Head to head
Cortex Cloud vs Upwind: which reaches your whole cloud estate faster?
Short answer
On our coverage weights Cortex Cloud scores 7.75 against 7.63 for Upwind. Cortex Cloud scores higher on clouds and environments named and integrations and reach; Upwind scores higher on agentless workload depth, path to first findings, risk context from day one, runtime layer when you need it and cost visibility before purchase. Cortex Cloud names 5 of 8 environments and Upwind 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 | Upwind | Higher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clouds and environments named 20% | 9.2 | 7.0 | Cortex Cloud |
| Agentless workload depth 25% | 7.6 | 8.0 | Upwind |
| Path to first findings 15% | 6.0 | 7.0 | Upwind |
| Risk context from day one 15% | 8.8 | 9.0 | Upwind |
| Runtime layer when you need it 10% | 9.2 | 9.4 | Upwind |
| Integrations and reach 7% | 9.0 | 7.0 | Cortex Cloud |
| Cost visibility before purchase 8% | 3.0 | 5.0 | Upwind |
| Total | 7.75 | 7.63 | Cortex Cloud |
Cortex Cloud
Upwind
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
Upwind
Upwind's homepage names AWS, Google Cloud, Azure and OCI as partnerships.
Source: Upwind homepage · Read 27 Sep 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 Upwind: 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 scanning combined with eBPF runtime sensors; the design centers on the sensor.
- Runtime layer
- eBPF sensor with baselines of cloud activity and network flows, and forensic event timelines (CDR).
- Path to first findings
- Agentless scanning gives a first view; Upwind's runtime context, which it leads with, needs its sensor.
Upwind
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
Upwind
AWS Marketplace, 12-month contract: Upwind Cloud Security Platform $30,000.00; Upwind Managed Detection and Response 24/7 Service $6,000.00. The quantity each price covers was not captured in our read. 24-month and 36-month contracts are listed with savings. No price on Upwind's own site.
Source: AWS Marketplace: Upwind Cloud Security Platform · Read 11 Oct 2026
What does each claim?
Cortex Cloud
No speed, count or customer figure from Cortex Cloud is quoted on this site.
Upwind
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 Upwind if
you value a deep runtime sensor for detection and blocking and a ranked fix list from attack paths.
Best fit: Teams that want runtime context early and are ready to deploy a sensor soon after the first scan.
Frequently asked questions
Which scores higher for multi-cloud coverage, Cortex Cloud or Upwind?
Cortex Cloud scores 7.75 against 7.63 on our default weights. With equal weights the order is Cortex Cloud first (7.54 against 7.49). The coverage calculator lets you set your own weights.
Which clouds do Cortex Cloud and Upwind 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". Upwind: On the pages we reviewed: AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and Oracle Cloud. Upwind's homepage names AWS, Google Cloud, Azure and OCI as partnerships.
Which is cheaper?
Cortex Cloud: Not published. Upwind: AWS Marketplace, 12-month contract: Upwind Cloud Security Platform $30,000.00; Upwind Managed Detection and Response 24/7 Service $6,000.00. The quantity each price covers was not captured in our read. 24-month and 36-month contracts are listed with savings. No price on Upwind's own site. Neither figure is a quote for your estate.