Head to head
Cortex Cloud vs Sysdig: which reaches your whole cloud estate faster?
Short answer
On our coverage weights Cortex Cloud scores 7.75 against 7.67 for Sysdig. Cortex Cloud scores higher on clouds and environments named, risk context from day one and integrations and reach; Sysdig scores higher on path to first findings, runtime layer when you need it and cost visibility before purchase. They tie on agentless workload depth. Cortex Cloud names 5 of 8 environments and Sysdig names 4.
Cortex Cloud is the product formerly sold as Prisma Cloud. Palo Alto Networks announced the merger with Cortex CDR on 13 February 2025.
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 | Cortex Cloud | Sysdig | Higher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clouds and environments named 20% | 9.2 | 8.0 | Cortex Cloud |
| Agentless workload depth 25% | 7.6 | 7.6 | Tie |
| Path to first findings 15% | 6.0 | 6.5 | Sysdig |
| Risk context from day one 15% | 8.8 | 8.2 | Cortex Cloud |
| Runtime layer when you need it 10% | 9.2 | 9.6 | Sysdig |
| Integrations and reach 7% | 9.0 | 8.0 | Cortex Cloud |
| Cost visibility before purchase 8% | 3.0 | 5.5 | Sysdig |
| Total | 7.75 | 7.67 | Cortex Cloud |
Cortex Cloud
Sysdig
Which environments does each name?
Palo Alto Networks Cortex Cloud (formerly Prisma Cloud)
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
Sysdig Secure
Sysdig's docs say AWS, Google Cloud and Azure support all its agentless cloud features, and Oracle Cloud supports agentless CSPM only.
Source: Sysdig docs: connect cloud accounts · 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 Cortex Cloud: Alibaba Cloud. Only Sysdig: none.
How does each 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.
- Runtime layer
- Cortex Cloud Runtime Security, a performance-optimized agent, plus CDR from the Cortex CDR merger.
- Path to first findings
- API-based posture first; workload depth comes from the runtime agent.
Cortex Cloud
- Coverage model
- Agentless CSPM, CIEM and host vulnerability scanning on AWS, Google Cloud and Azure; in-use analysis and runtime detection need the agent.
- Runtime layer
- Sysdig agent with Falco-based detection.
- Path to first findings
- Agentless connection; Sysdig's docs say compliance results appear about 5 to 10 minutes after connection, varying with scale. In-use package insight needs the agent.
Sysdig
What does each cost?
Cortex Cloud
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
Sysdig
AWS Marketplace, 1-month contract: CNAPP Enterprise $72.00 per unit per month (the unit was not captured in our read); 12-month contracts listed as saving up to 17%. Sysdig's own pricing page: licensing by number of hosts, prices by quote.
Source: AWS Marketplace: Sysdig Cloud Security and Observability · Read 11 Oct 2026
What does each claim?
Cortex Cloud
No speed, count or customer figure from Cortex Cloud is quoted on this site.
Sysdig
Which should you choose?
Choose Cortex Cloud if
you value coverage of the most clouds and environments and a deep runtime sensor for detection and blocking.
Best fit: Palo Alto Networks estates and Prisma Cloud customers moving onto Cortex Cloud.
Choose Sysdig if
you value a deep runtime sensor for detection and blocking and a ranked fix list from attack paths.
Best fit: Kubernetes-heavy teams that want Falco-based runtime detection.
Frequently asked questions
Which scores higher for multi-cloud coverage, Cortex Cloud or Sysdig?
Cortex Cloud scores 7.75 against 7.67 on our default weights. With equal weights the order is Sysdig first (7.63 against 7.54). The coverage calculator lets you set your own weights.
Which clouds do Cortex Cloud and Sysdig name?
Cortex Cloud: 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". Sysdig: On the pages we reviewed: AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and Oracle Cloud. Sysdig's docs say AWS, Google Cloud and Azure support all its agentless cloud features, and Oracle Cloud supports agentless CSPM only.
Which is cheaper?
Cortex Cloud: Not published. Sysdig: AWS Marketplace, 1-month contract: CNAPP Enterprise $72.00 per unit per month (the unit was not captured in our read); 12-month contracts listed as saving up to 17%. Sysdig's own pricing page: licensing by number of hosts, prices by quote. Neither figure is a quote for your estate.