Head to head
CrowdStrike vs Orca: which reaches your whole cloud estate faster?
Short answer
On our coverage weights Orca scores 9.09 against 7.94 for CrowdStrike. CrowdStrike scores higher on runtime layer when you need it, integrations and reach and cost visibility before purchase; Orca scores higher on clouds and environments named, agentless workload depth, path to first findings and risk context from day one. CrowdStrike names 4 of 8 environments and Orca names 7.
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 | CrowdStrike | Orca | Higher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clouds and environments named 20% | 8.5 | 10.0 | Orca |
| Agentless workload depth 25% | 7.2 | 9.8 | Orca |
| Path to first findings 15% | 6.5 | 9.0 | Orca |
| Risk context from day one 15% | 8.4 | 9.6 | Orca |
| Runtime layer when you need it 10% | 9.6 | 7.6 | CrowdStrike |
| Integrations and reach 7% | 9.2 | 8.2 | CrowdStrike |
| Cost visibility before purchase 8% | 7.5 | 6.5 | CrowdStrike |
| Total | 7.94 | 9.09 | Orca |
CrowdStrike
Orca
Which environments does each name?
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
Orca Security
The platform page names AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud, Alibaba Cloud and Tencent Cloud. The Orca Sensor page names public cloud, private cloud and on-premises.
Source: Orca Security platform overview · 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 CrowdStrike: none. Only Orca: Alibaba Cloud, Tencent Cloud and On-premises or private cloud.
How does each see workloads?
- 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
- Coverage model
- Agentless SideScanning reads each workload's runtime block storage and rebuilds its file system in a read-only view, covering Linux and Windows VMs, containers and images, and serverless.
- Runtime layer
- Orca Sensor, eBPF-based, for Linux, Kubernetes and Windows; can be configured to terminate processes and shows which vulnerable packages actually execute. Optional.
- Path to first findings
- Agentless connection to each cloud account; Orca states SideScanning "deploys in minutes". No agent rollout is needed for the first inventory.
Orca
What does each cost?
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
Orca
AWS Marketplace lists four contract tiers by concurrent EC2 workloads: Small (up to 100) $7,000.00, Small-Medium (300) $12,000.00, Medium (500) $17,000.00, Large (1,000) $30,000.00. The listing has 1-month and 12-month tabs; we did not capture which term these figures belong to, so confirm the term on the listing. No price on Orca's own site.
Source: AWS Marketplace: Orca Security CNAPP Cloud Security Platform · Read 11 Oct 2026
What does each claim?
CrowdStrike
No speed, count or customer figure from CrowdStrike is quoted on this site.
Orca
Which should you choose?
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.
Choose Orca if
you value coverage of the most clouds and environments and deep agentless reads of every workload.
Best fit: Teams with workloads across several clouds, including Oracle, Alibaba or Tencent, who need a full agentless inventory before any agent rollout.
Frequently asked questions
Which scores higher for multi-cloud coverage, CrowdStrike or Orca?
Orca scores 9.09 against 7.94 on our default weights. With equal weights the order is Orca first (8.67 against 8.13). The coverage calculator lets you set your own weights.
Which clouds do CrowdStrike and Orca name?
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. Orca: On the pages we reviewed: AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud, Alibaba Cloud, Tencent Cloud and On-premises or private cloud. The platform page names AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud, Alibaba Cloud and Tencent Cloud. The Orca Sensor page names public cloud, private cloud and on-premises.
Which is cheaper?
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. Orca: AWS Marketplace lists four contract tiers by concurrent EC2 workloads: Small (up to 100) $7,000.00, Small-Medium (300) $12,000.00, Medium (500) $17,000.00, Large (1,000) $30,000.00. The listing has 1-month and 12-month tabs; we did not capture which term these figures belong to, so confirm the term on the listing. No price on Orca's own site. Neither figure is a quote for your estate.