# Cloud Custodian vs Prowler

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** Prowler

| Attribute | Cloud Custodian | Prowler |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 53.3 (41% (low)) | 75.2 (71% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 37 | - |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 80 | - |
| adoption.github_stars | 6,085 | - |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"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. It is indexed under Cloud Security Software.","source":"https://cloudcustodian.io/","question":"What is Cloud Custodian?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Cloud Custodian is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the Apache-2.0 licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://cloudcustodian.io/","question":"Is Cloud Custodian free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Cloud Custodian supports a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://cloudcustodian.io/","question":"What platforms does Cloud Custodian support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Cloud Custodian can be deployed cloud / SaaS and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://cloudcustodian.io/","question":"Can Cloud Custodian be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Cloud Custodian is published under the Apache-2.0 licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/cloud-custodian/cloud-custodian","question":"Is Cloud Custodian open source?","confidence":0.95}]` | `[{"answer":"Automates security and compliance monitoring across cloud environments with thousands of built-in checks, compliance frameworks, real-time dashboards, and cloud provider integrations. It is indexed under Cloud Security Software.","source":"https://prowler.com/","question":"What is Prowler?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Prowler is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. A commercial or hosted edition starts at $0.24. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://prowler.com/pricing","question":"Is Prowler free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Prowler supports the web, Linux and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://prowler.com/","question":"What platforms does Prowler support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Prowler can be deployed cloud / SaaS and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://prowler.com/","question":"Can Prowler be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 17 integrations for Prowler, including AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, Kubernetes, GitHub, Microsoft 365, Oracle Cloud and Alibaba Cloud, plus 9 more. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://prowler.com/pricing","question":"What does Prowler integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA and GDPR for Prowler. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Prowler not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://prowler.com/pricing","question":"What security certifications does Prowler have?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Prowler is available worldwide. Its primary market is the United States.","source":"https://prowler.com/pricing","question":"Where is Prowler available?","confidence":0.5}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"hybrid":true,"on_prem":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"hybrid":true,"on_prem":true,"air_gapped":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | Automates and enforces policies across cloud infrastructure defined as code | An open-source and managed platform that automatically scans cloud environments for security misconfigurations and compliance violations. Offers multiple deployment options—cloud-hosted, self-hosted, or air-gapped—with 2,500+ checks, customizable compliance frameworks, remediation guidance, and integrations with security and workflow tools. |
| features.capabilities | `{"ciem":false,"cspm":true,"cwpp":false,"dspm":false,"kspm":true,"iac_scanning":true,"cloud_coverage":"AWS, Azure, GCP (primary); Kubernetes, Tencent Cloud, OpenStack (beta)","open_core_scanner":true,"agentless_scanning":true,"runtime_protection":false,"compliance_frameworks":"Encryption, access controls, tag policies, cost management"}` | `{"ciem":true,"cspm":true,"cwpp":true,"kspm":true,"iac_scanning":true,"cloud_coverage":"AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, Kubernetes, GitHub, Microsoft 365, Oracle Cl","open_core_scanner":true,"compliance_frameworks":"CIS, NIST 800, NIST CSF, CISA, MITRE ATT&CK, RBI, FedRAMP, PCI-DSS, NIS2, GDPR, "}` |
| integrations.count | 7 | 10 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Terraform"},{"name":"Slack","native":true},{"name":"AWS CloudWatch Events","native":true,"category":"cloud","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"AWS Config Rules","native":true,"category":"cloud","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"Azure EventGrid","native":true,"category":"cloud","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"GCP AuditLog","native":true,"category":"cloud","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"GCP Pub/Sub","native":true,"category":"cloud","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"EC2 Systems Manager Automation","native":true,"category":"cloud","direction":"outbound"}]` | `[{"name":"AWS"},{"name":"Microsoft Azure"},{"name":"Google Cloud"},{"name":"Kubernetes"},{"name":"GitHub"},{"name":"Microsoft 365"},{"name":"Oracle Cloud"},{"name":"Alibaba Cloud"},{"name":"Cloudflare"},{"name":"OpenStack"},{"name":"AWS Security Hub","native":true,"category":"security","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Jira","native":true,"category":"ticketing","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"Slack","native":true,"category":"chat","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"Microsoft Power BI","native":true,"category":"analytics","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"AWS Security Lake","native":true,"category":"security","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"Censys","native":true,"category":"threat_intel","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"GitHub Code Scanning","native":true,"category":"vcs","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"Terraform","native":true,"category":"iac","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"AWS CloudFormation","native":true,"category":"iac","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"Email","native":true,"category":"notifications","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"Custom SIEM","native":false,"category":"siem","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"Power BI","native":true,"category":"analytics","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"GitHub Actions","native":true,"category":"ci_cd","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"Vercel","native":true,"category":"cloud_platform","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"Google","native":true,"category":"identity","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Claude Code","native":true,"category":"ai_assistant","direction":"inbound"}]` |
| language.primary | Python | - |
| license.spdx | Apache-2.0 | - |
