Wiz vs CrowdStrike for cloud security that already has an agent
Agentless Security Graph packs beside Falcon Cloud Security Runtime hours, when the Falcon sensor is already on every host.
A publicly exposed VM with a critical CVE and an over-privileged role still lands as three tickets when posture, identity, and runtime sit in separate queues. Falcon Cloud Security’s July 2026 release extended agentless VM scanning to Microsoft Azure on 29 Jul 2026.
Buy Wiz when cloud risk should start from an agentless security graph CNAPP. Buy CrowdStrike Falcon Cloud Security when cloud security should consolidate onto the Falcon agent and XDR stack already on every host.
Overview
| Primary use case | Agentless CNAPP that maps misconfigurations, vulnerabilities, identities, secrets, exposure, and data into Security Graph attack paths | Falcon Cloud Security CNAPP that pairs agentless cloud visibility with agent-based workload runtime protection and Real-Time Cloud IOAs |
|---|---|---|
| Day-to-day workflow | Connect cloud accounts with read-only API access, scan workloads from snapshots, then open Issues that group toxic combinations for remediation | Register cloud accounts for posture and agentless assessment, deploy Falcon sensors where runtime protection is required, and investigate cloud IOAs beside endpoint and identity signals in Falcon |
| Main buying consideration | AWS Marketplace packs Essential or Advanced per 100 workloads; Sensor and Defend are Advanced add-ons, and Code is a Wiz Cloud add-on | crowdstrike.com packages are Proactive Security, CDR, CNAPP, and container variants; Runtime host protection also meters per running host hour on the AWS pay-as-you-go listing |
We reviewed Wiz’s evaluate FAQ for Wiz Cloud, Wiz Code, and Wiz Defend, the agentless scanning academy page, the 11 Mar 2026 Google acquisition post, and the AWS Marketplace listing for Essential and Advanced workload packs, and CrowdStrike’s Falcon Cloud Security CNAPP page, the cloud security pricing packages page, the 29 Jul 2026 Falcon Cloud Security release notes, and the AWS pay-as-you-go listing that meters Falcon Cloud Security Runtime by host hour.
Wiz
CrowdStrike
Editions and pricing
Both vendors publish modular cloud security SKUs. Wiz packs workloads in blocks of 100 on AWS Marketplace. CrowdStrike names Falcon Cloud Security packages on crowdstrike.com and meters Runtime host hours on a separate pay-as-you-go listing.
| How it is sold | Wiz Cloud, Wiz Code, and Wiz Defend on one console. AWS Marketplace base packs are Wiz Essential and Wiz Advanced per 100 cloud workloads. Wiz Sensor and Wiz Defend are add-ons for Advanced. Wiz Code is an add-on for Wiz Cloud | Proactive Security for posture modules; Cloud Detection and Response for breach protection; CNAPP combining both; container-inclusive variants. Contact sales for package feature lists |
|---|---|---|
| Figure on the public page | USD 24,000 for 12 months for Wiz Essential protecting 100 cloud workloads on the AWS Marketplace listing. A workload is a cloud resource Wiz scans, such as a virtual machine, container, or serverless function. Advanced is listed at a higher pack price for the same 100-workload unit. Private offers are also available | USD 0.023 per hour for each running host under Falcon Cloud Security Runtime host protection on the AWS pay-as-you-go listing. The same listing meters container worker nodes and Fargate instances separately. Charges stop when sensors are uninstalled. The crowdstrike.com packages page does not print a matching annual package dollar |
| What the listing adds about payment | Dimensions bill independently. Sensor and Defend extend Advanced. Code adds to Wiz Cloud. Scale by buying more units as workloads, sensors, licenses, or log ingestion grow | Pay-as-you-go bills by actual usage on the AWS invoice. Orders on that listing are non-cancellable and fees are non-refundable per the vendor refund policy on the listing |
Agentless graph and attack paths
Shared CNAPP surface starts with posture, identities, and data. The documented split is how findings become a prioritized attack path versus a Falcon cloud risk next to endpoint IOAs.
