IBM Kubecost vs Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks comparison

The compared Apptio and Palo Alto Networks solutions aren't in the same category. Apptio is ranked #14 in CCM , with an average rating of 9.3, and holds a 0.4% mindshare in the category. Palo Alto Networks is ranked #2 in CNAP , with an average rating of 8.5, and holds a 14.5% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Apptio users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 98% of Palo Alto Networks users who would recommend it.

IBM Kubecost

Read 3 IBM Kubecost reviews

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43 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto N...

Read 111 Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks reviews

23,407 Views
12,406 Comparison Views

98% willing to recommend

IBM Kubecost

Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto N...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 24, 2025

Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks and Kubecost compete in cloud security and cost management. Prisma Cloud holds an advantage due to its comprehensive security features.

Features: Prisma Cloud's notable features include threat detection, access management, and compliance monitoring. Kubecost focuses on real-time cost visibility, budget optimization, and financial efficiency tailored for Kubernetes.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Prisma Cloud integrates seamlessly with Palo Alto Networks products and offers extensive customer support. Kubecost ensures smooth deployment within Kubernetes and provides personalized assistance, appealing to users focused on Kubernetes-specific environments.

Pricing and ROI: Prisma Cloud may have a higher initial setup cost due to its extensive security solutions but can lead to favorable ROI with its broad capabilities. Kubecost presents a cost-effective entry point, particularly attractive to Kubernetes-invested organizations, potentially offering ROI through efficient cloud expense management.

To learn more, read our detailed Cloud Cost Management Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Cloud Cost Management

September 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

IBM Kubecost

Average Rating

9.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Cloud Cost Management (14th)

Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto N...

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

111

Ranking in other categories

Web Application Firewall (WAF) (8th), Container Security (1st), Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) (2nd), Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP) (2nd), Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) (2nd)

Mindshare comparison

IBM Kubecost and Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. IBM Kubecost is designed for Cloud Cost Management and holds a mindshare of 0.4%, up 0.0% compared to last year.
Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks, on the other hand, focuses on Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP), holds 14.5% mindshare, down 20.8% since last year.

Cloud Cost Management Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
IBM Kubecost	0.4%
Cloudability	12.0%
IBM Turbonomic	9.8%
Other	77.8%

Cloud Cost Management

Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks	14.5%
Wiz	23.4%
Microsoft Defender for Cloud	10.9%
Other	51.2%

Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP)

Featured Reviews

DIRK UYTTERHOEVEN

Senior Enterprise Architect at DV Consulting

Identifies and eliminates overprovisioning of expensive resources like storage, highly scalable and offers performance

I like the overall product because I can select what monitoring should be enabled and whatnot. In our case, we really focus on performance because it's clear that the price is related to most performance setups. So the more performance, the more expensive. So we look into the performance that the customer needs, and then based upon that feedback from the remote control, we change the parameters. And even the end user will not notice it is not using it, so we just make money without any impact on the end users.

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Harsh_Vardhan

Cloud security architect at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

Provides visibility and control that our customers need

Different modules are valuable for different customers. We are leveraging CSPM. It is one of the best solutions for comprehensive visibility into cloud resource configurations and compliance. It has a lot of out-of-the-box policies, and the visibility that we are getting is impressive. The DSPM module is valuable. This is the latest one that Palo Alto procured from Dig Security. No competitor provides this functionality in a single pane of glass. The support for Linux and container security is also very good. That is the beauty of Prisma Cloud. However, in terms of Windows security, Prisma Cloud is lacking because currently, there is no runtime protection available. The UI is very good. We get all the things within a single UI. It is easy to use. A new user can easily understand it. It is very user-friendly.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The price is reasonable, considering the value it delivers."

"It offers a detailed examination of your cluster, including the types of instances utilized, allocated CPU and RAM, and resource distribution for specific applications."

"I mostly like the dashboards."

"The visibility on alerts helps you investigate more easily and see details faster."

"Integrating with a CI/CD pipeline and incorporating a vulnerability assessment process are highly effective features, especially when combined with runtime protection."

"Cloud security posture management is the preferred feature among other vendors."

