trial.
Wiz: No public price list; quotes come through sales or cloud marketplaces.
Scores are 0 to 5. The marker leans toward the stronger vendor; a gap of 1.5 or more pins it to the end. How to read these bars
How do Defender and Wiz price?
| Pricing fact | Defender | Wiz |
|---|---|---|
| Published pricing | Published per resource on the Azure pricing page and cost calculator; Foundational CSPM free; 30-day free trial | Not published. Contact sales. |
| Billing basis | Published per billable resource on the Azure pricing page and cost calculator (for serverless, 8 Lambda functions count as 1 billable unit). Foundational CSPM free. Defender for AI Services billed per 1,000 tokens. Free for the first 30 days. | Not published. Contact sales. |
| Pricing transparency score | 4.6 | 1.5 |
Source: Defender for Cloud pricing · Reviewed Sep 2026
Source: Wiz platform · Reviewed Sep 2026
Microsoft states that from 27 October 2026 Foundational CSPM becomes opt-in for new Azure subscriptions.
What are the key differences?
| Fact | Microsoft Defender for Cloud | Wiz |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment | Free Foundational CSPM; agentless scanning in paid Defender CSPM and Defender for Servers Plan 2; agent-based EDR through Defender for Endpoint | Agentless, connects by cloud API; optional Wiz Sensor for runtime |
| Runtime sensor | Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (Defender for Servers Plan 1 and Plan 2) | Wiz Sensor, eBPF-based, blocks threats in real time on VMs, containers and serverless containers (Wiz Defend) |
| Clouds named | Azure, AWS, Google Cloud, on-premises via Azure Arc | AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, OCI |
| Code security | Code-to-cloud mapping and agentless code-to-cloud container assessment (Defender CSPM) | Wiz Code: SCA and SBOM, IaC, secrets, malware, IDE scanning, GitHub, code-to-cloud tracing, ASPM |
| AI security | AI-SPM in Defender CSPM; Defender for AI Services billed per 1,000 tokens | AI-SPM with agentless AI-BOM (SageMaker, OpenAI, Bedrock, Vertex AI); runtime detection of prompt injection and rogue agents |
| Ownership | Microsoft | Part of Google since 11 March 2026 ($32 billion deal announced 18 March 2025) |
| Public pricing | Published per resource on the Azure pricing page and cost calculator; Foundational CSPM free; 30-day free trial | Not published. Contact sales. |
| Open-source project | None named | None named |
Microsoft Defender for Cloud sources: Defender CSPM plans · Defender for Servers · Defender for Cloud pricing · Reviewed Sep 2026
Wiz sources: Wiz platform · Wiz Code · Wiz Defend and Sensor · Wiz AI-SPM · Google closes Wiz deal · Google announcement · Reviewed Sep 2026
Microsoft states that from 27 October 2026 Foundational CSPM becomes opt-in for new Azure subscriptions.
When should you choose Defender?
- You want to model cost from public pricing before a sales call. Defender scores 4.6 against 1.5: Foundational CSPM is free, paid plans bill per resource with a public cost calculator, and there is a 30-day free trial.
- Its designation in our matrix is "Best value for Azure-first teams".
When should you choose Wiz?
- You want the widest coverage without installing agents first. Wiz scores 4.8 against 3.7: Connects by API and, Wiz states, reaches VMs, containers, serverless, PaaS and AI resources without agents.
- You want findings ranked into attack paths so the team fixes the few that matter. Wiz scores 4.9 against 3.9: The Security Graph links infrastructure, identities, data and AI resources into attack paths; it is the design most rivals get compared against.
Frequently asked questions
Is Defender or Wiz better?
Wiz scores higher overall, 4.4 to 4.0, and wins 6 of seven criteria: agentless coverage, runtime protection, risk prioritization, code-to-cloud security, AI workload security and ecosystem and integrations. Defender wins 1: pricing transparency. This is an editorial assessment of public vendor material, not a test result.
Where is Defender stronger than Wiz?
On pricing transparency: pricing transparency 4.6 against 1.5.
Do Defender and Wiz publish prices?
Defender: Published per resource on the Azure pricing page and cost calculator; Foundational CSPM free; 30-day free trial. Wiz: Not published. Contact sales.