# Top CNAPP Solutions in 2026: Navigating the Product Landscape

_In this post, we’ll look at why CNAPP solutions are gaining momentum, then outline essential features to look for before drilling down into today’s top five CNAPP solutions based on industry reviews._

From code to cloud, a [cloud native application protection platform (CNAPP)](https://www.wiz.io/academy/what-is-a-cloud-native-application-protection-platform-cnapp) provides end-to-end security coverage across the entire lifecycle of cloud-based applications—from initial development stages through to live production environments. A CNAPP can also simplify security operations, improve developer experience, and automate compliance.

But choosing the features and functionality your organization needs in a CNAPP isn’t simple. In this post, we’ll look at why CNAPP solutions are gaining momentum, then outline essential features to look for before drilling down into five widely referenced CNAPP offerings based on publicly available industry reviews (sources and ratings can change over time).

## The cloud security challenge and CNAPP solution

Cloud-native architectures multiply security challenges, expanding the attack surface compared to traditional development. That’s because today’s applications make extensive use of [distributed microservices with APIs](https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/blogs/address-api-security/), dynamic scaling, and continuous deployment. Workloads for containers and serverless are ephemeral, and deployment is automated using infrastructure as code (IaC). Beyond all this, shared responsibility models across multiple providers create complexity in understanding and managing cloud configuration.

One reason traditional security tools—along with some modern ones—have a hard time keeping up is that they take a fragmented approach. If your vulnerability scanner is separate from your [SAST](https://www.wiz.io/academy/static-application-security-testing-sast) or CSPM tools, then this can create a number of problems. 

Without coherent visibility across development, infrastructure, and runtime, you’re going to end up with security blind spots. And when these siloed apps don’t permit communication between security, development, and cloud architecture teams, your teams will experience alert fatigue from uncoordinated, unprioritized findings. They also won’t be able to effectively prioritize real risk because of all the noise from uncoordinated security tools.

A CNAPP solves these issues, providing complete cloud-native security in three dimensions:

- **Code security:** [Shifts security left](https://www.wiz.io/academy/shift-left-security) to the development phase
- **Cloud security:** Manages configuration, identity, and data risks
- **Runtime security:** Detects and responds to active threats

## Essential CNAPP capabilities: What to look for

Wiz believes that an effective CNAPP unifies security from code to runtime, covering three essential pillars: **Secure Cloud Development**, **Secure Cloud Infrastructure**, and **Cloud Detection and Response**. Here’s a breakdown of what to expect under each pillar.

### Secure Cloud Development

Embed security seamlessly into the software delivery lifecycle to catch risks early and accelerate safe development.

Key capabilities:

- **Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) Security**: Detect misconfigurations and policy issues in IaC templates prior to deployment.
- **Code Vulnerability and Dependency Scanning**: Perform deep scans on source code and dependencies to identify vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and malware. Generate software bills of materials (SBOM) to track components precisely.
- **Secrets Detection**: Identify and prevent exposure of sensitive secrets (API keys, tokens, passwords) within code repositories, container images, and CI/CD pipelines.
- **CI/CD Pipeline Protection**: Secure build pipelines by continuously auditing configuration settings and enforcing security policies during each stage of development and deployment.

### Secure Cloud Infrastructure

Ensure ongoing security and compliance across cloud environments through continuous monitoring, configuration management, and identity governance.

Key capabilities:

- **Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM)**: Continuously scan cloud resources to detect misconfigurations, compliance violations, and security gaps across AWS, Azure, GCP, and Kubernetes environments.
- **Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management (CIEM)**: Provide identity and permissions visibility, identify excessive privileges, and enforce least-privilege access across cloud services, significantly reducing identity-related risks.
- **Cloud Workload Protection (CWP)**: Maintain runtime visibility and protection for cloud workloads including VMs, containers, and serverless functions, detecting vulnerabilities and runtime threats.
- **Data Security Posture Management (DSPM)**: Discover, classify, and protect sensitive data stored in cloud environments, proactively identifying exposure risks and ensuring data remains secured according to compliance standards.

