Prisma Cloud (Cortex Cloud) vs SentinelOne Singularity Cloud: 2026 CNAPP comparison
Cloud Security Compare editors · Matchups reviewed September 2026 · Editorial assessment
The short version
Palo Alto Networks Cortex Cloud (formerly Prisma Cloud) scores higher overall, 4.0 to 3.8, and wins 5 of seven criteria: runtime protection, risk prioritization, code-to-cloud security, AI workload security and ecosystem and integrations. SentinelOne wins 1: agentless coverage. They tie on pricing transparency. Choose Cortex Cloud if developers will fix issues in code and you want cloud risks traced back to the repository; choose SentinelOne if you want the widest coverage without installing agents first.
Palo Alto Networks Cortex Cloud (formerly Prisma Cloud)
4.0/ 5
SentinelOne Singularity Cloud
3.8/ 5
Palo Alto Networks Cortex Cloud (formerly Prisma Cloud) wins 5 criteria, SentinelOne Singularity Cloud wins 1, 1 tied.
Who wins Cortex Cloud vs SentinelOne?
Cortex Cloud is ahead by 0.20 points on exact totals. Cortex Cloud's wins cover 72% of our weights; SentinelOne's cover 18%; tied criteria cover 10%. The largest single gap is on code-to-cloud and AppSec, where Cortex Cloud leads by 0.8.
Where each design starts, on our reading: Cortex Cloud, runtime agent and posture (Prisma Cloud merged with Cortex CDR); SentinelOne, agentless CNAPP plus workload agent.
How do Cortex Cloud and SentinelOne compare on each criterion?
| Criterion | Weight | Cortex Cloud | SentinelOne | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agentless coverage and time to value | 18% | 3.8 | 3.9 | SentinelOne +0.1 |
| Runtime protection depth | 16% | 4.6 | 4.5 | Cortex Cloud +0.1 |
| Risk prioritization and attack paths | 18% | 4.4 | 4.3 | Cortex Cloud +0.1 |
| Code-to-cloud and AppSec | 14% | 4.5 | 3.7 | Cortex Cloud +0.8 |
| AI workload security | 12% | 4.2 | 3.9 | Cortex Cloud +0.3 |
| Ecosystem and integrations | 12% | 4.5 | 4.2 | Cortex Cloud +0.3 |
| Pricing transparency | 10% | 1.5 | 1.5 | Tie |
Agentless coverage and time to value
Weight 18%
Cortex Cloud: Posture, vulnerability and attack-surface modules work from cloud APIs, but the pages we reviewed lead with a runtime agent and do not name agentless workload scanning.
SentinelOne: Cloud Native Security is an agentless CNAPP for multi-cloud estates.
Runtime protection depth
Weight 16%
Cortex Cloud: Formed by merging Prisma Cloud with Cortex CDR; a performance-optimized agent stops attacks as they execute.
SentinelOne: Cloud Workload Security detects and stops threats inside running containers, VMs and AI workloads.
Risk prioritization and attack paths
Weight 18%
Cortex Cloud: SmartScore and SmartGrouping rank findings by real exposure, with attack path analysis across identities and data.
SentinelOne: The Offensive Security Engine checks which exposures are exploitable and shows Verified Exploit Paths.
Code-to-cloud and AppSec
Weight 14%
Cortex Cloud: Application security is one of the platform's four pillars, aimed at stopping risk before it reaches production.
SentinelOne: Scans repositories, IaC templates and container images, and validates 850+ secret types.
AI workload security
Weight 12%
Cortex Cloud: AI-SPM maps models, datasets and agents, flags model poisoning and supply chain risk, and classifies data used for RAG.
SentinelOne: AI-SPM governs AI models, services and data pipelines.
Ecosystem and integrations
Weight 12%
Cortex Cloud: Sits in the Palo Alto Networks Cortex portfolio next to its security operations products, and Prisma Cloud customers move onto it.
SentinelOne: Shares one data model and response workflow with the wider Singularity platform.
