Aqua vs Upwind: cloud security facts side by side
How do their category maps compare?
- Described on the vendor's pages we read
- Not in our sources (it may exist; we did not find it on the pages we read)
What are the facts, side by side?
| Fact | Aqua | Upwind |
|---|---|---|
| Positioning | A cloud native security platform built around kernel-layer runtime enforcement, with agentless posture visibility, for public, private and disconnected environments. | A cloud security platform that combines agentless scanning with eBPF runtime sensors, from a company founded in October 2022. |
| Agent approach | Agentless parts, agent for depth Offers agentless posture visibility; the platform's depth comes from kernel-layer enforcement on the workload. Source: Aqua cloud native security platform, read . | Agentless parts, agent for depth Agentless scanning plus eBPF runtime sensors; the design centers on the runtime sensor. Source: Upwind homepage, read . |
| Runtime sensor | Kernel-layer enforcement that blocks attacks without killing the container itself. Source: Aqua cloud native security platform, read . | eBPF sensors that baseline cloud activity, network and application flows, with forensic event timelines. Source: Upwind CDR, read . |
| Clouds namedDiffers | AWS, Azure, GCP, OCI, Alibaba Aqua names AWS, Azure, GCP, Oracle and Alibaba Cloud environments, plus Kubernetes; its platform page also describes private cloud and disconnected environments. Source: Aqua pricing, read . | AWS, Azure, GCP, OCI AWS, Google Cloud, Azure and OCI are named as partnerships. Source: Upwind homepage, read . |
| CNAPP | Described Positions one platform across posture, pipeline scanning and runtime enforcement. Source: Aqua cloud native security platform, read . | Described Lists posture, identity, data, workload, code, API and detection modules on one platform. Source: Upwind homepage, read . |
| CSPM | Described CSPM is listed among the capabilities on its pricing page, alongside CWPP, agentless and agent-based scanning and eBPF runtime detection. Source: Aqua pricing, read . | Described CSPM is listed. Source: Upwind homepage, read . |
| CWPP | Described Monitor, detect, enforce and contain inside running workloads, with kernel-layer enforcement. Source: Aqua cloud native security platform, read . | Described Container and Kubernetes, serverless, and CDR modules, with eBPF sensors. Source: Upwind homepage, read . |
| CIEMDiffers | Not in our sources Not named as an Aqua capability on the pricing or CSPM pages we read. Source: Aqua CSPM product page, read . | Described CIEM is listed. Source: Upwind homepage, read . |
| DSPMDiffers | Not in our sources Not described on the pages we read. | Described DSPM is listed. Source: Upwind homepage, read . |
| Vulnerability management | Described Ranks vulnerabilities by reachability, EPSS scores and evidence of active exploitation. Source: Aqua cloud native security platform, read . | Described Vulnerability management and attack path analysis are listed. Source: Upwind homepage, read . |
| Code security | Scans images and repositories for vulnerabilities, secrets and misconfigurations and blocks noncompliant artifacts in the pipeline. Source: Aqua cloud native security platform, read . | IaC security, SCA and SBOM, DAST and a container admission controller; SAST is not among its listed modules. Source: Upwind homepage, read . |
| AI security | GenAI application security from code to runtime, and detection of unsanctioned AI usage. Source: Aqua cloud native security platform, read . | AI inventory, AI-BOM, AI-SPM, an AI sensor, AI detection and response, and offensive testing for models, agents and MCP servers. Source: Upwind AI security platform, read . |
| Kubernetes runtime | Runtime enforcement for containers that blocks attacks without killing the container. Source: Aqua cloud native security platform, read . | Container and Kubernetes security is listed, with eBPF sensors. Source: Upwind homepage, read . |
| Private cloud or on-premisesDiffers | Supports private cloud environments. Source: Aqua cloud native security platform, read . | Not in our sources |