"The thing that I like the most is that when it comes to runtime events, whenever we see an event, we are able to look through the logs. It is pretty easy to look back through everything that took place."

"The container and serverless security is most valuable. It is quite a new technology for this region. Even though containers have been there for a long time, the adoption of containers is very minimal in this region. When it comes to using Kubernetes containers in a complex architecture, there is a lack of security in the market. People aren't aware of the security controls or the process for governance. Container security provided by Prisma Cloud is quite good at filling that gap."

"The most valuable feature is the closed VPN connection, which provides better performance than traditional VPN boxes. For example, let's say a user in New York State normally connects in the East, but if they travel to the UK, they can connect to the same portal, which automatically redirects to any VPN gateway. We can control traffic based on Active Directory groups instead of the user's IP. That means a user in New York can access his application based on his user ID and AD group access when he travels to the UK or anywhere else."

"Comprehensive and valuable for providing security. It is scalable, its stability is impressive, and setting it up is straightforward."

"This positively affected our confidence in your security and compliance. No matter how complex the environment is, the the seamless integration from the top layer itself give us the immediate visibility on the number of services."

More Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks pros

Cons

"Faster monitoring could potentially improve overall stability in the production environment."

"The integration with other solutions could be improved."

"There is a significant potential for enhancing it through the incorporation of advanced technologies like AI and generative AI."

"We'd like to have more native integration with clouds and additional security checks in the future."

"The UX part of Prisma's user interface could be simplified and the metrics tool should be highlighted more."

"The challenge that Palo Alto and Prisma have is that, at times, the instructions in an event are a little bit dated and they're not usable. That doesn't apply to all the instructions, but there are times where, for example, the Microsoft or the Amazon side has made some changes and Palo Alto or Prisma was not aware of them. So as we try to remediate an alert in such a case, the instructions absolutely do not work. Then we open up a ticket and they'll reply, "Oh yeah, the API for so-and-so vendor changed and we'll have to work with them on that." That area could be done a little better."

"When it comes to compliance, the issue is that when we are exporting the reports, there is only a single compliance option. If I need to report on multiple compliance requirements, that feature isn't available. For example, I made a single report for ISO 27000 but I can't correlate it with GDPR."

"More documentation with real-world use cases would be helpful."

"They can improve the integrations into the SDLC lifecycle."

"Prisma Cloud's dashboards should be customizable. That's very important. Other similar solutions are more elastic so you have the power to create customized dashboards. In Prisma Cloud, you cannot do that."

"In terms of improvement, there are some small things like hardening and making sure the Linux resources are deployed well but that's more at an operational level."

More Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The cost is cheap. Kubecost has an open-source core."

"The cost of the tool may seem nominal compared to the potential savings in infrastructure expenses."

"The real savings come from using Kubecost features like autoscaling and serverless functions to optimize your resource usage. If you treat it like a data center migration without fine-tuning, it might cost more."

"Prisma Cloud is quite scalable. In our current licensing model, we're able to heavily extend our cloud workload and onboard a lot of customers. It really helps, and it is on par with other solutions."

"The licensing cost is a bit high on the compute side."

"Its licensing cost depends on the type of license such as the business license or the enterprise license. The enterprise license is costlier than the business license, but we get more visibility and more modules. If you have a multi-cloud environment and subscribe to each cloud's native CSPM tool, it is costly. If you are using a single tool like Prisma Cloud, with a single license, you can monitor all environments, such as Google Cloud, Azure, AWS, and Oracle Cloud. The cost of Prisma Cloud is less than the cost of subscribing to the CSPM tool of each cloud provider. This is where Prisma Cloud can save costs."

"The pricing structure is easy to understand. Depending on the use case the pricing of the solution can be different. There are not any additional costs to the standard living fees."

"The cost depends on the pricing model. Compared to other solutions, the cost isn't that bad."

"In general, Prisma Cloud is much cheaper than cloud-native services."

"We are encountering some resistance in the African market regarding the cost of Prisma Cloud."

"Prisma Cloud licensing works on credits."

More Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

14%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Insurance Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	34
Midsize Enterprise	20
Large Enterprise	58

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Kubecost?

