Head-to-head · Matchups reviewed September 2026
Cloud security comparisons for 2026: nine CNAPPs, head to head
Pick two vendors. See who is stronger on each of seven criteria, why, and by how much.
Cloud Security Compare editors · Matchups reviewed September 2026 · Editorial assessment
The short version
Wiz leads our matrix at 4.4 out of 5, with Orca Security second at 4.2. Wiz is stronger on attack paths, runtime, code security and ecosystem; Orca is stronger on agentless coverage and ties Wiz on AI workload security. If runtime depth matters most, CrowdStrike and Sysdig lead that criterion and Upwind is close behind, all well ahead of both, and Microsoft Defender for Cloud is the only platform here with pricing you can model from public pages.
Which matchup are you deciding?
Each comparison scores both vendors on the same seven criteria, shows one tug-of-war bar per criterion, and ends with when to pick each side.
Wiz vs Orca
Wiz 4.4 · Orca 4.2
Wiz 4.4, Orca 4.2. Wiz wins four criteria, Orca wins agentless coverage, two are tied.
Read the comparisonOrca vs Upwind
Orca 4.2 · Upwind 3.9
Orca 4.2, Upwind 3.9. Upwind wins runtime depth; Orca wins five, pricing is tied.
Read the comparisonUpwind vs Wiz
Upwind 3.9 · Wiz 4.4
Upwind 3.9, Wiz 4.4. Upwind's runtime lead is its one win.
Read the comparisonWiz vs Prisma Cloud
Wiz 4.4 · Cortex Cloud 4.0
Wiz 4.4, Cortex Cloud 4.0. Cortex Cloud wins runtime; Wiz wins five.
Read the comparisonOrca vs Prisma Cloud
Orca 4.2 · Cortex Cloud 4.0
Orca 4.2, Cortex Cloud 4.0. Three criteria each, pricing tied.
Read the comparisonOrca vs SentinelOne
Orca 4.2 · SentinelOne 3.8
Orca 4.2, SentinelOne 3.8. SentinelOne wins runtime and ecosystem.
Read the comparisonWiz vs CrowdStrike
Wiz 4.4 · CrowdStrike 3.8
Wiz 4.4, CrowdStrike 3.8. CrowdStrike wins runtime depth.
Read the comparisonOrca vs Microsoft Defender
Orca 4.2 · Defender 4.0
Orca 4.2, Defender 4.0. Defender wins runtime, ecosystem and pricing.
Read the comparisonSysdig vs Aqua
Sysdig 3.7 · Aqua 3.7
Both show 3.7. Sysdig wins five criteria, Aqua wins code security and AI.
Read the comparisonAgentless vs agent-based
Not a vendor fight. Most platforms now do both; the question is which one they started with.
Read the comparisonRe-weight the scores in the calculator · Compare up to five vendors side by side
Which head-to-head are you looking for?
Every pairing of the nine platforms has its own page: 36 in all. Pick the vendor you are evaluating, then the rival.
Wiz
Orca Security
Palo Alto Networks Cortex Cloud (formerly Prisma Cloud)
Microsoft Defender for Cloud
Upwind
CrowdStrike Falcon Cloud Security
SentinelOne Singularity Cloud
Sysdig Secure
How do the nine platforms rank overall?
Totals weight seven criteria (weights on the matrix page). Scores that round to the same value are shown as ties.
| Rank | Vendor | Best for | Score (0-5) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wiz | Best overall for multicloud CNAPP | 4.4 |
| 2 | Orca Security | Best for agentless coverage across the most clouds | 4.2 |
| 3= | Palo Alto Networks Cortex Cloud (formerly Prisma Cloud) | Best for Palo Alto Networks estates | 4.0 |
| 3= | Microsoft Defender for Cloud | Best value for Azure-first teams | 4.0 |
| 5 | Upwind | Best for runtime-first teams | 3.9 |
| 6= | CrowdStrike Falcon Cloud Security | Best for Falcon endpoint customers | 3.8 |
| 6= | SentinelOne Singularity Cloud | Best for exploit-validated findings | 3.8 |
| 8= | Sysdig Secure | Best for Kubernetes runtime detection | 3.7 |
| 8= | Aqua Security | Best for container pipelines and disconnected estates | 3.7 |
Editorial assessment, 0 to 5. Built from vendor product and documentation pages, reviewed September 2026.
Who leads each criterion?