| Disconnected environmentsDiffers | Supports disconnected environments. Source: Aqua cloud native security platform, read . | Not in our sources |
| Compliance reporting | Out-of-the-box compliance reporting, with built-in compliance and custom reports; the page does not list the frameworks. Source: Aqua pricing, read . | Supports CIS benchmarks, HIPAA, ISO 27001, NIST, PCI and SOC 2 compliance with 13-month data lookback. Source: AWS Marketplace: Upwind Cloud Security Platform, read . |
| Public-sector authorizationDiffers | States FedRAMP High Authorization. Source: Aqua cloud native security platform, read . | Upwind says it is pursuing FedRAMP Moderate Equivalency; no authorization is stated. Source: Upwind pursues FedRAMP certification to power trusted federal cloud solutions, read . |
| Price | Not published No list prices. Cloud Security is priced by number of workloads (EC2 instances, Fargate containers, Lambda functions) and Dev Security by number of code repositories; request a trial or demo. Source: Aqua pricing, read . | Not published No price on upwind.io. AWS Marketplace, 12-month contract: Upwind Cloud Security Platform $30,000.00 and Upwind Managed Detection and Response 24/7 Service $6,000.00; the unit basis is not described in our notes. 24-month and 36-month contracts are listed as saving up to 8% and 11%. Source: AWS Marketplace: Upwind Cloud Security Platform, read . |
| Open source | Trivy (maintained by Aqua Security, Apache-2.0) | None named |
| Ownership | Aqua Security. Named Mike Dube CEO and Nir Makovski CTO in February 2026. Source: Aqua press release: new leadership and runtime focus, read . | Standalone vendor, founded October 2022 in San Francisco; CEO Amiram Shachar. $250 million Series B announced 26 January 2026. Source: Upwind newsroom, read . |
Where do they differ?
- Clouds named: Aqua names AWS, Azure, GCP, OCI and Alibaba; Upwind names AWS, Azure, GCP and OCI.
- CIEM: Aqua is not in our sources; Upwind describes it.
- DSPM: Aqua is not in our sources; Upwind describes it.
- Private cloud or on-premises: Aqua matches; Upwind is not in our sources.
- Disconnected environments: Aqua matches; Upwind is not in our sources.
- Public-sector authorization: Aqua matches; Upwind partly matches.
Choose Aqua if
- You run disconnected or private environments, or need FedRAMP High.
- You want enforcement inside containers and already use Trivy.
Choose Upwind if
- Runtime detection is your first requirement and you will deploy a sensor.
- You want DAST, API security and AI detection in the same platform.
Which limits should you check?
Aqua
- CIEM and DSPM are not described on the pages we read.
- No list prices: Cloud Security is priced by number of workloads, by quote.
Upwind
- No price on upwind.io; the AWS Marketplace 12-month contract of $30,000 does not state its unit basis in our notes.
- A younger company (founded October 2022; 150+ customers per its newsroom), and Upwind says it is pursuing FedRAMP Moderate Equivalency; no authorization is stated.
- SAST is not among its listed code modules.
Frequently asked questions
How do Aqua and Upwind differ?
Neither is scored on this site. Aqua describes 4 of six categories and Upwind 6 on the pages we read, and they differ on 6 recorded facts. Which fits depends on your clouds, agent tolerance and existing tools; the finder checks those.
Which of the two needs an agent?
Aqua: Agentless parts, agent for depth. Upwind: Agentless parts, agent for depth.
Do Aqua or Upwind publish prices?
Aqua: No list prices. Cloud Security is priced by number of workloads (EC2 instances, Fargate containers, Lambda functions) and Dev Security by number of code repositories; request a trial or demo. Upwind: No price on upwind.io. AWS Marketplace, 12-month contract: Upwind Cloud Security Platform $30,000.00 and Upwind Managed Detection and Response 24/7 Service $6,000.00; the unit basis is not described in our notes. 24-month and 36-month contracts are listed as saving up to 8% and 11%.