Head to head
Cortex Cloud vs Wiz: which reaches your whole cloud estate faster?
Short answer
On our coverage weights Wiz scores 9.03 against 7.75 for Cortex Cloud. Cortex Cloud scores higher on clouds and environments named and runtime layer when you need it; Wiz scores higher on agentless workload depth, path to first findings, risk context from day one, integrations and reach and cost visibility before purchase. Cortex Cloud names 5 of 8 environments and Wiz 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 | Wiz | Higher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clouds and environments named 20% | 9.2 | 9.0 | Cortex Cloud |
| Agentless workload depth 25% | 7.6 | 9.6 | Wiz |
| Path to first findings 15% | 6.0 | 8.5 | Wiz |
| Risk context from day one 15% | 8.8 | 9.8 | Wiz |
| Runtime layer when you need it 10% | 9.2 | 8.4 | Cortex Cloud |
| Integrations and reach 7% | 9.0 | 9.8 | Wiz |
| Cost visibility before purchase 8% | 3.0 | 7.0 | Wiz |
| Total | 7.75 | 9.03 | Wiz |
Cortex Cloud
Wiz
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
Wiz
Wiz names AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and OCI, and after Google completed its acquisition on 11 March 2026 Wiz stated that it "remains a multi-cloud platform".
Source: Wiz blog: Google closes deal to acquire Wiz · 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 Wiz: 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 API connection; Wiz states it reaches VMs, containers, serverless, PaaS and AI resources without agents and maps them in its Security Graph.
- Runtime layer
- Wiz Sensor, eBPF-based, blocks threats on VMs, containers and serverless containers (Wiz Defend). Optional.
- Path to first findings
- Connects to each cloud by API with no agent for the core scan. The pages reviewed do not state a setup time.
Wiz
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
Wiz
AWS Marketplace, 12-month contract: Wiz Essential, 100 cloud workloads, $24,000.00; Wiz Advanced, 100 cloud workloads, $38,000.00. Add-ons: Wiz Sensor (100 sensors, for Wiz Advanced) $28,000.00; Wiz Code (100 licenses) $58,500.00; Wiz Defend (300 GB of logs per month, for Wiz Advanced) $18,000.00. Wiz's own site quotes custom prices.
Source: AWS Marketplace: Wiz Cloud Infrastructure 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.
Wiz
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 Wiz if
you value a ranked fix list from attack paths and integrations and platform reach.
Best fit: Teams on the four largest public clouds who want agentless coverage tied to the strongest attack-path graph and the widest integration catalog.
Frequently asked questions
Which scores higher for multi-cloud coverage, Cortex Cloud or Wiz?
Wiz scores 9.03 against 7.75 on our default weights. With equal weights the order is Wiz first (8.87 against 7.54). The coverage calculator lets you set your own weights.
Which clouds do Cortex Cloud and Wiz 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". Wiz: On the pages we reviewed: AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and Oracle Cloud. Wiz names AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and OCI, and after Google completed its acquisition on 11 March 2026 Wiz stated that it "remains a multi-cloud platform".
Which is cheaper?
Cortex Cloud: Not published. Wiz: AWS Marketplace, 12-month contract: Wiz Essential, 100 cloud workloads, $24,000.00; Wiz Advanced, 100 cloud workloads, $38,000.00. Add-ons: Wiz Sensor (100 sensors, for Wiz Advanced) $28,000.00; Wiz Code (100 licenses) $58,500.00; Wiz Defend (300 GB of logs per month, for Wiz Advanced) $18,000.00. Wiz's own site quotes custom prices. Neither figure is a quote for your estate.