| market.availability | - | `{"primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true}` | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://cloudcustodian.io/","retrievedAt":"2026-09-10T21:03:55.807Z"}` | `{"type":"hybrid","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Free Trial","features":["All checks and compliance frameworks","Cloud infrastructure posture scanning","Access to Prowler Hub","SOC 2 Type 2 assurance"],"description":"15-day trial with full feature access","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"cloud_accounts":"unlimited"}},{"free":false,"name":"Prowler Cloud","summary":"$99/cloud account/month; 20% discount with annual billing","features":["Continuous compliance across 70+ frameworks","Onboard whole AWS Organizations, Azure Management Groups, GCP Organizations","Jira, Slack and email alerts","SAML SSO and API access","Enterprise support","Attack Paths for AWS","ThreatScore prioritization","Autonomous Fixer","Triage lifecycle and automatic muting","MCP Server for AI agents"],"components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"cloud account","amount":99,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Managed SaaS platform with continuous monitoring and compliance tracking","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Prowler Private Cloud","features":["Deployment in customer's cloud, data center or air-gapped environment","Data residency of choice and unlimited resources","Private Registry for custom providers, checks and frameworks","AWS Security Lake (Parquet) and custom SIEM integration","White glove onboarding","Technical Account Manager","Dedicated Customer Success Manager","NATO D32 compliance for AWS, Azure and GCP"],"description":"Self-hosted deployment in customer environment with full control and data residency","contactSales":true},{"free":true,"name":"Open Source","features":["2,500+ checks across all cloud providers","Run from terminal, CI/CD pipeline or Kubernetes","All public compliance frameworks","Custom checks and frameworks support","Optional integration with Prowler Cloud","Community support"],"description":"Apache-2.0 licensed CLI, SDK and self-hosted Local Server","contactSales":false}],"summary":"Free trial and open-source options. Managed SaaS from $99/cloud account/month. Private Cloud pricing available on quote.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://prowler.com/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-10-05T11:06:17.499Z","freeTrialDays":15,"startingPrice":{"unit":"cloud account","amount":99,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | free | high |
| pricing.starting_price | - | `{"amount":99,"currency":"USD"}` |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| release.cadence_days | 54 | - |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/cloud-custodian/cloud-custodian/releases/tag/0.9.53.0","date":"2026-10-01T22:58:55Z","type":"stable","version":"0.9.53.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/cloud-custodian/cloud-custodian/releases/tag/0.9.52.0","date":"2026-09-03T19:16:59Z","type":"stable","version":"0.9.52.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/cloud-custodian/cloud-custodian/releases/tag/0.9.51.0","date":"2026-05-28T19:52:40Z","type":"stable","version":"0.9.51.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/cloud-custodian/cloud-custodian/releases/tag/0.9.50.0","date":"2026-03-18T17:16:59Z","type":"stable","version":"0.9.50.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/cloud-custodian/cloud-custodian/releases/tag/0.9.49.0","date":"2026-01-16T21:21:11Z","type":"stable","version":"0.9.49.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/cloud-custodian/cloud-custodian/releases/tag/0.9.48.0","date":"2025-12-01T19:04:50Z","type":"stable","version":"0.9.48.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/cloud-custodian/cloud-custodian/releases/tag/0.9.47.0","date":"2025-09-22T18:14:42Z","type":"stable","version":"0.9.47.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/cloud-custodian/cloud-custodian/releases/tag/0.9.46.0","date":"2025-07-17T18:42:30Z","type":"stable","version":"0.9.46.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/cloud-custodian/cloud-custodian/releases/tag/0.9.45.0","date":"2025-06-02T20:24:02Z","type":"stable","version":"0.9.45.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/cloud-custodian/cloud-custodian/releases/tag/0.9.44.0","date":"2025-04-24T14:12:18Z","type":"stable","version":"0.9.44.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/cloud-custodian/cloud-custodian/releases/tag/0.9.43.0","date":"2025-02-04T15:27:59Z","type":"stable","version":"0.9.43.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/cloud-custodian/cloud-custodian/releases/tag/0.9.42.0","date":"2024-11-14T20:21:44Z","type":"stable","version":"0.9.42.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/cloud-custodian/cloud-custodian/releases/tag/0.9.41.0","date":"2024-09-18T19:08:29Z","type":"stable","version":"0.9.41.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/cloud-custodian/cloud-custodian/releases/tag/0.9.40.0","date":"2024-07-23T20:06:17Z","type":"stable","version":"0.9.40.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/cloud-custodian/cloud-custodian/releases/tag/0.9.39.0","date":"2024-07-23T13:55:45Z","type":"stable","version":"0.9.39.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/cloud-custodian/cloud-custodian/releases/tag/0.9.38.0","date":"2024-06-18T11:56:41Z","type":"stable","version":"0.9.38.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/cloud-custodian/cloud-custodian/releases/tag/0.9.37.0","date":"2024-06-05T14:04:13Z","type":"stable","version":"0.9.37.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/cloud-custodian/cloud-custodian/releases/tag/0.9.36.0","date":"2024-04-29T13:09:49Z","type":"stable","version":"0.9.36.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/cloud-custodian/cloud-custodian/releases/tag/0.9.35.0","date":"2024-03-05T21:30:15Z","type":"stable","version":"0.9.35.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/cloud-custodian/cloud-custodian/releases/tag/0.9.34.0","date":"2024-01-18T18:30:11Z","type":"stable","version":"0.9.34.0"}]` | - |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.certifications | - | `[{"name":"SOC 2 Type II","level":"Type II","status":"active"}]` |
| security.disclosure_policy | - | yes |
| security.fedramp | - | yes |
| security.gdpr | - | yes |
| security.hipaa | - | yes |
| security.iso27001 | - | yes |
| security.pci | - | yes |
| security.scorecard | 8.7 | - |
| security.soc2 | - | yes |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=pypi&package_name=c7n&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | - |

## Capabilities (Cloud Security Software)

| Capability | Cloud Custodian | Prowler |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **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 (primary); Kubernetes, Tencent Cloud, OpenStack (beta) | AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, Kubernetes, GitHub, Microsoft 365, Oracle Cl |
| **Compliance** |  |  |
| Compliance frameworks assessed | Encryption, access controls, tag policies, cost management | CIS, NIST 800, NIST CSF, CISA, MITRE ATT&CK, RBI, FedRAMP, PCI-DSS, NIS2, GDPR, |
| **Licensing** |  |  |
| Open-core scanner available | ✓ | ✓ |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T14:06:00.781Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*