StackRadar vs Microsoft Defender for Containers
Microsoft Defender for Containers is the container-security plan in Defender for Cloud: agentless vulnerability assessment of AKS, EKS, GKE and Arc-connected clusters, registry scanning and an optional runtime sensor, priced per vCore.
Facts last checked . Prices and features change — verify with the vendor before deciding.
What Microsoft Defender for Containers does well
- The only large incumbent with published pricing: about $7 per vCore per month, with registry scans included.
- Native for Azure shops: integrated into the portal, Defender CSPM and Microsoft Sentinel.
- Agentless assessment plus an optional sensor for runtime detection.
- Queryable SBOMs and “exploitability insights” on findings.
How Microsoft Defender for Containers and StackRadar differ
The differences are about how the two are built and sold, not a feature checklist. Each point below is a structural fact you can verify on the vendor's own documentation.
- Per-vCore pricing scales with cluster size: a 12-vCore cluster is about $82 per month, a 100-vCore cluster about $700. StackRadar charges per cluster regardless of size.
- Azure-portal-native: the experience is built around Defender for Cloud, and attack-path context needs Defender CSPM as well.
- The scanner and scoring are Microsoft’s; StackRadar’s scanner source and scoring formula are published and its advisory data is the open OSV.dev feed.
- Data lives in Microsoft’s regions; StackRadar is EU-only.
Side by side
| Axis | StackRadar | Microsoft Defender for Containers |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | One Helm chart in the cluster, source published; managed dashboard | Agentless assessment; optional sensor; Azure portal |
| Kubernetes runtime inventory | Yes — every running image, with its workload, Helm release and ArgoCD application | Yes (AKS, EKS, GKE, Arc) |
| SBOM | CycloneDX 1.6 per running image (Syft), stored and re-checked as new advisories land | Yes, queryable |
| Prioritisation | Radar Score — CVSS, EPSS and CISA KEV combined in a published formula | Severity with exploitability insights |
| History and trends | 30 days (Free), 1 year (Pro), 2 years (Business) | Yes |
| Multi-cluster view | One dashboard across every cluster in the organisation | Yes, in Defender for Cloud |
| Scanner source | Published on GitHub; releases signed and version-pinned | Closed |
| Pricing | Published: Free $0 · Pro $59/mo · Business $199/mo | ~$7 per vCore per month |
| Data residency | EU only; only the SBOM leaves the cluster | Microsoft regions |
Pricing
Microsoft Defender for Containers: Microsoft publishes Defender for Containers at roughly $7 per vCore per month, including 20 registry scans per vCore with an overage of about $0.29 per image digest. Cost scales with the compute in your clusters. StackRadar prices per cluster: five clusters on Pro cost $59 per month whether they have 12 vCores or 1,200.
StackRadar: Free for one cluster with 30 days of history; Pro at $59 per month for up to five clusters and one year of history; Business at $199 per month for up to fifteen clusters and two years. Every plan scans every image you run. Full details on the pricing page.
Which should you choose?
Choose Microsoft Defender for Containers if
- You are an Azure-centric organisation already in Defender for Cloud and Sentinel.
- You want runtime detection and posture from the same vendor as your cloud.
- Your clusters are small enough that per-vCore pricing is cheap.
Choose StackRadar if
- You run clusters outside Azure or outside the big three clouds entirely.
- You want a flat per-cluster price that does not grow with node count.
- You want an auditable scanner, open advisory data and EU-only residency.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Defender for Containers cost?
About $7 per vCore per month, published by Microsoft, with registry scanning included up to 20 scans per vCore. A 12-vCore cluster is roughly $82 per month; cost grows with cluster size.
Does Defender for Containers work outside Azure?
Yes, for EKS, GKE and Arc-enabled clusters, though the experience is centred on the Azure portal and Defender for Cloud.