AWS Cloud Security vs AWS Config: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)
Features, pricing, ratings, and pros & cons — compared head-to-head.
AWS Cloud Security is a free cloud security posture management tool. AWS Config 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.
CST VerdictBased on our analysis of available product data, here is our conclusion:
Teams already committed to AWS and seeking native compliance automation will find AWS Cloud Security's tight integration with native services and IAM controls hard to replicate elsewhere. The tool covers AWS-specific compliance frameworks including PCI-DSS, HIPAA, and SOC 2 without additional licensing, and Identity Center integration eliminates separate access management overhead. Skip this if your infrastructure spans multiple clouds or you need threat detection capabilities; AWS Cloud Security prioritizes compliance posture and configuration audit over active threat hunting.
AWS teams with drift-heavy environments should start here; AWS Config catches resource configuration changes in real time at zero marginal cost, making it the fastest way to enforce consistency across accounts. It's native to AWS, deploys in minutes, and feeds directly into compliance frameworks like CIS Benchmarks and PCI DSS without additional licensing. Skip this if you need cross-cloud CSPM or deep remediation automation; Config excels at visibility and audit trails for AWS-only shops, not orchestration across Azure or GCP.
