# Censys ASM: how AI models rank it, September 2026

IT AI Recommendation Index, September 2026 Edition. Named in 26 judge labels across 1 categories by 11 of 12 models. Page: https://it-ai-index.com/vendors/censys-asm/

## Standing by category

| Category | Share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attack surface management | 5% | 4 | 54% | 26 |

## What the models said for it

- "Internet-scale discovery, comprehensive scanning, strong API | Good mid-market fit, ~$25K+/year" (DeepSeek V4 Flash, ASM)
- "the best practical choice is usually Intruder or Censys" (GPT-5.4 mini, ASM)
- "If you want a more budget-friendly / easier-to-adopt option, I'd put Censys ASM very high on the shortlist." (GPT-5.4 mini, ASM)
- "Best-in-class discovery accuracy and internet intelligence depth; strong API; free tier for research." (DeepSeek V4 Flash, ASM)

## And against it

- "Platforms to Approach with Caution ... often priced out of reach for mid-market budgets" (Gemini 3.5 Flash, ASM)
- "Censys is explicitly described as best-in-class for internet scanning, but with no validation, making it a strong data layer rather than a standalone ASM program." (Perplexity Sonar, ASM)
- "Frequently cited as a best-in-class *data layer* for discovery, but reviews often note that it offers no validation... dangerous as a standalone solution." (GLM 4.7 FlashX, ASM)
- "it does not offer validation of exposures... this makes it more suitable as a data layer or for discovery rather than a standalone ASM solution" (Mistral Small, ASM)

## Record

- Method: https://it-ai-index.com/methodology/
- Raw judge labels and full responses: https://it-ai-index.com/data/
- License: CC BY 4.0. Cite as IT AI Recommendation Index, September 2026 Edition, it-ai-index.com.