HailBytes ASM vs Censys
A self-hosted Censys alternative for security teams, MSSPs, and pen-test firms that need continuous external recon without query credits, seed caps, or somebody else’s scan infrastructure in the loop.
TL;DR
Censys runs one of the largest internet-wide scan datasets and exposes it through Censys Search and Censys ASM. HailBytes ASM is a self-hosted alternative that runs the recon pipeline inside your own AWS or Azure account, prices on infrastructure rather than seeds or queries, and gives full control of the scan engine and findings store.
- Pick HailBytes ASM if you want unlimited scans without query credits, full data residency, white-label deliverables for clients, or AI-agent orchestration over the recon pipeline.
- Stay with Censys if you primarily care about the depth and freshness of the global Censys scan dataset and don’t need to operate the scan infrastructure.
Pricing & Cost Model
| Dimension | HailBytes ASM | Censys ASM |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing axis | Infrastructure ($0.24/vCPU/hour) | Per seed / per asset (tier-based) |
| Annual cost (small surface) | ~$4,200 | ~$20,000+ |
| Annual cost (mid surface) | ~$4,200–$8,400 | ~$40,000–$80,000 |
| Annual cost (large surface) | ~$8,400–$17,000 | $100,000+ enterprise |
| Free trial | 30 days via AWS / Azure Marketplace | Sales-led demo |
| Procurement path | Cloud marketplace (counts toward EDP / MACC) | Direct SaaS contract |
Censys prices on the number of seeds (root assets) and the discovered asset count downstream. HailBytes prices on the VM that runs the scans, so cost stops scaling once the surface is enumerated.
Architecture & Control
| Dimension | HailBytes ASM | Censys ASM |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment | Self-hosted in your AWS / Azure account | SaaS (Censys-hosted) |
| Source code access | Source-available under ELv2 | Closed source |
| Data residency | Whatever cloud region you pick | Censys-controlled regions |
| Scan engine | 30+ recon tools you orchestrate (CT, DNS, port, web) | Censys global scan dataset |
| Custom scan logic / wordlists | ✅ Full control | 🟡 Search filters only |
| Per-tenant isolation | One VM per tenant | Multi-tenant SaaS |
Capability Comparison
| Capability | HailBytes ASM | Censys ASM |
|---|---|---|
| Subdomain enumeration | ✅ Multi-source (CT logs, brute, passive DNS) | ✅ Seed-driven discovery |
| Internet-wide port scan dataset | 🟡 Active scans only | ✅ Global Censys dataset |
| Active port & service scanning | ✅ Full | ✅ |
| Unlimited scans / queries | ✅ | ❌ Query credits / seed limits |
| Custom wordlists | ✅ Unlimited | ❌ |
| AI-powered analysis | ✅ OpenAI + Ollama (local GPU) | 🟡 Limited |
| MCP server / AI-agent tooling | ✅ Built-in (Claude / Cursor / Windsurf) | ❌ |
| Jira / Slack / SIEM routing | ✅ Splunk, Sentinel, Elastic, Chronicle | ✅ |
| Government cloud (GovCloud / Azure Gov) | ✅ Both | 🟡 Limited |
| White-label for client deliverables | ✅ Built-in | ❌ |
When HailBytes ASM Wins
- You hit query-credit or seed limits in Censys. Infrastructure pricing absorbs scan volume that per-seed pricing punishes.
- Pen-test firms reselling continuous monitoring. Fixed per-instance cost is what keeps the white-label deliverable profitable. Pen-test firm playbook.
- Government and regulated industries. Deploy in AWS GovCloud or Azure Government and data never leaves the tenancy you control.
- AI-agent-driven recon. A built-in MCP server hands Claude, Cursor, and Windsurf direct control of scans, triage, and follow-on enumeration from inside the IDE.
When Censys Wins
- You need the global internet-wide scan dataset. Censys’s historical scan corpus is a real moat that's useful for threat-intel pivots and adversary infrastructure tracking.
- You want zero scan-infrastructure responsibility and the per-seed pricing fits your asset count.
- Investigations beyond your own surface. Censys Search shines when the question is “who else is running this stack?”
Try HailBytes ASM
Both the AWS Marketplace and Azure Marketplace listings come with a 30-day trial that covers the VM as well. Stand it up next to your Censys deployment and compare findings, cadence, and triage workflow on the same surface.
Related Comparisons
Other ASM and internet-scan vendors usually evaluated alongside Censys:
- vs Shodan — the original device search engine.
- vs Detectify — SaaS web-app surface monitoring.
- vs Microsoft Defender EASM — Azure-native external ASM.
- vs CrowdStrike Falcon Surface — Falcon-bundled EASM.
- Full ASM comparison matrix — every vendor side by side, plus the HailBytes ASM product page.
See HailBytes ASM in Action
Skip the slide deck. Watch the product run end-to-end before you book a call.
Try HailBytes ASM Free
Get a free trial deployment on AWS or Azure. Our team will walk you through setup and help you run your first reconnaissance scan within 30 minutes.
- ✓ 30-day free trial on AWS or Azure
- ✓ Guided onboarding from our security team
- ✓ No credit card required to start
- ✓ 30+ security tools pre-configured