HailBytes ASM vs SecurityScorecard
A self-hosted ASM alternative for security teams that need active discovery and fixable findings, not just an outside-in security letter grade.
TL;DR
SecurityScorecard is primarily a security-ratings platform that produces A through F letter grades for your org and your vendors, derived from outside-in observations. HailBytes ASM is an operational ASM platform that runs the recon pipeline inside your own AWS or Azure account and produces actionable findings for the team that has to remediate them.
- Pick HailBytes ASM if you need findings your team can triage and fix, white-label deliverables, full data residency, or unlimited active scans.
- Stay with SecurityScorecard if your primary need is third-party risk scoring, vendor monitoring at scale, or executive-facing security ratings.
Pricing & Cost Model
| Dimension | HailBytes ASM | SecurityScorecard |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing axis | Infrastructure ($0.24/vCPU/hour) | Per company / per vendor monitored |
| Annual cost (own surface) | ~$4,200–$17,000 | ~$25,000+ entry |
| Annual cost (TPRM, hundreds of vendors) | N/A (not the same use case) | $75,000+ enterprise |
| Free trial | 30 days via AWS / Azure Marketplace | Free instant scorecard for own org |
| Procurement path | Cloud marketplace (counts toward EDP / MACC) | Direct enterprise contract |
Architecture & Control
| Dimension | HailBytes ASM | SecurityScorecard |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment | Self-hosted in your AWS / Azure account | SaaS (SecurityScorecard-hosted) |
| Source code access | Source-available under ELv2 | Closed source |
| Data residency | Whatever cloud region you pick | SecurityScorecard-controlled |
| Scan model | Active scans, you control cadence and scope | Outside-in passive observations + external feeds |
| Custom scan logic / wordlists | ✅ Full control | ❌ |
Capability Comparison
| Capability | HailBytes ASM | SecurityScorecard |
|---|---|---|
| Active subdomain enumeration | ✅ | 🟡 Outside-in |
| Active port & service scanning | ✅ | 🟡 Limited |
| CVE matching against fingerprinted services | ✅ | ✅ |
| Security letter grade | ❌ | ✅ Core product |
| Third-party / vendor monitoring at scale | 🟡 You scan their public surface | ✅ Industry standard |
| Custom wordlists | ✅ Unlimited | ❌ |
| AI-powered finding analysis | ✅ OpenAI + Ollama (local GPU) | 🟡 Limited |
| MCP server / AI-agent tooling | ✅ Built-in (Claude / Cursor / Windsurf) | ❌ |
| SIEM / Jira / Slack routing | ✅ Splunk, Sentinel, Elastic, Chronicle | ✅ Limited |
| Government cloud (GovCloud / Azure Gov) | ✅ Both | 🟡 Limited |
| White-label for client deliverables | ✅ Built-in | 🟡 MAX (managed) tier |
When HailBytes ASM Wins
- You need actionable findings, not a letter grade. SecurityScorecard is excellent for boards and procurement; HailBytes is built for the team that ships the fix.
- Pen-test firms and MSSPs. White-label output and a fixed per-instance cost are what turn resold continuous monitoring into a real margin line.
- Government and regulated industries. Deploy in AWS GovCloud or Azure Government and scan data never leaves the tenancy you control.
- AI-agent recon workflows. A built-in MCP server gives Claude, Cursor, and Windsurf direct control over scans and triage.
When SecurityScorecard Wins
- Third-party risk management at scale. Continuous scoring across hundreds of vendors is core to the product.
- Executive and board reporting. The letter-grade rating is a clean, defensible artifact in that context.
- Cyber-insurance and procurement workflows that explicitly require SecurityScorecard or peer-rating data.
Many teams run both: SecurityScorecard for vendor risk scoring, HailBytes ASM for operational discovery and remediation on their own surface.
Try HailBytes ASM
The AWS and Azure Marketplace listings each include a 30-day trial that covers the VM as well.
Related Comparisons
Other risk-rating and ASM platforms usually evaluated alongside SecurityScorecard:
- vs Bitsight — the other major third-party risk-rating service.
- vs Microsoft Defender EASM — Azure-native external ASM.
- vs Detectify — SaaS web-app surface monitoring.
- vs Censys — internet-wide certificate and port intelligence.
- 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