HEAD TO HEAD · SCORED SEPTEMBER 2026 · CROWDSTRIKE EASM ADDED 13 OCTOBER 2026
CyCognito vs Censys ASM: seedless vs seeded attack surface discovery
Quick answer
CyCognito scores 7.60 to Censys ASM's 5.85 and leads on five criteria, above all time to value (9 vs 6), exploitability validation (8 vs 5) and remediation (7 vs 5). Censys leads on integrations (8 vs 7). They tie on pricing transparency at 4.
Scored September 2026 · CrowdStrike EASM added 13 October 2026 · Drawn from vendor product pages, docs and public pricing
How do CyCognito and Censys ASM compare on each criterion?
| Criterion | Weight | CyCognito | Censys ASM | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery of unknown assets and subsidiaries | 20% | 9 | 7 | CyCognito |
| Attribution accuracy and false-positive handling | 15% | 8 | 6 | CyCognito |
| Exploitability validation | 15% | 8 | 5 | CyCognito |
| Remediation and mitigation support | 20% | 7 | 5 | CyCognito |
| Integrations and platform reach | 10% | 7 | 8 | Censys ASM |
| Time to value | 10% | 9 | 6 | CyCognito |
| Pricing transparency | 10% | 4 | 4 | Tie |
CyCognito leads on 5 criteria, Censys ASM on 1, 1 tied. Weighted: CyCognito 7.60, Censys ASM 5.85.
What does a finding arrive with in each?
CyCognito
- Owner or subsidiary attributedDocumented
- Exploitability provenDocumented
- Ticket or workflow createdDocumented
- Compensating control appliedNot documented
- Fix retestedDocumented
Censys ASM
- Owner or subsidiary attributedNot documented
- Exploitability provenPartial
- Ticket or workflow createdDocumented
- Compensating control appliedNot documented
- Fix retestedNot documented
Where does each one win?
CyCognito wins on
Discovery of unknown assets and subsidiaries: 9 vs 7
Starts from the organization's name with no IP ranges or asset lists and covers subsidiaries, acquired-company infrastructure and third-party-connected systems.
Attribution accuracy and false-positive handling: 8 vs 6
Every finding carries a trace of how it was found, why it belongs to the organization and who owns it.
Exploitability validation: 8 vs 5
Runs more than 100,000 unauthenticated black-box security tests across more than 30 exposure categories, designed not to disrupt production.
Remediation and mitigation support: 7 vs 5
Step-by-step guidance per issue, owner-linked workflows and a retest after each fix; no automated mitigation is documented.
Time to value: 9 vs 6
The organization's name is the only required input.
Censys ASM wins on
Integrations and platform reach: 8 vs 7
Jira, ServiceNow ITSM and CMDB, Tenable VM, Google Security Operations, Microsoft Sentinel, Axonius, Brinqa, Slack, Webex, plus AWS, Google Cloud and Azure.
Tied: Pricing transparency (4).
How do CyCognito and Censys ASM price?
| Item | CyCognito | Censys ASM |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Quote-based. Pricing basis published: total asset volume (ASM); active IPs and web applications (exposure validation). | ASM: contact sales. A free Censys platform account exists. |
| Deployment | SaaS; unauthenticated black-box external testing | SaaS |
| Pricing transparency score | 4 | 4 |
Prices and pricing bases as published by each vendor and reviewed in September 2026. 'Not published' means we did not find it on the vendor's public pages.
Should you choose CyCognito or Censys ASM?
Choose CyCognito if
- You want results with the least setup. CyCognito scores 9 on time to value: The organization's name is the only required input.
- Finding unknown assets, subsidiaries and acquired infrastructure is your main gap. CyCognito scores 9 on discovery: Starts from the organization's name with no IP ranges or asset lists and covers subsidiaries, acquired-company infrastructure and third-party-connected systems.
Choose Censys ASM if
- The tool has to fit a wider security platform or many existing tools. Censys ASM scores 8 on integrations: Jira, ServiceNow ITSM and CMDB, Tenable VM, Google Security Operations, Microsoft Sentinel, Axonius, Brinqa, Slack, Webex, plus AWS, Google Cloud and Azure.
- Finding unknown assets, subsidiaries and acquired infrastructure is your main gap. Censys ASM scores 7 on discovery: First-party scanning across all 65K ports finds services on nonstandard ports and hosts with self-signed certificates; discovery expands from seeds the customer supplies.
On our default weights CyCognito comes out ahead. Change the weights in the score calculator to see whether that holds for your priorities.
What is the difference between seedless and seeded discovery?
CyCognito says it needs only the organization's name. Censys ASM starts from seeds, known public-facing assets you add, and expands from them using its own internet scan data. Seeded discovery gives you control over scope; seedless discovery finds what you did not know to seed. For groups with many acquisitions, the second matters more.
Which one tells you whether a finding is real?
CyCognito runs more than 100,000 black-box tests and retests after fixes. Censys confirms reachability and applies EPSS and KEV scoring, which ranks likely risk but does not prove exploitation.
When is Censys ASM the better choice?
When the buyer is a threat hunting, CTI or security operations team that values raw scan evidence across all 65K ports and wants assets synced into ServiceNow CMDB, Microsoft Sentinel or Google Security Operations.
Frequently asked questions
Is CyCognito better than Censys?
For attack surface management on our weights, yes: 7.60 vs 5.85. Censys is stronger as a source of internet scan data.
Does Censys need seeds?
Yes. CyCognito does not.
Which integrates with more tools?
Censys names more integrations, including ServiceNow CMDB, Microsoft Sentinel, Google Security Operations, Axonius and Brinqa.
Sources: cycognito.com, Discovery, Active security testing, Remediation acceleration, Pricing, External exposure management, Pricing, Integrations, ASM get started, Seed your attack surface · Reviewed September 2026