AWS Key Usage Detector vs AWS Recon: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)
Features, pricing, ratings, and pros & cons — compared head-to-head.
AWS Key Usage Detector is a free cloud security posture management tool. AWS Recon 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:
Security teams investigating suspected AWS credential compromise or insider threats will find AWS Key Usage Detector invaluable for pinpointing when and where stolen keys were actually used across your infrastructure. The tool's free pricing and direct CloudTrail analysis mean you can run forensics immediately without vendor lock-in or waiting for procurement; the 122 GitHub stars signal active use by practitioners, not theoretical adoption. This is a forensic instrument, not a prevention layer, so skip it if you need real-time detection of compromised credentials before they're exploited, or continuous monitoring across accounts without manual CloudTrail export workflows.
Teams managing sprawling AWS estates who need a fast inventory baseline before deploying paid CSPM tools should start with AWS Recon. It pulls detailed resource attributes and policies across regions in parallel, giving you a complete attack surface map in minutes rather than hours, and the 549 GitHub stars reflect actual adoption by practitioners who've weaponized it in real environments. Skip this if you need continuous drift detection or remediation workflows; AWS Recon is a point-in-time collector, not a monitoring platform.
