Defender for Cloud vs SentinelOne: cloud security facts side by side
How do their category maps compare?
- Described on the vendor's pages we read
- Not in our sources (it may exist; we did not find it on the pages we read)
What are the facts, side by side?
| Fact | Defender for Cloud | SentinelOne |
|---|---|---|
| Positioning | Microsoft's cloud security product: a free posture tier, paid posture and server plans billed per resource, across Azure, AWS and Google Cloud. | SentinelOne's cloud security line: an agentless CNAPP (Cloud Native Security) plus Cloud Workload Security for runtime. |
| Agent approachDiffers | Agentless parts, agent for depth Agentless VM, secrets and Kubernetes scanning exist, but only in the paid Defender CSPM plan and Defender for Servers Plan 2. Source: Microsoft Learn: Defender for Cloud CSPM plans, read . | Agentless core SentinelOne describes Cloud Native Security as "an agentless CNAPP". Source: SentinelOne Cloud Native Security, read . |
| Runtime sensor | Defender for Servers Plan 1 and Plan 2 bring Microsoft Defender for Endpoint EDR to servers. Source: Microsoft Learn: Defender for Servers overview, read . | Cloud Workload Security detects and stops threats inside running containers, VMs and AI workloads. Source: SentinelOne Singularity Cloud, read . |
| Clouds named | Azure, AWS, GCP Azure, AWS and Google Cloud, plus on-premises machines through Azure Arc. Source: Microsoft Learn: Defender for Servers overview, read . | AWS, Azure, GCP Onboards AWS, Azure, GCP and many other cloud environments with agentless deployment. Source: SentinelOne Cloud Native Security (re-read), read . |
| CNAPP | Described Posture (Defender CSPM) and workload protection (Defender for Servers) are separate plans in one product; the full set needs paid plans. Source: Microsoft Learn: Defender for Cloud CSPM plans, read . | Described Cloud Native Security is described as an agentless CNAPP. Source: SentinelOne Cloud Native Security, read . |
| CSPM | Described Foundational CSPM is free; Defender CSPM adds attack path analysis and the cloud security explorer. Source: Microsoft Learn: Defender for Cloud CSPM plans, read . | Described CSPM is listed in Singularity Cloud. Source: SentinelOne Singularity Cloud, read . |
| CWPP | Described Defender for Servers Plan 1 and Plan 2, with file integrity monitoring and just-in-time access in Plan 2. Source: Microsoft Learn: Defender for Servers overview, read . | Described Cloud Workload Security for containers, VMs and AI workloads. Source: SentinelOne Singularity Cloud, read . |
| CIEM | Described Defender for Cloud includes native CIEM, supporting Microsoft Entra ID, AWS IAM and Google Cloud IAM. Source: Microsoft Learn: CIEM in Defender for Cloud, read . | Described CIEM is listed. Source: SentinelOne Singularity Cloud, read . |
| DSPM | Described DSPM is part of the paid Defender CSPM plan. Source: Microsoft Learn: Defender for Cloud CSPM plans, read . | Described DSPM is listed. Source: SentinelOne Singularity Cloud, read . |
| Vulnerability management | Described Agentless VM vulnerability scanning is in the paid Defender CSPM plan and Defender for Servers Plan 2. Source: Microsoft Learn: Defender for Cloud CSPM plans, read . | Described The Offensive Security Engine checks which exposures are exploitable and shows Verified Exploit Paths; a vulnerability management module is not named on the pages we read. Source: SentinelOne Cloud Native Security, read . |
| Code securityDiffers | Code-to-cloud mapping in the paid Defender CSPM plan. Source: Microsoft Learn: Defender for Cloud CSPM plans, read . | Scans repositories, IaC templates and container images, and validates 850+ secret types. Source: SentinelOne Cloud Native Security, read . |
| AI securityDiffers | AI-SPM in the paid Defender CSPM plan; Defender for AI Services is billed per 1,000 tokens. Source: Azure: Defender for Cloud pricing, read . | AI-SPM for AI models, services and data pipelines. Source: SentinelOne Singularity Cloud, read . |
| Kubernetes runtimeDiffers | Agentless Kubernetes discovery in the paid Defender CSPM plan. Source: Microsoft Learn: Defender for Cloud CSPM plans, read . | Cloud Workload Security covers running containers. Source: SentinelOne Singularity Cloud, read . |
