Acra vs IBM Guardium: side-by-side comparison (2026)
Acra is a free database security solution. IBM Guardium is a commercial database security solution by IBM. Features, integrations, deployment and the company behind each one, side by side.
Our take
What our shortlists say about the one we picked.
- IBM Guardium
Best for: Large companies with many database types
Guardium earns its place on coverage, because one product watches a very wide spread of database types across on-premises and cloud. That makes it a natural fit for a mid-market or enterprise estate with many platforms and strict audit duties. Its scope now reaches into DSPM, AI and cryptography, so be clear which parts you need for databases before you scope the deal.
From Best Database Security Solutions for Business, Fall 2026
Reviewed by Nika (Nikoloz) Kokhreidze.
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A database protection suite that provides field-level encryption, access control, and intrusion detection for distributed applications storing sensitive data.
Enterprise data security platform for discovery, protection, and compliance
Side-by-side comparison
Feature
Acra
IBM Guardium
Pricing model
Free
Commercial
Category
Database Security
Database Security
Deployment and fit
Deployment type
Hybrid
Hybrid
Company size fit
SMB, Mid-Market, Enterprise
Mid-Market, Enterprise
Open source
GitHub stars
1,458
–
Last commit
Dec 2025
–
Company
Company
–
IBM
Use cases and capabilities
Encryption
Yes
Yes
Database Security
Yes
Yes
Core features
No features listed
10 features listed
Integrations
No integrations listed
22 integrations listed
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