The price is reasonable, considering the value it delivers.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Kubecost?

The price is reasonable, considering the value it delivers. In all honesty, once you have your optimal design, you could just turn it off and then activate it maybe once every six months or once ev...

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What needs improvement with Kubecost?

In future releases, I would like to see faster monitoring because it could potentially improve overall stability in the production environment.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks?

Prisma Cloud helps support DevSecOps methodologies, making those responsibilities easier to manage.

See all answers

What Cloud-Native Application Protection Platform do you recommend?

We like Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks, since it offers us incredible visibility into our entire cloud system. We are able to easily see where our container vulnerabilities lie and and where cl...

See all answers

What do you think of Aqua Security vs Prisma Cloud?

Aqua Security is easy to use and very manageable. Its main focus is on Kubernetes and Docker. Security is a very valuable feature and their speed of integration is very good. The initial setup was ...

See all answers

Comparisons

$Infracost vs IBM Kubecost Logo$

Infracost vs IBM Kubecost

Compared 100% of the time

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Wiz vs Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 15% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Cloud vs Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 10% of the time

Cyera vs Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 6% of the time

CrowdStrike Falcon Cloud Security vs Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 6% of the time

Aqua Cloud Security Platform vs Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 4% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cloud Cost Management

September 2025

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Buyer's Guide

Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks

September 2025

Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks report

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Also Known As

Kubecost - Amazon EKS cost monitoring

Prisma Public Cloud, RedLock Cloud 360, RedLock, Twistlock, Aporeto

Overview

Kubecost provides real-time cost visibility and insights for teams using Kubernetes, helping you continuously reduce your cloud costs.
Breakdown costs by any Kubernetes concepts, including deployment, service, namespace label, and more. View costs across multiple clusters in a single view or via a single API endpoint.
Receive dynamic recommendations for reducing spend without sacrificing performance. Prioritize key infrastructure or application changes for improving resource efficiency and reliability.
Quickly catch cost overruns and infrastructure outage risks before they become a problem with real-time notifications. Preserve engineering workflows by integrating with tools like Microsoft Teams and Slack.

Apptio

Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks provides comprehensive cloud-native security solutions. It covers dynamic workload identity, automated forensics, and multi-cloud protection, ensuring robust security across diverse cloud platforms.

Prisma Cloud delivers advanced capabilities for managing cloud security across AWS, Azure, and GCP platforms. It offers dynamic workload identity creation, real-time monitoring, and seamless integration into CI/CD pipelines. With automation, centralized dashboards, and enhanced visibility, users effectively manage security misconfigurations and vulnerabilities. While optimizing cloud environments through runtime protection and compliance, Prisma Cloud faces challenges with its navigation, pricing, and limited automation capabilities. Users seek improvements in API security, role-based access controls, and documentation quality, emphasizing the need for enhanced customization and reporting features.

What are the important features of Prisma Cloud?

Dynamic Workload Identity: Enables unique workload identities for security purposes.
Automated Forensics: Offers detailed insights into threats and incidents automatically.
Runtime Protection: Provides ongoing detection and blocking of suspicious activities.
Multi-Cloud Security: Protects environments on AWS, Azure, and GCP simultaneously.
Compliance Management: Assists in meeting regulatory standards across cloud platforms.

What benefits or ROI should users consider in reviews?

Enhanced Security Posture: Strengthens cloud defense lines with proactive monitoring.
Centralized Dashboard: Offers unified oversight of multiple cloud environments.
Efficient Misconfiguration Handling: Quickly identifies and addresses security lapses.
Seamless CI/CD Integration: Integrates security within development workflows.
Improved Visibility: Provides transparent insights into security operations and alerts.

Industries like finance and telecom rely on Prisma Cloud for managing cloud security posture and container security. Teams utilize its capabilities across hybrid and multi-cloud settings to ensure compliance and robust threat protection. Features like misconfiguration detection and runtime monitoring are critical in promoting security objectives in these sectors.

Palo Alto Networks

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Amgen, Genpact, Western Asset, Zipongo, Proofpoint, NerdWallet, Axfood, 21st Century Fox, Veeva Systems, Reinsurance Group of America

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September 2025

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