Aqua Real-Time CSPM vs PrismX: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)
Features, pricing, ratings, and pros and cons, compared head to head.
Aqua Real-Time CSPM is a commercial cloud security posture management tool by Aqua Security Software Ltd.. PrismX is a free cloud security posture management tool. Compare features, ratings, integrations, and community reviews side by side to find the best cloud security posture management fit for your security stack. Independent and vendor-neutral: we never sell rankings.
CST VerdictBased on our analysis of NIST CSF 2.0 coverage, core features, company size fit, deployment model, here is our conclusion:
Mid-market and enterprise teams managing AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud simultaneously will get the most from Aqua Real-Time CSPM because its agentless scanning paired with in-workload visibility actually catches misconfigurations that surface-level inventory tools miss. The vendor's support for VMs, containers, serverless, and Kubernetes clusters across 30+ compliance frameworks means you're not rebuilding mappings for HIPAA one year and PCI the next. Skip this if your organization runs primarily on a single cloud or needs sophisticated identity and access governance; Aqua prioritizes configuration posture over the identity layer, leaving supply chain risk assessment to adjacent tools.
Teams new to AWS security who need a fast CIS benchmark audit without vendor lock-in should start with PrismX; the free pricing and JIRA integration mean you can surface compliance gaps and route them to your existing ticketing workflow immediately, no budget approval required. The tool's narrow focus on AWS and CIS baselines covers the Govern function well but skips identity and data risk entirely. Skip this if you're managing multi-cloud infrastructure or need visibility into IAM misconfigurations and data exposure; you'll outgrow it quickly.
