Head to head
Aqua vs CrowdStrike: which reaches your whole cloud estate faster?
Short answer
On our coverage weights CrowdStrike scores 7.94 against 7.45 for Aqua. Aqua scores higher on clouds and environments named; CrowdStrike scores higher on agentless workload depth, path to first findings, risk context from day one, runtime layer when you need it, integrations and reach and cost visibility before purchase. Aqua names 7 of 8 environments and CrowdStrike names 4.
Desk research from public vendor pages read in September 2026, updated 2026-10-11. Editorial assessment; we did not run the products.
How do the scores compare?
| Criterion | Aqua | CrowdStrike | Higher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clouds and environments named 20% | 10.0 | 8.5 | Aqua |
| Agentless workload depth 25% | 6.8 | 7.2 | CrowdStrike |
| Path to first findings 15% | 5.5 | 6.5 | CrowdStrike |
| Risk context from day one 15% | 7.8 | 8.4 | CrowdStrike |
| Runtime layer when you need it 10% | 9.0 | 9.6 | CrowdStrike |
| Integrations and reach 7% | 7.6 | 9.2 | CrowdStrike |
| Cost visibility before purchase 8% | 4.0 | 7.5 | CrowdStrike |
| Total | 7.45 | 7.94 | CrowdStrike |
Aqua
CrowdStrike
Which environments does each name?
Aqua Security
Aqua's pricing page lists "Support of AWS, Azure, GCP, Oracle and Alibaba Cloud environments"; its platform page names public, private and disconnected environments and states FedRAMP High authorization.
Source: Aqua pricing · Read 11 Oct 2026
CrowdStrike Falcon Cloud Security
The Falcon Cloud Security page links to AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and OCI pages; Alibaba is not named.
Source: CrowdStrike Falcon Cloud Security (October 2026 read) · Read 11 Oct 2026
- Named on the vendor's pages we reviewed
- Not named on the pages we reviewed (this does not mean unsupported)
Named by both: AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and Oracle Cloud. Only Aqua: Alibaba Cloud, On-premises or private cloud and Disconnected (air-gapped). Only CrowdStrike: none.
How does each see workloads?
- Coverage model
- Agentless posture visibility; the platform's depth comes from kernel-layer runtime enforcement.
- Runtime layer
- Kernel-layer enforcement that blocks attacks without killing the container and preserves memory evidence.
- Path to first findings
- Agentless posture first; workload depth needs the enforcement layer.
Aqua
- Coverage model
- Agentless CSPM; workload protection is split between agentless scanning and the Falcon sensor.
- Runtime layer
- The Falcon sensor, the same agent CrowdStrike uses on endpoints.
- Path to first findings
- Agentless posture first; workload depth comes through the Falcon sensor, which is quick for teams that already run Falcon.
CrowdStrike
What does each cost?
Aqua
Not published No list prices. Aqua says Dev Security pricing "is based on the number of code repositories" and Cloud Security is priced by workloads (EC2 instances, Fargate containers, Lambda functions); trial and demo on request.
Source: Aqua pricing · Read 11 Oct 2026
CrowdStrike
AWS Marketplace, pay as you go (listing combined with Next-Gen SIEM): runtime host protection $0.023 per hour per running host; container protection $0.054 per hour per running worker node; Fargate protection $0.01 per hour per Fargate instance. 30-day free trial with up to $500 in usage credits. CrowdStrike's own pricing page lists endpoint bundles only.
Source: AWS Marketplace: CrowdStrike Falcon Cloud Security and Next-Gen SIEM (pay as you go) · Read 11 Oct 2026
What does each claim?
Aqua
CrowdStrike
No speed, count or customer figure from CrowdStrike is quoted on this site.
Which should you choose?
Choose Aqua if
you value coverage of the most clouds and environments and a deep runtime sensor for detection and blocking.
Best fit: Teams with private or disconnected environments and container pipelines.
Choose CrowdStrike if
you value a deep runtime sensor for detection and blocking and integrations and platform reach.
Best fit: Falcon endpoint customers who want one agent and one console across endpoint, identity and cloud.
Frequently asked questions
Which scores higher for multi-cloud coverage, Aqua or CrowdStrike?
CrowdStrike scores 7.94 against 7.45 on our default weights. With equal weights the order is CrowdStrike first (8.13 against 7.24). The coverage calculator lets you set your own weights.
Which clouds do Aqua and CrowdStrike name?
Aqua: On the pages we reviewed: AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud, Alibaba Cloud, On-premises or private cloud and Disconnected (air-gapped). Aqua's pricing page lists "Support of AWS, Azure, GCP, Oracle and Alibaba Cloud environments"; its platform page names public, private and disconnected environments and states FedRAMP High authorization. CrowdStrike: On the pages we reviewed: AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and Oracle Cloud. The Falcon Cloud Security page links to AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and OCI pages; Alibaba is not named.
Which is cheaper?
Aqua: Not published. CrowdStrike: AWS Marketplace, pay as you go (listing combined with Next-Gen SIEM): runtime host protection $0.023 per hour per running host; container protection $0.054 per hour per running worker node; Fargate protection $0.01 per hour per Fargate instance. 30-day free trial with up to $500 in usage credits. CrowdStrike's own pricing page lists endpoint bundles only. Neither figure is a quote for your estate.