# Acra

Acra is a Database Security product. It runs in the cloud or on-premises (hybrid). Pricing is free.

A database protection suite that provides field-level encryption, access control, and intrusion detection for distributed applications storing sensitive data.

Checked October 2026.

## What is Acra?

Acra is a database protection suite that provides application-level encryption and intrusion detection capabilities for distributed applications.

The tool offers field-level encryption for sensitive data records, allowing organizations to encrypt individual database cells, data fields, and JSON objects before storing them in databases or file storage systems. Data is encrypted as early as possible in the application workflow and decrypted within a secure compartmented area on the Acra side.

The suite includes multi-layered access control mechanisms and database leakage prevention features to protect against unauthorized data access. It incorporates intrusion detection capabilities to monitor and alert on suspicious database activities.

Acra is designed for distributed applications including web applications, server-side applications, and mobile apps that store data in centralized databases or object storage systems. The tool supports various deployment scenarios from single database setups to multi-database environments.

The solution is applicable across multiple industries including healthcare for patient data protection, financial services for sensitive financial information, SaaS platforms, critical infrastructure systems, IoT applications processing telemetry data, and high-load data processing applications.

Tags: Encryption, Database Security

## Where it fits in your security program (NIST CSF 2.0)

- [Protect](https://cybersectools.com/guides/building-protect-program-small-team): helps you prevent attacks and keep data safe.
- [Detect](https://cybersectools.com/guides/building-detect-program-small-team): helps you spot attacks and unusual activity.

## Quick facts

- Category: [Data Protection](https://cybersectools.com/categories/data-protection) · [Database Security](https://cybersectools.com/categories/database-security)
- Deployment: Hybrid
- Company size fit: SMB, Mid-Market, Enterprise
- Pricing model: Free
- GitHub stars: 1,458
- Website: github.com

## Where it ranks

Acra is not a pick on the current [Best Database Security Solutions for Business](https://cybersectools.com/shortlists/best-database-security-solutions).

## Acra FAQ

### What is Acra?

Acra is a product in the Database Security category. It covers Encryption and Database Security.

### What is the pricing for Acra?

Acra is free. Download and setup instructions are at https://github.com/cossacklabs/acra/.

### What are alternatives to Acra?

Alternatives to Acra listed on CybersecTools:

1. [SecuPi Proactive Data Security Platform](https://cybersectools.com/tools/secupi-proactive-data-security-platform) - Data security platform for real-time protection of sensitive data access (Commercial)
2. [Sotero Data Security Platform](https://cybersectools.com/tools/sotero-sotero-data-security-platform) - Data security platform providing in-use encryption for databases and apps (Commercial)
3. [IBM Guardium](https://cybersectools.com/tools/ibm-guardium) - Enterprise data security platform for discovery, protection, and compliance (Commercial)
4. [Thales CipherTrust Database Protection](https://cybersectools.com/tools/thales-ciphertrust-database-protection) - Column-level database encryption without application code modification (Commercial)
5. [Mirror Security Vector Intelligence Platform](https://cybersectools.com/tools/mirror-security-vector-intelligence-platform) - FHE-powered vector database security platform for AI/LLM data protection (Commercial)

Compare all Acra alternatives at [https://cybersectools.com/alternatives/acra](https://cybersectools.com/alternatives/acra)

### What deployment and organization size does Acra fit?

Acra is available as cloud or on-premises (hybrid). It is listed for small businesses, mid-market companies and enterprises. It is free.

## Compare Acra with similar solutions

- [Acra vs SecuPi Proactive Data Security Platform](https://cybersectools.com/compare/acra-vs-secupi-proactive-data-security-platform)
- [Acra vs Sotero Data Security Platform](https://cybersectools.com/compare/acra-vs-sotero-sotero-data-security-platform)
- [Acra vs IBM Guardium](https://cybersectools.com/compare/acra-vs-ibm-guardium)

All alternatives to Acra: [/alternatives/acra](https://cybersectools.com/alternatives/acra)

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Source: https://cybersectools.com/tools/acra

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More on Acra: funding, momentum, hiring and news, plus the full product and company record, are available through the Mandos MCP Server (paid plans), which connects to AI assistants: https://mandos.io/mcp?utm_source=cybersectools.com&utm_medium=product-md