HailBytes ASM vs CrowdStrike Falcon Surface
A self-hosted EASM alternative for teams that want continuous external recon without committing to the CrowdStrike Falcon platform, or that need scan ownership and white-label deliverables.
TL;DR
CrowdStrike Falcon Surface (the rebranded Reposify acquisition) bundles EASM into the broader Falcon platform. That’s convenient if you’re already standardized on Falcon, and expensive if you aren’t. HailBytes ASM is a self-hosted alternative that runs the recon pipeline inside your own AWS or Azure account, priced as infrastructure rather than as a Falcon module.
- Pick HailBytes ASM if you don’t want a Falcon platform commitment, need white-label client deliverables, want unlimited scans at a flat VM cost, or need full data residency.
- Stay with Falcon Surface if you’re already a heavy Falcon customer and want EASM correlated with EDR telemetry inside the same console.
Pricing & Cost Model
| Dimension | HailBytes ASM | Falcon Surface |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing axis | Infrastructure ($0.24/vCPU/hour) | Falcon platform module (per asset / per endpoint) |
| Annual cost (small surface) | $5,880 (4 vCPU, ASM’s documented minimum; $8,400 list), all-in $8,520 committed and $11,040 at list | ~$30,000+ (Falcon platform required) |
| Annual cost (mid surface) | $11,760–$23,520 (8–16 vCPU; $16,800–$33,600 list) | ~$60,000–$120,000+ |
| Standalone purchase | ✅ | 🟡 Typically bundled with Falcon platform |
| Free trial | 30 days via AWS / Azure Marketplace | Sales-led demo |
| Procurement path | Cloud marketplace (counts toward EDP / MACC) | Direct CrowdStrike contract |
HailBytes figures are the 1-year commitment price (delivered as an AWS or Azure private offer, not a discount on the published meter) with list alongside, so the comparison sits on the same annual-contract basis as the competitor column. The meter covers software only; the VM, storage, and networking run in your own cloud account and are billed separately at roughly $35/vCPU/month, $220/month at 4 vCPU, $280 at 8, $560 at 16, and $1,120 at 32, so scale that line to the size on the row you are reading.
Our cost steps with the size of the surface rather than scaling per asset, so every comparison on this page is calculated all-in against the rung that fits. 4 vCPU is ASM’s documented minimum and suits a small, stable surface (about $8,520/year all-in on a 1-year commitment, $11,040 at list). 8 vCPU is the size ASM’s own hardening guide names Production (recommended) and covers 10 to 50 scheduled scans a day ($15,120 / $20,160). 16 vCPU covers 50+ scans a day ($30,240 / $40,320). Quote 4 vCPU only where the surface genuinely is small and stable; 8 vCPU is the size we recommend for production. Full pricing.
Sizing above 8 vCPU: ASM sizes its scan worker from the host, so a larger instance scans proportionally faster: a 16 vCPU deployment gives the scan engine twice the cores an 8 vCPU one does. Instances deployed before August 2026 pick this up on the next update, when the installer rewrites the worker limits to match the machine.
Architecture & Control
| Dimension | HailBytes ASM | Falcon Surface |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment | Self-hosted in your AWS / Azure account | SaaS (CrowdStrike-hosted) |
| Source code access | Ships with the deployment; auditable under NDA | Closed source |
| Data residency | Whatever cloud region you pick | CrowdStrike-controlled |
| Custom scan logic / wordlists | ✅ Full control | ❌ |
| Per-tenant isolation | One VM per tenant | Multi-tenant SaaS |
Capability Comparison
| Capability | HailBytes ASM | Falcon Surface |
|---|---|---|
| Subdomain enumeration | ✅ Multi-source | ✅ |
| Active port & service scanning | ✅ | ✅ |
| CVE matching | ✅ | ✅ |
| EDR / endpoint correlation | ❌ Bring your own EDR | ✅ Native (key differentiator) |
| Unlimited scans | ✅ | 🟡 Plan-tier limited |
| Custom wordlists | ✅ Unlimited | ❌ |
| AI-powered analysis | ✅ OpenAI + Ollama (local GPU) | 🟡 Charlotte AI add-on |
| MCP server / AI-agent tooling | ✅ Built-in (Claude / Cursor / Windsurf) | ❌ |
| SIEM integration | ✅ Splunk, Sentinel, Elastic, Chronicle | ✅ Falcon LogScale + connectors |
| Government cloud (GovCloud / Azure Gov) | ✅ Both | 🟡 GovCloud-1 only |
| White-label for client deliverables | ✅ Built-in | ❌ |
See It in the Product
Falcon Surface is an add-on to the CrowdStrike platform. These are the same outputs without that dependency.
Captured from a running instance. See all 48 screens →
When HailBytes ASM Wins
- You don’t want a Falcon platform commitment. Falcon Surface earns its keep via correlation with Falcon EDR; pulled out of that context, the standalone module is hard to justify on cost alone.
- MSSPs and pen-test firms. White-label output plus a fixed per-instance cost is what turns resold continuous monitoring into a real margin line. Pen-test firm playbook.
- Government and regulated industries. Run in AWS GovCloud or Azure Government and your scan data stays inside the tenancy you control.
- AI-agent recon workflows. A built-in MCP server hands Claude, Cursor, and Windsurf direct control over scans and finding triage.
When Falcon Surface Wins
- Heavy Falcon customers. The EDR + EASM correlation in one console is the real product moat.
- Charlotte AI users. If you already pay for Charlotte, the AI-driven triage extends naturally to Surface findings.
- Existing CrowdStrike contract spend that absorbs the Surface SKU at marginal cost.
Try HailBytes ASM
Both the AWS and Azure Marketplace listings ship with a 30-day trial that covers the VM as well.
Related Comparisons
Other endpoint-vendor-bundled and best-of-breed EASM platforms usually evaluated alongside Falcon Surface:
- vs Microsoft Defender EASM: Azure-native external ASM.
- vs Cortex Xpanse: Palo Alto enterprise EASM.
- 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 walks you through setup and your first steps, whether that’s a single organization or a multi-client rollout.
- ✓ 30-day free trial on AWS or Azure
- ✓ Guided onboarding from our security team
- ✓ No credit card required to start
- ✓ 40+ security tools pre-configured