Agentless coverage and time to value
Weight 18%
Orca Security 4.9
Runtime protection depth
Weight 16%
CrowdStrike Falcon Cloud Security and Sysdig Secure 4.8
Risk prioritization and attack paths
Weight 18%
Wiz 4.9
Code-to-cloud and AppSec
Weight 14%
Wiz 4.6
AI workload security
Weight 12%
Wiz and Orca Security 4.6
Ecosystem and integrations
Weight 12%
Wiz 4.9
Pricing transparency
Weight 10%
Microsoft Defender for Cloud 4.6
Orca leads one criterion outright and shares one. It trails on runtime protection depth, risk prioritization and attack paths, code-to-cloud and AppSec, ecosystem and integrations and pricing transparency, and those rows are visible in every Orca comparison.
Looking for alternatives to a specific vendor?
Wiz alternatives
Eight platforms ranked against Wiz, with the criteria where each one beats it
Prisma Cloud alternatives
For Prisma Cloud customers weighing the move to Cortex Cloud against a switch
Orca Security alternatives
Where Wiz, Upwind, CrowdStrike and others beat Orca, and where they do not
Upwind alternatives
Runtime-first buyers who want a second opinion on Upwind
Microsoft Defender for Cloud alternatives
Eight platforms ranked against Defender for Cloud, and what its paid plans change
CrowdStrike Falcon Cloud Security alternatives
Where agentless-first platforms beat CrowdStrike, and where Falcon still leads
SentinelOne Singularity Cloud alternatives
Eight platforms ranked against SentinelOne, from exploit validation to code security
Sysdig Secure alternatives
For Kubernetes teams who want more coverage around Falco-based runtime
Aqua Security alternatives
Eight platforms ranked against Aqua, and where its pipeline controls still lead
How should you read a head-to-head?
A total tells you who is stronger on average across our weights. A head-to-head tells you who is stronger on the criterion you care about. A team that runs most workloads on Kubernetes and needs to block attacks in the container should read the runtime bar first; a team with a thousand accounts across four clouds and no appetite for agents should read the agentless bar first. The weights we use are published, and each bar carries the reason behind both scores.
What is new this month?
SentinelOne
SentinelOne extends Wayfinder Threat Hunting to AWS, Azure and Google Cloud
The managed hunting service now covers cloud control-plane activity such as IAM privilege escalation, suspicious IAM policy changes and S3 bucket reconnaissance. It is available to existing Wayfinder Threat Hunting customers through Singularity Marketplace plugins.
Source: SentinelOne press release
Falco
Falco 0.45.0 released
The CNCF runtime detection project that Sysdig created added raw byte matching in rule conditions, reload status endpoints, driver 11.0.0 and rules that flag containers accessing GPU devices.
Source: Falco blog
Orca Security
Orca launches a global partner program and a Partner Success Platform
Orca announced the Partner POD Program, which rewards partners across the customer lifecycle including net retention, and an AI-based Partner Success Platform available globally in six languages at launch.
Source: Orca Security press release
Frequently asked questions
Which CNAPP scores highest in 2026?
Wiz, at 4.4 out of 5 in our editorial assessment. It leads three of seven criteria outright (attack paths, code-to-cloud, ecosystem) and shares the lead on AI workload security. Orca Security is second at 4.2.
Is Orca Security or Wiz better?
Wiz scores higher overall (4.4 against 4.2) and wins four criteria: runtime, risk prioritization, code-to-cloud and ecosystem. Orca wins agentless coverage and time to value, and the two tie on AI workload security and pricing transparency. See Wiz vs Orca. Wiz vs Orca.
What happened to Prisma Cloud?
Palo Alto Networks merged Prisma Cloud with Cortex CDR to form Cortex Cloud, announced on 13 February 2025, and moved Prisma Cloud customers onto Cortex Cloud. We score it as Cortex Cloud and keep "Prisma Cloud" in page names because buyers still search for it.
Did Google finish buying Wiz?
Yes. Google announced a definitive agreement to acquire Wiz for $32 billion on 18 March 2025, and the acquisition completed on 11 March 2026. Wiz states it remains a multicloud platform covering AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and OCI.
Which cloud security platform publishes its prices?
Of the nine, only Microsoft Defender for Cloud publishes per-resource pricing with a public cost calculator, a free Foundational CSPM tier and a 30-day free trial. Sysdig publishes its licensing unit (hosts) but not prices. The other seven quote through sales.