# Aqua Security vs Microsoft Defender for Cloud

| Attribute | Aqua Security | Microsoft Defender for Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 48.2 (25% (low)) | 48.2 (19% (low)) |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"A comprehensive security platform that provides agentless and agent-based protection for applications from code development through runtime production across hybrid and multi-cloud environments, combining vulnerability scanning, configuration management, and runtime threat detection. It is indexed under Cloud Security Software.","source":"https://www.aquasec.com/pricing/","question":"What is Aqua Security?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Aqua Security does not publish its prices. Pricing is quoted on request, across 2 plans (Dev Security and Cloud Security), so the figure depends on your seat count and requirements. We record this as a pricing-transparency signal rather than guessing a number. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.aquasec.com/pricing/","question":"How much does Aqua Security cost?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Aqua Security supports the web and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://www.aquasec.com/pricing/","question":"What platforms does Aqua Security support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Aqua Security can be deployed cloud / SaaS, hybrid, on-premise, air-gapped and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://www.aquasec.com/pricing/","question":"Can Aqua Security be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 18 integrations for Aqua Security, including Orca, AWS, EC2, ECS, EKS, Fargate, Lambda and ECR, plus 10 more. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.aquasec.com/pricing/","question":"What does Aqua Security integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed GDPR for Aqua Security. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Aqua Security not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://www.aquasec.com/blog/aws-kubernetes-security-and-compliance/","question":"What security certifications does Aqua Security have?","confidence":0.7}]` | `[{"answer":"Provides security protection across application development and runtime stages for hybrid and multicloud deployments. It is indexed under Cloud Security Software.","source":"https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/purchase-options/azure-account","question":"What is Microsoft Defender for Cloud?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Microsoft Defender for Cloud offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/defender-for-cloud","question":"Is Microsoft Defender for Cloud free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to Microsoft Defender for Cloud. That is the extent of what we could verify from public sources, so it may well offer desktop or mobile clients we have not indexed.","source":"https://azure.microsoft.com/etc.clientlibs/onecloud/clientlibs/clientlib-product-pricing.ACSHASHde5a77dc6cdb73df9c3096397924a3f0.min.css","question":"What platforms does Microsoft Defender for Cloud support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Not fully, on what we have confirmed. Microsoft Defender for Cloud is offered as cloud / SaaS and hybrid, and a hybrid deployment usually means some components can run on your own infrastructure while the rest stays vendor-hosted. We have not confirmed a completely self-hosted option, so check with the vendor if that is a requirement.","source":"https://azure.microsoft.com/etc.clientlibs/onecloud/clientlibs/clientlib-product-pricing.ACSHASHde5a77dc6cdb73df9c3096397924a3f0.min.css","question":"Can Microsoft Defender for Cloud be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed GDPR for Microsoft Defender for Cloud. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Microsoft Defender for Cloud not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://azure.microsoft.com/security","question":"What security certifications does Microsoft Defender for Cloud have?","confidence":0.7}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"hybrid":true}` |
| description.long | Aqua Security scans containers, Kubernetes clusters, application source code, and cloud platforms to identify vulnerabilities, configuration weaknesses, and embedded secrets. The product includes kernel-level runtime monitoring for container workloads and validation of Kubernetes deployments against security benchmarks. | Provides security protection across application development and runtime stages for hybrid and multicloud deployments. |
| features.capabilities | `{"ciem":false,"cspm":true,"cwpp":true,"dspm":false,"kspm":true,"iac_scanning":true,"pricing_model":"quote","cloud_coverage":"AWS, Azure, GCP, Oracle, Alibaba Cloud","deployment_model":"cloud_managed_cnapp","open_core_scanner":true,"agentless_scanning":true,"runtime_protection":true,"compliance_frameworks":"CIS Kubernetes Benchmark, industry configuration benchmarks","network_microsegmentation":true,"ci_cd_pipeline_build_blocking":true,"compliance_pci_soc2_reporting":true,"ebpf_runtime_syscall_monitoring":true,"kubernetes_kspm_security_posture":true,"serverless_lambda_fargate_support":true,"container_drift_prevention_blocking":true,"infrastructure_as_code_iac_scanning":true,"image_registry_vulnerability_scanning":true}` | `{"cspm":true,"iac_scanning":true,"cloud_coverage":"Hybrid and multicloud environments","runtime_protection":true}` |
| integrations.count | 13 | - |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Orca"},{"name":"AWS"},{"name":"EC2"},{"name":"ECS"},{"name":"EKS"},{"name":"Fargate"},{"name":"Lambda"},{"name":"ECR"},{"name":"Azure"},{"name":"GCP"},{"name":"Oracle Cloud"},{"name":"Alibaba Cloud"},{"name":"Kubernetes"},{"name":"Red Hat OpenShift"},{"name":"IBM Z"},{"name":"LinuxONE"},{"name":"GitHub"},{"name":"AWS EC2"},{"name":"AWS Fargate"},{"name":"AWS Lambda"},{"name":"Amazon ECR"},{"name":"Amazon ECS"},{"name":"Google Cloud Platform"}]` | - |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | - |
| platform.support | `{"web":true,"linux":true}` | `{"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"hybrid","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"PAYG","summary":"Pay-as-you-go pricing per ECS task","description":"Usage-based pricing model billed per ECS task for Amazon ECS deployments","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"BYOL","summary":"Bring-your-own-license pricing","description":"Traditional license-based model for customers with existing Aqua engagements or channel purchases","contactSales":true}],"summary":"Hybrid pricing: usage-based (PAYG) or license-based (BYOL)","sourceUrl":"https://www.aquasec.com/","retrievedAt":"2026-10-06T11:33:53.390Z"}` | `{"type":"hybrid","sourceUrl":"https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/purchase-options/azure-account","retrievedAt":"2026-09-23T13:32:32.923Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | no | yes |
| pricing.model | commercial | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | unknown | unknown |
| pricing.transparent | no | no |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | - |
| security.gdpr | yes | yes |
| security.trust_center | https://www.aquasec.com/blog/security-for-amazon-ecs-workloads/ | - |

## Capabilities (Cloud Security Software)

| Capability | Aqua Security | Microsoft Defender for Cloud |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Posture** |  |  |
| CSPM (posture / misconfig) | ✓ | ✓ |
| KSPM (Kubernetes posture) | ✓ | - |
| **Workload** |  |  |
| CWPP (workload protection) | ✓ | - |
| **Entitlements** |  |  |
| CIEM (entitlements) | ✗ | - |
| **Data** |  |  |
| DSPM (data posture) | ✗ | - |
| **Pipeline** |  |  |
| IaC / pipeline scanning | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Architecture** |  |  |
| Agentless scanning | ✓ | - |
| **Runtime** |  |  |
| Runtime protection | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Coverage** |  |  |
| Cloud coverage | AWS, Azure, GCP, Oracle, Alibaba Cloud | Hybrid and multicloud environments |
| **Compliance** |  |  |
| Compliance frameworks assessed | CIS Kubernetes Benchmark, industry configuration benchmarks | - |
| **Licensing** |  |  |
| Open-core scanner available | ✓ | - |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-19T01:11:43.948Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*