Comparison

Cloud Custodian vs Microsoft Defender for Cloud

No clear leader: Cloud Custodian (52.9) and Microsoft Defender for Cloud (51.5) are within the 5-point margin; treat as a tie. The attribute-by-attribute breakdown below, with a source and date on every value, is the honest way to compare them.

Machine formatsJSONMarkdownGraphQLor send Accept: application/json
Cloud Custodian53
Microsoft Defender for Cloud52
Score
Vioscale score
Cloud Custodian53 / 100low · 41%updating
Microsoft Defender for Cloud52 / 100low · 25%updating
Pricing
Free tier
Cloud Custodian
Microsoft Defender for Cloud
Model
Cloud Custodianopen_source
Microsoft Defender for Cloudcommercial
Price level
Cloud Custodianfree
Microsoft Defender for Cloudlow
Transparent
Cloud Custodian
Microsoft Defender for Cloud
Integrations
Count
Cloud Custodian1
Microsoft Defender for Cloud
Security
Gdpr
Cloud Custodian
Microsoft Defender for Cloud
Scorecard
Cloud Custodian8.7
Microsoft Defender for Cloud
Reliability
Status page
Cloud Custodian
Microsoft Defender for Cloud
Adoption
Dependent repos
Cloud Custodian80
Microsoft Defender for Cloud
Github stars
Cloud Custodian6,053
Microsoft Defender for Cloud
Activity
Commits last 30d
Cloud Custodian45
Microsoft Defender for Cloud
Release
Cadence days
Cloud Custodian54
Microsoft Defender for Cloud
History
Cloud Custodian20 items
Microsoft Defender for Cloud
License
Spdx
Cloud CustodianApache-2.0
Microsoft Defender for Cloud
Language
Primary
Cloud CustodianPython
Microsoft Defender for Cloud

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for cloud security software. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Posture
CSPM (posture / misconfig)
Cloud Custodian
Microsoft Defender for Cloud
KSPM (Kubernetes posture)
Cloud Custodian
Microsoft Defender for Cloud-
Workload
CWPP (workload protection)
Cloud Custodian
Microsoft Defender for Cloud-
Entitlements
CIEM (entitlements)
Cloud Custodian
Microsoft Defender for Cloud-
Data
DSPM (data posture)
Cloud Custodian
Microsoft Defender for Cloud-
Pipeline
IaC / pipeline scanning
Cloud Custodian
Microsoft Defender for Cloud
Architecture
Agentless scanning
Cloud Custodian
Microsoft Defender for Cloud-
Runtime
Runtime protection
Cloud Custodian
Microsoft Defender for Cloud
Coverage
Cloud coverage
Cloud CustodianAWS, Azure, GCP (primary); Kubernetes, Tencent Cloud, OpenStack (beta)
Microsoft Defender for Cloud-
Compliance
Compliance frameworks assessed
Cloud Custodian-
Microsoft Defender for Cloud-
Licensing
Open-core scanner available
Cloud Custodian
Microsoft Defender for Cloud-

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

Cloud Custodian

Cloud Custodian enables management of cloud resources through filtering, tagging, and policy-driven actions using a YAML DSL. It supports real-time compliance enforcement and cost optimization across AWS, Azure, GCP, and other cloud platforms.

Independently observed

Microsoft Defender for Cloud

Provides continuous protection across cloud infrastructure and applications throughout their entire lifecycle, from initial code development through runtime execution.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

Cloud Custodian

Open source

Open source and free under Apache 2.0 license

as of verify ↗

Microsoft Defender for Cloud

SubscriptionFree tier
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
Web
Cloud Custodian
Microsoft Defender for Cloud
CLI
Cloud Custodian
Microsoft Defender for Cloud
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
Cloud Custodian
Microsoft Defender for Cloud
Self-hosted
Cloud Custodian
Microsoft Defender for Cloud
Hybrid
Cloud Custodian
Microsoft Defender for Cloud

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

Cloud Custodian

1 total
  • Terraform
Independently observed

Microsoft Defender for Cloud

Not documented yet.

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.

Cloud Custodian vs Microsoft Defender for Cloud: an evidence-based comparison · Vioscale