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).

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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

"I mostly like the dashboards."

"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've been really pleasantly surprised with how Prisma Cloud is, over time, covering more and more of the topics I care about, and listening to customer feedback and growing the product in the right directions."

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

"We were pleased with Prisma's custom and built-in reports. We could go into the dashboard and see all these notifications telling us which subscriptions didn't have TLS 1.2 enabled. The security controls were the most valuable features."

"Prisma Cloud stands out as a user-friendly and powerful CSPM solution thanks to its comprehensive capabilities, built-in features, and flexible tagging system."

"It also provides us with a single tool to manage our entire cloud architecture. In fact, we are using a multi-account strategy with our AWS organization. We use Prisma as a single source of truth to identify high- or medium-severity threats inside our organization."

"Visibility is a key feature. Integration with other technologies across the board, whether they are Palo Alto technologies, Windows technologies, or cloud technologies, is probably the biggest thing."

"The Cloud Workload Protection module is a very strong solution. I like the Cloud Workload Protection part. It is something I have not used for the banking client, but I had a chance to try it out for roughly a month on actual deployment of another customer. That part was really robust. Cloud Workload Protection would be the main feature that I enjoy the most."

"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."

More Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks pros

Cons

"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."

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

"The data security model needs improvement due to integration issues with certain features and cloud providers. With Palo Alto now utilizing a tool from an Israeli startup in Prisma Cloud, the integration is slow, and some features are blocked or not supported."

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

"There needs to be a mechanism that allows me to manually configure compliance more easily."

"One of the main backlogs in their development is in the area of integration. For example, we have ServiceNow in place for ticket management and Prisma Cloud is supposed to send closure emails for incidents. But from time to time, it fails to do so. We have several other mismatches between Prisma Cloud and ServiceNow."

"One definite area for improvement is the auto-remediation or the CWP area. The second one is the RQL language. It is still not very flexible and does not cover a lot of use cases. The RQL language could be dramatically improved to add more options."

"These tools have a set of signatures or rules that will alert you whenever something meets the criteria. In the future, they might include some machine learning or AI feature that allows you to ask questions about the context of the alert, and it will provide you answers based on the data that they have. Most vendors are doing it, and I believe they will do it in the future. The reporting bar could also use AI to add context based on the environment."

"Prisma Cloud is very comprehensive, but there should be better support for the customization of the reports. If Palo Alto can have more customized reports available or give an option to the users to customize the reports, that would be great."

"Runecast gave us more visibility into VMware's private cloud. We have more environments there, but Prisma's lack of visibility into the private cloud was a downside—there weren't many."

More Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"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."

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

"The pricing and licensing are expensive compared to the other offerings that we considered."

"Prisma Cloud is remarkably expensive."

"It is fairly priced. However, its price can be better so that small banks or small organizations can afford it and adopt it to secure their environment and data."

"Prisma Cloud Enterprise is a costly solution. You need a license for all the components. At the same time, you have everything under one roof, so I think it's still justified."

"This solution is good for a company with at least 400 people that must be connected remotely. For smaller companies, it can be too expensive."

"Our licensing fees are $18,000 USD per year."

"It is an expensive tool. It is not cheap technology. It is a serious investment for any customer. Customers typically buy it together with services. In my experience, customers buying Prisma Cloud are prepared to pay for the implementation and the tool itself."

"I find the pricing to be expensive."

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.

See all answers

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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