As enterprises modernize their infrastructure, the importance of securing applications across the software development lifecycle and cloud environment has never been higher. From shift-left scanning and vulnerability management to cloud misconfiguration detection and runtime protection, application and cloud security have converged into a single, high-stakes domain: Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPPs) and adjacent AppSec tools.
Wiz is one well-known player in this space, offering agentless cloud security scanning, broad cloud provider support, and visibility into infrastructure-level risks. But while Wiz excels at surfacing cloud risks quickly, it has notable limitations that have teams asking Is Wiz enough? Or: Are there better alternatives for our needs?
Let’s review the top Wiz competitors on the market and explore why Cycode is the best alternative for enterprises. But first…
Key takeaways:
- Wiz is a strong cloud security platform, but many teams outgrow its capabilities as their AppSec needs mature.
- Top Wiz competitors vary in focus, from runtime protection and CNAPP coverage to developer-first AppSec tools. This makes vendor fit crucial.
- Enterprises evaluating alternatives should prioritize coverage across code, cloud, and runtime, as well as the ability to reduce alert fatigue through smarter prioritization.
Vendor | Key Features |
Cycode | AI-native Application Security platform with code-to-cloud visibility, developer-centric workflows, and risk-based prioritization. |
Orca Security | Agentless CNAPP with cloud workload and posture management; broad visibility, quick deployment. |
Palo Alto Prisma Cloud | Full CNAPP suite with network, workload, and identity protection; strong enterprise integrations. |
Lacework | Cloud-native behavior analytics and anomaly detection; strong at runtime and compliance. |
Aqua Security | Container and Kubernetes security with deep runtime protection and supply chain scanning. |
Sysdig Secure | Runtime threat detection and Kubernetes-focused security with Falco-based insights. |
CrowdStrike Falcon Cloud | Cloud threat detection layered on endpoint protection; strong in threat intelligence. |
Microsoft Defender for Cloud | Native to Azure, with multi-cloud support and CSPM/CWPP capabilities. |
Check Point CloudGuard | CNAPP with strong network security roots; policy enforcement and segmentation. |
Tenable Cloud Security (Ermetic) | Fine-grained identity and permissions management; strong on IAM misconfigurations. |
Snyk | Developer-first security platform for SAST, SCA, and IaC scanning; limited cloud runtime coverage. |
Upwind | Runtime-based cloud security with dynamic threat modeling; newer player with growing traction. |
What Is Wiz?
Wiz is a cloud security platform that helps organizations identify and reduce risk across their cloud environments. It’s best known for its agentless scanning approach, which provides read-only visibility into cloud misconfigurations, vulnerabilities, secrets, and identity risks.
Wiz falls under the broader category CNAPPs (compare CNAPP to ASPM) and supports multi-cloud environments like AWS, Azure, and GCP.
Key Wiz Product Features
Wiz offers a broad set of cloud security capabilities focused on visibility, risk detection, and compliance across multi-cloud environments. Below are some of its most widely used features.
- Agentless scanning across AWS, Azure, GCP, and OCI
- CSPM for detecting cloud configuration issues
- CWPP to identify workload vulnerabilities
- CIEM for analyzing identity and access risks
- Attack path analysis to visualize how threats could move through cloud environments
- Compliance reporting for frameworks like CIS, SOC 2, ISO 27001
- Integrations with SIEM, ticketing, and workflow tools (Splunk, ServiceNow)
Pros and Cons of Wiz
Like any platform, Wiz has strengths and trade-offs. Here’s a quick look at where it performs well (and where teams may run into limitations).
Pros
- Fast, agentless deployment
- Broad cloud provider support
- Clean UI and useful alerting
- Helpful for compliance tracking
All of this said, for organizations that need deeper application security, tighter developer integration, or more context-aware prioritization, Wiz may not fully deliver.
Cons
- Lacks deep AppSec coverage; no native SAST, limited SCA and secret scanning capabilities
- Very limited code-to-cloud correlation, limiting risk prioritization
- Developer workflows are limited, making it harder to shift left
- Agentless-only model may miss runtime behavior
- Cost can scale quickly in larger or multi-cloud environments
Why Look for a Wiz Alternative?
