Aqua Security vs Orca Security: 2026 CNAPP comparison
Cloud Security Compare editors · Matchups reviewed September 2026 · Editorial assessment
The short version
Orca Security scores higher overall, 4.2 to 3.7, and wins 5 of seven criteria: agentless coverage, risk prioritization, code-to-cloud security, AI workload security and ecosystem and integrations. Aqua wins 1: runtime protection. They tie on pricing transparency. Choose Aqua if detecting and blocking attacks inside running workloads is the main job; choose Orca if you want the widest coverage without installing agents first.
Aqua Security
3.7/ 5
Orca Security
4.2/ 5
Aqua Security wins 1 criterion, Orca Security wins 5, 1 tied.
Who wins Aqua vs Orca?
Orca is ahead by 0.49 points on exact totals. Aqua's wins cover 16% of our weights; Orca's cover 74%; tied criteria cover 10%. The largest single gap is on agentless coverage and time to value, where Orca leads by 1.5.
Where each design starts, on our reading: Aqua, container pipeline and runtime enforcement; Orca, agentless, with an added sensor.
How do Aqua and Orca compare on each criterion?
| Criterion | Weight | Aqua | Orca | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agentless coverage and time to value | 18% | 3.4 | 4.9 | Orca +1.5 |
| Runtime protection depth | 16% | 4.5 | 3.8 | Aqua +0.7 |
| Risk prioritization and attack paths | 18% | 3.9 | 4.8 | Orca +0.9 |
| Code-to-cloud and AppSec | 14% | 4.2 | 4.4 | Orca +0.2 |
| AI workload security | 12% | 3.7 | 4.6 | Orca +0.9 |
| Ecosystem and integrations | 12% | 3.8 | 4.1 | Orca +0.3 |
| Pricing transparency | 10% | 1.5 | 1.5 | Tie |
Agentless coverage and time to value
Weight 18%
Aqua: Offers agentless posture visibility, but the platform's depth comes from kernel-layer enforcement.
Orca: SideScanning reads workload block storage out of band and covers VMs, containers and serverless across six clouds, including Oracle, Alibaba and Tencent.
Runtime protection depth
Weight 16%
Aqua: Kernel-layer enforcement blocks attacks without killing the container and preserves memory evidence.
Orca: The eBPF Orca Sensor adds runtime detections and can terminate processes, but it is an optional layer and less proven than runtime-first rivals.
Risk prioritization and attack paths
Weight 18%
Aqua: Ranks vulnerabilities by reachability, EPSS scores and evidence of active exploitation.
Orca: Dynamic risk scoring and attack path analysis on one data model built from full agentless context.
Code-to-cloud and AppSec
Weight 14%
Aqua: Scans images and repositories for vulnerabilities, secrets and misconfigurations and blocks noncompliant artifacts in the pipeline; Aqua maintains Trivy.
Orca: SCA, SAST, secrets, IaC and image scanning with GitHub, GitLab and Azure DevOps, plus cloud-to-code tracing that opens pull requests.
AI workload security
Weight 12%
Aqua: GenAI application security from code to runtime and detection of unsanctioned AI usage.
Orca: AI-SPM inventory, shadow AI discovery, MCP server monitoring and AI AppGen Security for apps built on AI app builders.
Ecosystem and integrations
Weight 12%
Aqua: Trivy's open-source reach, FedRAMP High authorization and support for disconnected environments.
Orca: Covers the source-control and CI/CD tools buyers expect, but its partner and market footprint is smaller than Wiz's or the platform vendors'.
Pricing transparency
Weight 10%
Aqua: No public price list found.
Orca: No public price list; the pricing URL returns a 404 and quotes go through sales.
Scores are 0 to 5. The marker leans toward the stronger vendor; a gap of 1.5 or more pins it to the end. How to read these bars
How do Aqua and Orca price?
| Pricing fact | Aqua | Orca |
|---|---|---|
| Published pricing | Not published. Contact sales. | Not published. Contact sales. |
| Billing basis | Not published. Contact sales. | Not published. Contact sales. The pricing URL returned a 404 when reviewed. |
| Pricing transparency score | 1.5 | 1.5 |
Source: Aqua platform · Reviewed Sep 2026
Source: Orca platform · Reviewed Sep 2026
What are the key differences?
| Fact | Aqua Security | Orca Security |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment | Agentless posture plus kernel-layer runtime enforcement; public cloud, private cloud and disconnected environments | Agentless SideScanning of workload block storage; optional Orca Sensor for runtime |
| Runtime sensor | Kernel-layer enforcement that blocks attacks without killing the container | Orca Sensor, eBPF-based, Linux, Kubernetes and Windows; can be configured to terminate processes |
| Clouds named | Public cloud, private cloud and disconnected (air-gapped) environments | AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud, Alibaba Cloud, Tencent Cloud |
| Code security | Image and repository scanning for vulnerabilities, secrets and misconfigurations; pipeline gating | SCM posture, SCA, SAST, secrets, IaC and container image scanning; GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps; cloud-to-code tracing into pull requests |
| AI security | GenAI application security from code to runtime; unsanctioned AI usage detection | AI-SPM (models, pipelines, training data, AI packages), shadow AI, MCP server monitoring, AI AppGen Security (unveiled ahead of Black Hat USA 2026) |
| Ownership | Aqua Security | Standalone vendor |
| Public pricing | Not published. Contact sales. | Not published. Contact sales. |
| Open-source project | Trivy (maintained by Aqua Security, Apache-2.0) | None named |
Aqua Security sources: Aqua platform · Trivy · Reviewed Sep 2026
Orca Security sources: Orca platform · SideScanning · Orca Sensor · Application security · AI security · AI AppGen Security · Reviewed Sep 2026
When should you choose Aqua?
- Detecting and blocking attacks inside running workloads is the main job. Aqua scores 4.5 against 3.8: Kernel-layer enforcement blocks attacks without killing the container and preserves memory evidence.
- Its designation in our matrix is "Best for container pipelines and disconnected estates".
When should you choose Orca?
- You want the widest coverage without installing agents first. Orca scores 4.9 against 3.4: SideScanning reads workload block storage out of band and covers VMs, containers and serverless across six clouds, including Oracle, Alibaba and Tencent.
- You want findings ranked into attack paths so the team fixes the few that matter. Orca scores 4.8 against 3.9: Dynamic risk scoring and attack path analysis on one data model built from full agentless context.
Frequently asked questions
Is Aqua or Orca better?
Orca Security scores higher overall, 4.2 to 3.7, and wins 5 of seven criteria: agentless coverage, risk prioritization, code-to-cloud security, AI workload security and ecosystem and integrations. Aqua wins 1: runtime protection. This is an editorial assessment of public vendor material, not a test result.
Where is Aqua stronger than Orca?
On runtime protection: runtime protection depth 4.5 against 3.8.
Do Aqua and Orca publish prices?
Aqua: Not published. Contact sales. Orca: Not published. Contact sales.