AWS Config Rules Repository vs Prowler: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)
Features, pricing, ratings, and pros & cons — compared head-to-head.
AWS Config Rules Repository is a free cloud security posture management tool. Prowler 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 building compliance automation on AWS will extract the most value from AWS Config Rules Repository because it's free and community-maintained, meaning no vendor lock-in and rules that evolve with real deployment patterns rather than marketing cycles. The repository has 1,714 GitHub stars and covers the Config Rules API surface broadly enough that most teams won't need to write rules from scratch. Skip this if you need a managed compliance platform with remediation workflows and audit trails; this is a rules library for teams who already own their Config infrastructure and want to avoid vendor SaaS pricing.
Teams managing multi-cloud infrastructure on a budget should start with Prowler because it catches configuration drift and compliance gaps across AWS, Azure, GCP, and Kubernetes without vendor lock-in or licensing costs. The 12,000-plus GitHub stars reflect active community contributions that keep compliance checks current; AWS CIS Foundations and PCI DSS mappings are particularly mature. Skip this if you need real-time alerting on active threats or CSPM + vulnerability management bundled together; Prowler excels at posture assessment but won't replace your runtime detection layer.