While Wiz is a strong option for many cloud security use cases, it isn’t always the right fit, especially for teams with more complex AppSec needs or developer-first priorities. Below are some of the most common reasons organizations consider alternatives.
Need for Deeper Application Security
Wiz offers strong infrastructure-level visibility but stops short of full application-layer coverage. It doesn’t include native scanners for code (SAST), limited capabilities regarding open source dependencies (SCA), Infrastructure as Code (IaC), or secrets detection capabilities. This leaves teams reliant on external tools for critical parts of the SDLC, contributing to one of security teams biggest challenges: tool sprawl.
Organizations looking to unify cloud and application security under one roof often turn to platforms (like Cycode) that provide end-to-end AppSec coverage, enabling visibility and control from the first line of code through to production. More on this later…
Desire for Context-Aware Risk Prioritization
We know that security teams today are overwhelmed with alerts. And while Wiz can surface risks across cloud assets, it lacks the context to connect those risks back to the codebase or dev workflow. The result? Teams can’t triage based on exploitability, impact, or ownership.
Developer-First Workflows and Integration Gaps
Wiz is built primarily for security teams, with limited focus on developer experience. But in modern DevSecOps environments, teams increasingly expect tools to integrate seamlessly into CI/CD pipelines, version control systems, IDEs, and PR processes.
Runtime and Behavioral Visibility
The agentless approach makes Wiz easy to deploy…but can also limit its depth. This becomes especially problematic when it comes to runtime threats, container behavior, and real-time detection.
Organizations focused on workload runtime protection, anomaly detection, or Kubernetes-level visibility may find more value in other platforms that support agent-based runtime capabilities alongside posture management.
Cost, Flexibility, and Scalability Concerns
Wiz’s pricing can escalate quickly for large or multi-cloud deployments, and its feature bundling may not suit every organization’s needs. While this isn’t a deal-breaker for all organizations, some prefer broader deployment options and pricing models that better align with their requirements and budget considerations.
Top Wiz Competitors
NOTE: While many offer overlapping capabilities, few provide the full picture, particularly when it comes to connecting cloud security with application-layer context.
Cycode
Cycode is an AI-native application security platform that connects signals across the entire SDLC and cloud infrastructure. It offers complete visibility and risk prioritization from code to runtime, with native (and proprietary) scanners for SAST, SCA, IaC, secrets, and containers.
- Unified code-to-cloud visibility
- Developer-first workflows and integrations (IDEs, PRs, CI/CD)
- Proprietary scanners for AppSec plus full CNAPP context
- AI-powered risk prioritization based on exploitability and ownership
- Supports runtime, cloud, and pipeline coverage
- Flexible deployment and enterprise-grade compliance
- Not focused on traditional endpoint protection
Cycode is ideal for organizations looking to consolidate fragmented security tools, reduce alert fatigue, and empower both security and engineering teams.
Orca Security
Orca is a cloud security platform known for its agentless CNAPP approach. It delivers fast posture management and workload scanning across cloud environments.
- Quick agentless deployment
- CSPM, CWPP, and CIEM capabilities
- Attack path visualization
- Limited developer integration
- No native AppSec scanning
Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud
Prisma Cloud offers a broad suite of CNAPP capabilities as part of Palo Alto’s larger security ecosystem. It supports agentless and agent-based scanning.
- Strong enterprise integrations
- Covers network, workload, and identity security
- Good runtime and anomaly detection
- Complex to manage and integrate
- Developer experience is lacking
Lacework
Lacework focuses on cloud runtime security using behavior-based analytics and anomaly detection, especially in containerized environments.
- Behavioral-based threat detection
- Good for runtime and compliance visibility
- Container-aware security
- Limited shift-left or code-layer coverage
- Less mature CIEM features
Aqua Security
Aqua specializes in container and Kubernetes security, offering both open-source tools and enterprise-grade solutions.
- Deep runtime protection for containers and cloud workloads
- Open-source scanner (Trivy) and supply chain security tools
- Strong Kubernetes focus
- Not a full CNAPP
- Developer integration is minimal
Sysdig Secure
Sysdig offers Kubernetes-native runtime and vulnerability protection, with strong Falco-based anomaly detection.
