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Qualys VMDR is an enterprise cloud scanner starting at $15K+/year. WinSentinel is a free, always-on Windows hardening agent that finds and fixes issues automatically.
| Capability | WinSentinel | Qualys VMDR |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Windows hardening & posture | Multi-platform vulnerability mgmt |
| Architecture | Local agent (zero cloud dependency) | Cloud-hosted SaaS + agent |
| Real-Time Monitoring | ✓ Continuous on-host | Periodic scan cycles |
| Auto-Remediation | ✓ One-click fix + FixEngine | Patch deployment (separate module) |
| Hardening Checks | ✓ 33 Windows-specific modules | Generic CIS/DISA-STIG scans |
| Setup Time | 30 seconds (one CLI command) | Days–weeks (cloud infra + agents) |
| Data Residency | 100% local (nothing leaves host) | Cloud (data sent to Qualys infra) |
| Internet Required | ✗ Works fully offline | ✓ Must reach Qualys cloud |
| Posture Score | ✓ 0–100 with letter grade | TruRisk Score (complex formula) |
| CI/CD Integration | ✓ GitHub Action (SARIF upload) | API-driven (custom integration) |
| Configuration Audit Depth | Deep (firewall rules, drivers, BYOVD, PowerShell, LAPS, Credential Guard) | Broad but shallow per-OS |
| Threat Detection | MITRE ATT&CK kill chain + process lineage | CVE-based vulnerability focus |
| Open Source | ✓ MIT (core + CLI) | ✗ Proprietary |
| Minimum Deployment | 1 machine, no infra | Cloud subscription + scanner appliance |
| Fleet Management | Pro ($29/mo, 25 nodes) | Included (core product) |
$0/forever
Full-power single machine: 33 audit modules, real-time monitor, FixEngine, PDF reports, scheduled scans. Unlimited.
Pro fleet: $29/25 nodes · $79/100 nodes
$15K+/year
Enterprise minimum. Per-asset pricing scales quickly. Requires annual contract, cloud access.
Add-ons (CSAM, Patch, EDR) extra
Qualys tells you what's vulnerable. It's a cloud-first vulnerability management platform designed for large enterprises. It scans your assets, maps CVEs, calculates risk scores, and produces reports for your security team. It's excellent at what it does — but it's a scanner, not a fixer.
WinSentinel tells you what's misconfigured and fixes it. It's a Windows-native hardening agent that lives on the machine, runs continuously, and automates remediation. It doesn't scan your network — it hardens your endpoints. Every finding has a one-click fix. The 33 audit modules go deep on Windows-specific attack surfaces that generic multi-platform scanners treat superficially.
For many teams, the right answer is both — Qualys for CVE tracking across your infrastructure, WinSentinel for Windows-specific hardening that Qualys doesn't cover (driver security, BYOVD protection, PowerShell posture, credential guard status, process lineage analysis).
No cloud account. No procurement. No annual contract. Just install and scan.
dotnet tool install --global WinSentinel.Cli winsentinel --audit --score