Sysdig 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 | Sysdig | Upwind |
|---|---|---|
| Positioning | A cloud security platform with runtime detection built on Falco, the open-source project Sysdig created, plus agentless posture. | 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 Agentless posture covers vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, permissions and threats; process-level analysis needs the agent. Source: Sysdig Secure, 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 | The Sysdig agent with Falco-based detection, showing which packages are in use. Source: Sysdig Secure, read . | eBPF sensors that baseline cloud activity, network and application flows, with forensic event timelines. Source: Upwind CDR, read . |
| Clouds named | AWS, Azure, GCP, OCI AWS, GCP and Azure support all of Sysdig's agentless cloud features; Oracle Cloud supports agentless CSPM only. Source: Sysdig docs: connect cloud accounts, read . | AWS, Azure, GCP, OCI AWS, Google Cloud, Azure and OCI are named as partnerships. Source: Upwind homepage, read . |
| CNAPP | Described Sysdig describes Sysdig Secure as a CNAPP. Source: Sysdig press release: Sysdig Secure AI, read . | Described Lists posture, identity, data, workload, code, API and detection modules on one platform. Source: Upwind homepage, read . |
| CSPM | Described CSPM is listed. Source: Sysdig Secure, read . | Described CSPM is listed. Source: Upwind homepage, read . |
| CWPP | Described Runtime threat detection for containers and Kubernetes through the agent. Source: Sysdig Secure, read . | Described Container and Kubernetes, serverless, and CDR modules, with eBPF sensors. Source: Upwind homepage, read . |
| CIEM | Described Basic CIEM and Advanced CIEM are named. Source: Sysdig docs: connect cloud accounts, read . | Described CIEM is listed. Source: Upwind homepage, read . |
| DSPM | Described DSPM is listed. Source: Sysdig Secure, read . | Described DSPM is listed. Source: Upwind homepage, read . |
| Vulnerability management | Described Agentless vulnerability host scanning and agent-based scanning, with in-use prioritization. Source: Sysdig pricing (re-read), read . | Described Vulnerability management and attack path analysis are listed. Source: Upwind homepage, read . |
| Code securityDiffers | Vulnerability management covers images and workloads; source-code scanning is not a stated focus on the pages we read. Source: Sysdig Secure, 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 | AI workload security, integrated into Sysdig's CNAPP, covers AI engines such as Amazon Bedrock, OpenAI and Vertex AI, and AI coding agents. Source: AI Workload Security | Sysdig, 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 detection for containers and Kubernetes built on Falco. Source: Sysdig Secure, read . | Container and Kubernetes security is listed, with eBPF sensors. Source: Upwind homepage, read . |
| Private cloud or on-premises | Not in our sources | Not in our sources |
| Disconnected environments | Not in our sources | Not in our sources |
| Compliance reporting | Out-of-the-box compliance policies include NIST CSF v2.0, NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5, CIS benchmarks, PCI DSS v4.0, HIPAA, ISO/IEC 27001:2022, SOC 2, GDPR, DORA and NIS2. Source: Sysdig docs: compliance, 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 | Not in our sources | 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 on its own site; CNAPP licensing is based on the number of hosts. AWS Marketplace (Sysdig Cloud Security and Observability), 1-month contract: CNAPP Enterprise $72.00 per unit per month; the unit is not described in our notes. 12-month contracts are listed as saving up to 17%. Source: AWS Marketplace: Sysdig Cloud Security and Observability, 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 | Falco (created by Sysdig, CNCF graduated project) | None named |
| Ownership | Sysdig. Hatem Naguib became CEO in June 2026; founder Loris Degioanni remains CTO. Source: Sysdig press release: Hatem Naguib named CEO, 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?
- Code security: Sysdig partly matches; Upwind matches.
- Public-sector authorization: Sysdig is not in our sources; Upwind partly matches.
Choose Sysdig if
- You run Kubernetes at scale and already know Falco.
- You want vulnerability lists filtered by what actually runs.
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?
Sysdig
- Process-level depth needs the agent, and on Oracle Cloud only agentless CSPM is supported.
- List prices are 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 Sysdig and Upwind differ?
Neither is scored on this site. Sysdig describes 6 of six categories and Upwind 6 on the pages we read, and they differ on 2 recorded facts. Which fits depends on your clouds, agent tolerance and existing tools; the finder checks those.
Which of the two needs an agent?
Sysdig: Agentless parts, agent for depth. Upwind: Agentless parts, agent for depth.
Do Sysdig or Upwind publish prices?
Sysdig: No list prices on its own site; CNAPP licensing is based on the number of hosts. AWS Marketplace (Sysdig Cloud Security and Observability), 1-month contract: CNAPP Enterprise $72.00 per unit per month; the unit is not described in our notes. 12-month contracts are listed as saving up to 17%. 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%.