| Discovery model | The evaluate FAQ describes agentless API connection across AWS, Azure, GCP, OCI, and Kubernetes, with read-only snapshot scans of workloads. Optional Wiz Sensor adds eBPF runtime on Linux containers and VMs | CNAPP page documents agentless visibility plus agent-based runtime protection. The 29 Jul 2026 release extends Agentless VM Scanning to Microsoft Azure alongside existing AWS support |
|---|---|---|
| Correlation control | Security Graph correlates misconfigurations, vulnerabilities, identities, network exposure, secrets, and sensitive data into toxic combinations and attack paths with blast-radius context | CSPM uses graph-based context and adversary intelligence. Graph Explorer Permission Querying (29 Jul 2026) lets analysts explore cloud identity relationships beyond existing risk findings |
| Shift-left and code | Wiz Code scans IaC, secrets, SBOMs, and CI/CD posture, and maps cloud risks back to source with one-click remediation in IDEs, pull requests, and pipelines | IaC scanning in Visual Studio Code and IntelliJ, Custom Rego rules, ASPM Admin Actions that correlate application code with CIEM, and API Findings for REST, gRPC, serverless, and message brokers as of 29 Jul 2026 |
Falcon runtime and cloud IOAs
Both products can add runtime. The documented difference is whether runtime is an optional sensor on a graph-first CNAPP or the Falcon sensor path that already unifies cloud, endpoint, and identity IOAs.
| Runtime product | Wiz Defend uses the optional Wiz Sensor for real-time detection and blocking of behaviors such as reverse shells, file tampering, malware, and cryptomining, enriched by Security Graph context | Cloud Workload Protection and CDR deliver real-time workload protection. Real-Time Cloud IOAs unify with endpoint and identity IOAs for cross-domain correlation in the SOC |
|---|---|---|
| Containers and Kubernetes | Agentless coverage of containers and serverless, with Defend sensor support for containerized environments and serverless containers | Container and Kubernetes Security blocks vulnerable images and runtime threats. The 29 Jul 2026 Kubernetes Deployment Wizard covers Amazon EKS, AKS, GKE, Red Hat OpenShift, and other CNCF-conformant clusters |
| Entitlements and data | CIEM on the Security Graph evaluates effective access and over-privileged identities. DSPM discovers and classifies sensitive data without agents | CIEM analyzes permissions and, as of 29 Jul 2026, can generate least-privilege IAM policies from observed usage. DSPM discovers and classifies sensitive data and prioritizes exposures with context |
Favor Wiz when the documented requirement is agentless Wiz Cloud scanning into Security Graph attack paths, with Wiz Defend Sensor only where runtime blocking is required. Favor CrowdStrike Falcon Cloud Security when the documented requirement is Real-Time Cloud IOAs unified with endpoint and identity IOAs on the Falcon sensor already on hosts.
FAQs
Does Google owning Wiz change multi-cloud coverage?
Assaf Rappaport’s 11 Mar 2026 post says Wiz joined Google and that the platform remains multi-cloud for customers on AWS, Azure, GCP, and OCI. Existing contracts and marketplace listings continue under the Wiz brand in the materials reviewed for this page.
Is Falcon Cloud Security only for CrowdStrike endpoint customers?
The CNAPP page sells Falcon Cloud Security as cloud security with agentless visibility and agent-based runtime. Consolidation onto an existing Falcon sensor is a buying reason when that sensor is already deployed. The packages page still lists Proactive Security and CNAPP as cloud security products you can buy for cloud accounts.
What does the USD 24,000 Wiz figure include?
On the AWS Marketplace listing checked 7 Oct 2026, USD 24,000 is the 12-month cost for one Wiz Essential unit that protects 100 cloud workloads. It is not Wiz Advanced, not Sensor, not Code, and not Defend. Those are separate dimensions on the same listing.
What does the USD 0.023 CrowdStrike figure include?
On the AWS pay-as-you-go listing, USD 0.023 is per hour for each running host under Falcon Cloud Security Runtime host protection, such as EC2 or Workspaces with the sensor. It is not the annual CNAPP package price on crowdstrike.com, and it is not the Next-Gen SIEM ingest rate on the same listing.
Do both products cover CSPM, CIEM, DSPM, and IaC?
Yes. Wiz documents those controls under Wiz Cloud and Wiz Code. CrowdStrike documents them under Proactive Security and CNAPP, with IaC IDE integrations called out in the 29 Jul 2026 release. Exclusive contrasts on this page start from that shared surface, then split on Security Graph attack paths versus Falcon cloud IOAs on the existing sensor.