- Runtime threat detection and response
- Policy enforcement for containers and Kubernetes
- Open-source foundation
- Narrow focus on runtime security
- Limited visibility into code and CI/CD pipelines
CrowdStrike Falcon Cloud Security
Built on CrowdStrike’s EDR foundation, this offering extends visibility into cloud environments and workloads.
- Agent-based cloud and workload protection
- Strong threat intelligence capabilities
- Unified with endpoint protection
- Requires agents
- Lacks native AppSec or developer integrations
Microsoft Defender for Cloud
A cloud security tool native to Azure, with growing multi-cloud support. It integrates with other Microsoft security products.
- Seamless Azure integration
- Basic CNAPP coverage
- Good for Microsoft-heavy environments
- Multi-cloud capabilities still maturing
- Less flexible for hybrid/cloud-native teams
Check Point CloudGuard
CloudGuard brings Check Point’s firewall heritage to the CNAPP space, emphasizing network-layer security and compliance.
- Network segmentation and policy enforcement
- Broad multi-cloud support
- Ties into traditional security stacks
- Not developer-focused
- Application-layer coverage is limited
Tenable Cloud Security (formerly Ermetic)
Focused on IAM and permission management, Tenable Cloud Security helps reduce identity-based risk in cloud environments.
- Excellent CIEM capabilities
- Strong for cloud access governance
- Integrates with other Tenable tools
- Narrow scope—identity-focused
- Not a comprehensive CNAPP or AppSec tool
Snyk
Snyk is a developer-first AppSec platform with tools for scanning code, open-source dependencies, containers, and IaC.
- Strong developer adoption
- Deep integrations with Git, IDEs, CI/CD
- Shift-left scanning tools
- No runtime or infrastructure visibility
- Not a CNAPP (best used in combination with other tools)
Upwind
A newer player in the CNAPP space, Upwind emphasizes runtime-based cloud detection and dynamic environment analysis.
- Runtime and identity-aware risk insights
- Lightweight and modern architecture
- Smaller customer base
- Still maturing in feature breadth and integrations
How to Choose the Best Alternative for Wiz
Choosing the right Wiz alternative depends on your specific needs. Are you looking to improve application security? Gain runtime visibility? Integrate more deeply into developer workflows? These questions matter.
Here are five steps to help guide your evaluation.
1. Define Your Primary Security Gaps
Start by identifying where Wiz might fall short for your team. Is it in application layer, CI/CD coverage, runtime insights, or prioritization? This will clarify whether you need a complementary tool or a broader platform to replace or augment your existing setup.
2. Align With Your Dev and SecOps Workflows
Look for platforms that fit naturally into your current processes. If your teams rely on GitHub, Jenkins, or IDE-based scanning, prioritize tools with native integrations that minimize friction and support fast feedback loops.
3. Evaluate Code-to-Cloud Context and Prioritization
Platforms that correlate risks across code, pipelines, and cloud infrastructure help you cut through alert noise. Consider whether the alternative can help you focus on what’s actually exploitable. Remember: this should ideally be tied to ownership and business impact.
4. Consider Deployment Flexibility and Scale
Some platforms offer agentless ease, others provide deeper runtime insights through agents. Consider your cloud footprint, compliance needs, and whether you need hybrid or self-hosted options for full coverage and control.
5. Look Beyond Checklists and Test in Your Environment
Don’t rely solely on feature lists. Ask for a proof of concept or pilot the tool in a real use case. The best platforms should demonstrate measurable improvements in visibility, time-to-remediation, and developer adoption.
Cycode Is the Best Wiz Competitor for Enterprises
Enterprises today face a growing challenge: too many tools, not enough context, and rising pressure to secure everything from code to cloud. While many platforms specialize in one area—cloud posture, runtime, or developer tools—Cycode stands out by bringing it all together in one AI-native platform.
Unlike point solutions or repackaged CNAPPs, Cycode is built from the ground up to provide deep application-layer protection and complete cloud visibility in a single, integrated experience. Its AI-powered correlation engine doesn’t just surface risks. It connects them across your SDLC and infrastructure, allowing security teams to act faster and prioritize smarter.
Book a demo today and see why Cycode is one of the best Wiz competitors for your enterprise.