# Intruder vs CyCognito: which do AI models recommend for ASM, October 2026

IT AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, Attack surface management. Eleven of fourteen models named Intruder first on the direct prompt; two named CyCognito. Page: https://it-ai-index.com/security/attack-surface-management/intruder-vs-cycognito/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intruder | 49% | #1 of 12 | 3% | 34 | 14 of 14 |
| CyCognito | 6% | #4 of 12 | 26% | 39 | 14 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- MiniMax M2.5: both first (first choices: CyCognito, Intruder) (alternatives: Mandiant Attack Surface Management)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: intruder first (first choices: Intruder) (alternatives: Detectify, UpGuard BreachSight, runZero)
- Perplexity Sonar: intruder first (first choices: Intruder) (alternatives: Cortex Xpanse, Mandiant Attack Surface Management, UpGuard BreachSight)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: intruder first (first choices: Intruder) (alternatives: Bitsight, Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management, Rapid7 Surface Command)
- Mistral Small: intruder first (first choices: Intruder) (alternatives: Bitsight, Detectify)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: intruder first (first choices: Intruder) (alternatives: Censys ASM, CrowdStrike Falcon Surface, CyCognito, Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management)
- Llama 4 Maverick: intruder first (first choices: Intruder) (alternatives: Bitsight, Qualys)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: intruder first (first choices: Intruder) (alternatives: Rapid7)
- Kimi K2: intruder first (first choices: Intruder) (alternatives: Detectify, Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management, UpGuard BreachSight)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: intruder first (first choices: Intruder) (alternatives: CyCognito, UpGuard BreachSight)
- Muse Glimmer 30B: intruder first (first choices: Intruder, UpGuard BreachSight) (alternatives: Attaxion, Halo Security)
- Claude Haiku 4.5: cycognito first (first choices: CyCognito) (alternatives: Hadrian, Halo Security, Intruder)
- GPT-5.4 mini: neither first, one named (first choices: UpGuard BreachSight) (alternatives: CyCognito, Intruder, Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management, Tenable Attack Surface Management)
- GPT-6 Luna: neither named (first choices: Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management) (alternatives: Censys ASM, CrowdStrike Falcon Exposure Management, Rapid7 Surface Command)

## What the models said about Intruder

- "Basic scanners (e.g., some positioned as EASM like Intruder.io) discover assets but don't validate exploitability, leading to alert fatigue." (Grok 4.1 Fast, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "the strongest default pick is Intruder because multiple 2026 reviews describe it as best for medium-sized businesses and mid-market organizations" (Perplexity Sonar, direct prompt, first choice)
- "Intruder is likely the best starting point due to its transparent pricing, ease of use, and comprehensive features at a reasonable cost" (GLM 4.7 FlashX, direct prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about CyCognito

- "Also flagged as a criticized challenger (39% negative labels)" (Mistral Small, negative prompt, hard negative)
- "Strong for automated discovery, but the search results point more toward complex environments than a typical mid-market default." (Perplexity Sonar, direct prompt, soft negative)
- "you do not need to pay for five-figure, enterprise-grade platforms like Palo Alto Cortex Xpanse or CyCognito" (Gemini 3.5 Flash, budget prompt, soft negative)
- "Validation separates the best. Platforms like CyCognito and Synack actively test whether exposures are truly exploitable" (DeepSeek V4 Flash, comparative prompt, first choice)
- "I'd suggest starting evaluations with CyCognito (if you want comprehensive discovery and have the budget)" (MiniMax M2.5, direct prompt, first choice)
- "Highly praised for autonomous discovery... Leaders like CyCognito stand out for validation beyond detection" (Grok 4.1 Fast, comparative prompt, first choice)

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category. Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category. Published under CC BY 4.0; the output is the models' output, and nothing here is a recommendation by the index.