| Private cloud or on-premisesDiffers | On-premises machines through Azure Arc. Source: Microsoft Learn: Defender for Servers overview, read . | Not in our sources |
| Disconnected environments | Not in our sources | Not in our sources |
| Compliance reportingDiffers | Compliance standards include CIS, PCI DSS v4.0.1, HIPAA, ISO/IEC 27001:2022, SOC 2023, NIST CSF v2.0 and NIST SP 800-53, assignable to Azure subscriptions, AWS accounts and GCP projects. Source: Microsoft Learn: regulatory compliance standards, read . | Not in our sources |
| Public-sector authorization | Microsoft lists Defender for Cloud in FedRAMP High audit scope for Azure and Azure Government. Source: Azure and other Microsoft cloud services compliance scope, read . | SentinelOne states Singularity Cloud Security is available as a FedRAMP High authorized service; the FedRAMP Marketplace listing includes Singularity Cloud Native Security. Source: SentinelOne Singularity Platform High, FedRAMP Marketplace, read . |
| PriceDiffers | Foundational CSPM is free. Defender CSPM is $5.11 per billable resource per month (8 functions or web apps count as 1 resource). Defender for Servers is $4.906 per server per month for Plan 1 and $14.60 for Plan 2. Defender for Containers is $6.8693 per vCore per month. USD list prices, East and Central US; free for the first 30 days. Source: Azure: Defender for Cloud pricing (re-read), read . | Not published Not published. Contact sales. Source: SentinelOne Singularity Cloud, read . |
| Open source | None named | None named |
| Ownership | Microsoft. Source: Microsoft Learn: Defender for Cloud CSPM plans, read . | SentinelOne. Source: SentinelOne Singularity Cloud, read . |
Where do they differ?
- Agent approach: Defender for Cloud has agentless parts and an agent for depth; SentinelOne has an agentless core.
- Code security: Defender for Cloud partly matches; SentinelOne matches.
- AI security: Defender for Cloud partly matches; SentinelOne matches.
- Kubernetes runtime: Defender for Cloud partly matches; SentinelOne matches.
- Private cloud or on-premises: Defender for Cloud matches; SentinelOne is not in our sources.
- Compliance reporting: Defender for Cloud matches; SentinelOne is not in our sources.
- Price: Defender for Cloud matches; SentinelOne is not in our sources.
Choose Defender for Cloud if
- Most of your estate is on Azure and you already use Microsoft security products.
- You need to model cost from public prices before talking to anyone.
Choose SentinelOne if
- You already run SentinelOne Singularity on endpoints.
- You want findings checked for exploitability before they reach your queue.
Which limits should you check?
Defender for Cloud
- Agentless scanning, attack paths, DSPM and AI-SPM sit in the paid Defender CSPM plan ($5.11 per billable resource per month), not the free tier.
- Oracle Cloud and Alibaba Cloud are not named, and from 27 October 2026 the free tier becomes opt-in for new Azure subscriptions.
SentinelOne
- No public price on its own pages we read, and compliance frameworks are not listed on the product page.
- A vulnerability management module is not named; exploit validation is the stated approach.
Frequently asked questions
How do Defender for Cloud and SentinelOne differ?
Neither is scored on this site. Defender for Cloud describes 6 of six categories and SentinelOne 6 on the pages we read, and they differ on 7 recorded facts. Which fits depends on your clouds, agent tolerance and existing tools; the finder checks those.
Which of the two needs an agent?
Defender for Cloud: Agentless parts, agent for depth. SentinelOne: Agentless core.
Do Defender for Cloud or SentinelOne publish prices?
Defender for Cloud: Foundational CSPM is free. Defender CSPM is $5.11 per billable resource per month (8 functions or web apps count as 1 resource). Defender for Servers is $4.906 per server per month for Plan 1 and $14.60 for Plan 2. Defender for Containers is $6.8693 per vCore per month. USD list prices, East and Central US; free for the first 30 days. SentinelOne: Not published. Contact sales.