HailBytes ASM vs Qualys CSAM
A self-hosted EASM alternative for teams that want active external recon ownership without committing to the Qualys Cloud Platform.
TL;DR
Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management (CSAM) with the EASM add-on layers external discovery onto Qualys’s mature internal asset and vulnerability management platform. HailBytes ASM is a self-hosted alternative that runs the recon pipeline inside your own AWS or Azure account, priced on infrastructure rather than per-asset Qualys subscription.
- Pick HailBytes ASM if you don’t want a Qualys Cloud Platform commitment, need white-label client deliverables, or want unlimited scans at flat VM cost.
- Stay with Qualys CSAM if you’re already standardized on Qualys VMDR and want EASM correlated with internal asset and vulnerability data inside the same console.
Pricing & Cost Model
| Dimension | HailBytes ASM | Qualys CSAM + EASM |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing axis | Infrastructure ($0.24/vCPU/hour) | Per asset (CSAM) + per external asset (EASM add-on) |
| 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, below the ~$15,000 Qualys floor on either basis; this band is a price win at the documented minimum, though 8 vCPU is the size we recommend for production | ~$15,000+ (Qualys floor) |
| Annual cost (mid surface) | $11,760–$23,520 (8–16 vCPU; $16,800–$33,600 list): a win at 8 vCPU; at 16 vCPU all-in ($40,320 at list) it only just meets the bottom of the Qualys range | $40,000–$120,000 |
| Standalone purchase | ✅ | 🟡 Requires Qualys Cloud Platform |
| Free trial | 30 days via AWS / Azure Marketplace | 30-day Qualys trial |
| Procurement path | Cloud marketplace (counts toward EDP / MACC) | Direct Qualys 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 | Qualys CSAM |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment | Self-hosted in your AWS / Azure account | SaaS (Qualys-hosted) + on-prem scanner appliances |
| Source code access | Ships with the deployment; auditable under NDA | Closed source |
| Data residency | Whatever cloud region you pick | Qualys-controlled regions (multiple) |
| Custom scan logic / wordlists | ✅ Full control | ❌ |
| Per-tenant isolation | One VM per tenant | Multi-tenant SaaS |
Capability Comparison
| Capability | HailBytes ASM | Qualys CSAM + EASM |
|---|---|---|
| External asset discovery | ✅ Active recon pipeline | ✅ |
| Internal asset inventory | ❌ External-only | ✅ CSAM’s core differentiator |
| Active port & service scanning | ✅ Built-in | ✅ (VMDR engine) |
| CVE matching / vuln depth | 🟡 OSS toolchain | ✅ Mature VMDR engine |
| Unlimited scans | ✅ | 🟡 Tier-based (per-asset license) |
| Custom wordlists | ✅ Unlimited | ❌ |
| AI-powered analysis | ✅ OpenAI + Ollama (local GPU) | 🟡 TruRisk Insights |
| MCP server / AI-agent tooling | ✅ Built-in (Claude / Cursor / Windsurf) | ❌ |
| SIEM integration | ✅ Splunk, Sentinel, Elastic, Chronicle | ✅ Qualys connectors |
| Government cloud (GovCloud / Azure Gov) | ✅ Both | 🟡 Qualys for Government |
| White-label for client deliverables | ✅ Built-in | 🟡 Consulting edition |
See It in the Product
Qualys CSAM prices per asset. The screens below are the flat-cost equivalent, with per-client attribution built in.
Captured from a running instance. See all 48 screens →
When HailBytes ASM Wins
- You don’t want a Qualys Cloud Platform commitment. CSAM’s value is unifying internal and external assets inside Qualys; standalone external discovery doesn’t justify the platform tax.
- MSSPs and pen-test firms. White-label deliverables and per-instance cost make resold continuous monitoring viable.
- Government and regulated industries. AWS GovCloud and Azure Government deployments, with data never leaving your tenancy.
- AI-agent recon workflows. The built-in MCP server lets Claude, Cursor, and Windsurf drive scans and triage findings.
When Qualys CSAM Wins
- Heavy Qualys VMDR shops. CSAM’s unified view of internal and external assets is a genuine differentiator inside the Qualys ecosystem.
- Vulnerability-management depth is the priority. The VMDR engine has years of detection coverage that pure recon-tooling won’t match.
- Existing Qualys contract spend that absorbs the EASM add-on at marginal cost.
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