Pricing transparency
Weight 10%
Cortex Cloud: No public price list; Palo Alto Networks includes CNAPP at no additional cost for Cortex Cloud Runtime Security customers.
SentinelOne: No published cloud security price.
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 Cortex Cloud and SentinelOne price?
| Pricing fact | Cortex Cloud | SentinelOne |
|---|---|---|
| Published pricing | Not published. CNAPP included at no additional cost for Cortex Cloud Runtime Security customers. | Not published. Contact sales. |
| Billing basis | Not published. CNAPP included at no additional cost for Cortex Cloud Runtime Security customers. | Not published. Contact sales. |
| Pricing transparency score | 1.5 | 1.5 |
Source: Cortex Cloud launch press release · Reviewed Sep 2026
Source: Singularity Cloud · Reviewed Sep 2026
What are the key differences?
| Fact | Palo Alto Networks Cortex Cloud (formerly Prisma Cloud) | SentinelOne Singularity Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment | Cloud API posture modules plus a performance-optimized runtime agent | Agentless CNAPP (Cloud Native Security) plus Cloud Workload Security for runtime |
| Runtime sensor | Cortex Cloud Runtime Security agent; CDR from the Cortex CDR merger | Cloud Workload Security for containers, VMs and AI workloads |
| Clouds named | Multi-cloud (the pages we reviewed do not list clouds by name) | Multi-cloud (the pages we reviewed do not list clouds by name) |
| Code security | Application security module aimed at stopping risk before production | Repository, IaC template and container image scanning; 850+ secret types validated |
| AI security | AI-SPM: models, datasets and agents; model poisoning and supply chain risk; RAG data classification | AI-SPM for models, services and data pipelines |
| Ownership | Palo Alto Networks. Prisma Cloud merged with Cortex CDR to form Cortex Cloud (announced 13 February 2025) | SentinelOne |
| Public pricing | Not published. CNAPP included at no additional cost for Cortex Cloud Runtime Security customers. | Not published. Contact sales. |
| Open-source project | None named | None named |
Palo Alto Networks Cortex Cloud (formerly Prisma Cloud) sources: Cortex Cloud launch press release · Cortex Cloud · Cloud posture security · AI-SPM · Reviewed Sep 2026
SentinelOne Singularity Cloud sources: Singularity Cloud · Cloud Native Security · Reviewed Sep 2026
When should you choose Cortex Cloud?
- Developers will fix issues in code and you want cloud risks traced back to the repository. Cortex Cloud scores 4.5 against 3.7: Application security is one of the platform's four pillars, aimed at stopping risk before it reaches production.
- You need inventory and posture for models, AI services, agents and MCP servers. Cortex Cloud scores 4.2 against 3.9: AI-SPM maps models, datasets and agents, flags model poisoning and supply chain risk, and classifies data used for RAG.
When should you choose SentinelOne?
- You want the widest coverage without installing agents first. SentinelOne scores 3.9 against 3.8: Cloud Native Security is an agentless CNAPP for multi-cloud estates.
- Its designation in our matrix is "Best for exploit-validated findings".
Frequently asked questions
Is Cortex Cloud or SentinelOne better?
Palo Alto Networks Cortex Cloud (formerly Prisma Cloud) scores higher overall, 4.0 to 3.8, and wins 5 of seven criteria: runtime protection, risk prioritization, code-to-cloud security, AI workload security and ecosystem and integrations. SentinelOne wins 1: agentless coverage. This is an editorial assessment of public vendor material, not a test result.
Where is Cortex Cloud stronger than SentinelOne?
On runtime protection, risk prioritization, code-to-cloud security, AI workload security and ecosystem and integrations: runtime protection depth 4.6 against 4.5; risk prioritization and attack paths 4.4 against 4.3; code-to-cloud and AppSec 4.5 against 3.7; AI workload security 4.2 against 3.9; ecosystem and integrations 4.5 against 4.2.
Do Cortex Cloud and SentinelOne publish prices?
Cortex Cloud: Not published. CNAPP included at no additional cost for Cortex Cloud Runtime Security customers. SentinelOne: Not published. Contact sales.