Platform profile · Rank 5 of 9
Cortex Cloud review: Prisma Cloud's successor on a coverage question
Short answer
Palo Alto Networks merged Prisma Cloud with Cortex CDR to form Cortex Cloud, announced on 13 February 2025. Its posture modules work from cloud APIs, and its posture page names five clouds, but the pages we reviewed lead with a runtime agent and do not name agentless workload scanning. It scores 7.75 and ranks 5 of 9.
Desk research from public vendor pages read in September 2026, updated 2026-10-11. Editorial assessment; we did not run the products.
Coverage score
Rank 5 of 9 on default weights. Change the weights in the coverage calculator
Which environments does Cortex Cloud name?
The Cortex Cloud posture page offers "agentless, full-coverage visibility across AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, OCI, and Alibaba Cloud".
Source: Cortex Cloud posture management · Read 11 Oct 2026
- Named on the vendor's pages we reviewed
- Not named on the pages we reviewed (this does not mean unsupported)
Learn more: what a vendor's list of named clouds tells you
How does Cortex Cloud see workloads?
- Coverage model
- Posture, vulnerability and attack-surface modules work from cloud APIs; the pages reviewed lead with a runtime agent and do not name agentless workload scanning.
Source: Cortex Cloud posture security · Read 27 Sep 2026
- Runtime layer
- Cortex Cloud Runtime Security, a performance-optimized agent, plus CDR from the Cortex CDR merger.
Source: Palo Alto Networks introduces Cortex Cloud (press release) · Read 27 Sep 2026
- Path to first findings
- API-based posture first; workload depth comes from the runtime agent.
Source: Cortex Cloud overview · Read 27 Sep 2026
What does Cortex Cloud claim?
No speed, count or customer figure from Cortex Cloud is quoted on this site.
What does Cortex Cloud cost?
Not published No public price; the Cortex Cloud page offers only Request a Demo. CNAPP is included at no additional cost for Cortex Cloud Runtime Security customers.
Source: Cortex Cloud posture management · Read 11 Oct 2026
How does Cortex Cloud score on each criterion?
| Criterion | Weight | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clouds and environments named | 20% | 9.2 | Its posture page names AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, OCI and Alibaba Cloud for agentless visibility; no on-premises or disconnected environments. |
| Agentless workload depth | 25% | 7.6 | Posture and vulnerability modules work from cloud APIs, but the pages reviewed lead with an agent and do not name agentless workload scanning. |
| Path to first findings | 15% | 6.0 | API posture first; workload depth needs the runtime agent. |
| Risk context from day one | 15% | 8.8 | SmartScore and SmartGrouping rank findings, with attack path analysis across identities and data. |
| Runtime layer when you need it | 10% | 9.2 | Prisma Cloud merged with Cortex CDR; a performance-optimized agent stops attacks as they run. |
| Integrations and reach | 7% | 9.0 | Part of the Cortex portfolio next to Palo Alto Networks' security operations products. |
| Cost visibility before purchase | 8% | 3.0tied lowest in set | No public price; the Cortex Cloud page offers only a demo request, and CNAPP is included for Cortex Cloud Runtime Security customers. |
- Clouds:
Source: Cortex Cloud posture management · Read 11 Oct 2026
- Agentless:
Source: Cortex Cloud posture security · Read 27 Sep 2026
- Setup:
Source: Cortex Cloud overview · Read 27 Sep 2026
- Context:
Source: Cortex Cloud posture security · Read 27 Sep 2026
- Runtime:
Source: Palo Alto Networks introduces Cortex Cloud (press release) · Read 27 Sep 2026
- Integrations:
Source: Cortex Cloud overview · Read 27 Sep 2026
- Pricing:
Source: Cortex Cloud posture management · Read 11 Oct 2026
Briefings about Cortex Cloud
Where does it lead, and where does it fall short?
Leads
- Strong runtime agent and CDR from the Cortex CDR merger.
- Sits next to Palo Alto Networks' security operations products.
Falls short
- Lowest or tied lowest in set on cost visibility before purchase.
- Scores below 7 platforms on pricing.
- The pages reviewed describe agentless posture visibility but do not name agentless workload scanning.
- No public price list.
Key facts
| Ownership | Palo Alto Networks. Prisma Cloud merged with Cortex CDR to form Cortex Cloud (announced 13 February 2025) |
|---|---|
| Open-source project | None named |
| Best fit | Palo Alto Networks estates and Prisma Cloud customers moving onto Cortex Cloud |
| FedRAMP | Not in our sources |
| Compliance frameworks | "18+ frameworks like PCI, HIPAA and GDPR", per its posture page Source: Cortex Cloud posture management · Read 11 Oct 2026 |
| Website | www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cloud |
How does Cortex Cloud compare head to head?
- Cortex Cloud 7.75 v Orca 9.09 · Orca scores higherHead to head
- Cortex Cloud 7.75 v Wiz 9.03 · Wiz scores higherHead to head
- Cortex Cloud 7.75 v CrowdStrike 7.94 · CrowdStrike scores higherHead to head
- Cortex Cloud 7.75 v Defender for Cloud 7.86 · Defender for Cloud scores higherHead to head
- Cortex Cloud 7.75 v Sysdig 7.67 · Cortex Cloud scores higherHead to head
- Cortex Cloud 7.75 v Upwind 7.63 · Cortex Cloud scores higherHead to head
- Cortex Cloud 7.75 v SentinelOne 7.49 · Cortex Cloud scores higherHead to head
- Cortex Cloud 7.75 v Aqua 7.45 · Cortex Cloud scores higherHead to head
Switching from Cortex CloudStack up Cortex Cloud with the top two
Frequently asked questions
How does Palo Alto Networks Cortex Cloud (formerly Prisma Cloud) score for multi-cloud coverage?
7.75 out of 10, rank 5 of 9 on our default weights. Its highest score is on Clouds and environments named (9.2) and its lowest on Cost visibility before purchase (3.0).
Which clouds does Palo Alto Networks Cortex Cloud (formerly Prisma Cloud) name?
On the pages we reviewed: AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud and Alibaba Cloud. The Cortex Cloud posture page offers "agentless, full-coverage visibility across AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, OCI, and Alibaba Cloud".
What does Palo Alto Networks Cortex Cloud (formerly Prisma Cloud) cost?
Not published. No public price; the Cortex Cloud page offers only Request a Demo. CNAPP is included at no additional cost for Cortex Cloud Runtime Security customers.