### Cloud Detection and Response

Rapidly detect, prioritize, and respond to cloud threats and incidents with comprehensive visibility and intelligent automation.

Key capabilities:

- **Real-Time Threat Detection**: Leverage behavioral analytics and threat intelligence to monitor cloud environments for malicious activity such as anomalous access, lateral movement, or data exfiltration attempts.
- **Attack Path Analysis**: Map and analyze attack vectors across cloud assets to visualize and prioritize risks, enabling quick identification and closure of critical security gaps.
- **Risk-Based Prioritization**: Contextually prioritize alerts and vulnerabilities based on actual business impact, allowing security teams to focus remediation efforts on the highest-risk threats.
- **Automated Remediation and Incident Response**: Enable automated playbooks for rapid response, containment, and mitigation of threats and incidents, minimizing manual intervention and accelerating recovery times.

## An overview of common CNAPP solutions

In this section, we’ll explore five  CNAPP solutions (in no specific order), highlighting their unique strengths, architectures, and core capabilities. Consider leveraging a proof of concept (PoC)—such as a demo or trial—to determine the best fit for your enterprise.

### [Wiz CNAPP](https://www.wiz.io/platform)

#### Platform philosophy

Agentless, unified, and context-driven cloud security from code to runtime, powered by a centralized security graph.

#### Architecture and key differentiators

- **Agentless-first architecture** enabling deployment in minutes with immediate, comprehensive visibility.
- **Unified security graph** connecting vulnerabilities, identities, configurations, and sensitive data to enable context-driven security analysis.
- **Risk prioritization engine** focusing remediation efforts on exploitable attack paths, significantly reducing alert fatigue.
- **High-performance eBPF runtime sensor** delivering lightweight, effective threat detection without operational overhead.
- **Single-pane management**: Unified data model, policies, workflows, and user interface across multiple clouds and environments.

#### Core capabilities

Wiz CNAPP is built around three core capability pillars: 

- **Wiz Code:**
  
  - Software composition analysis and dependency scanning
  - Repository scanning and pull request integration
  - Container image scanning and registry integration
  - Infrastructure-as-code scanning (Terraform, CloudFormation, ARM)
  - CI/CD pipeline integration and build-time security controls
  - Supply chain security with SBOM generation
- **Wiz Cloud:**
  
  - Cloud configuration and compliance monitoring
  - Identity and entitlement risk analysis
  - Attack path analysis with the Wiz Security Graph
  - Data security posture management
  - Network exposure analysis
  - Automated policy enforcement
- **Wiz Defend:**
  
  - Real-time threat detection and response for cloud workloads
  - Container and Kubernetes runtime protection
  - Malware and cryptominer detection
  - Cloud-focused threat intelligence
  - Behavioral anomaly detection
  - Host and container intrusion detection

#### Review scores

Public review snapshots (G2, PeerSpot, Gartner Peer Insights) as reported at the time of writing; ratings and counts change over time.

| Rating Source | Aggregated Rating | Number of Reviews |
| --- | --- | --- |
| G2 | 4.7 stars | 702 reviews |
| Peerspot | 4.5 stars | 22 reviews |
| Gartner | 4.7 stars | 225 reviews |

---

### [CrowdStrike Falcon Cloud Security](https://www.crowdstrike.com/platform/cloud-security/cspm/)

#### Platform philosophy

Extension of endpoint security leadership into cloud environments with a unified console

#### Architecture and key differentiators

- This platform’s combination of agent and agentless architecture may require more deployment coordination
- Integration with broader Falcon endpoint protection platform
- Threat intelligence from CrowdStrike's global sensor network
- Single console for endpoint and cloud security management

#### Core capabilities

- Cloud security posture management across major providers
- Container and Kubernetes protection
- Runtime protection for cloud workloads
- Identity threat detection and prevention
- Cloud infrastructure entitlement management
- Cloud detection and response

#### Review scores

Public review snapshots (G2, PeerSpot, Gartner Peer Insights) as reported at the time of writing; ratings and counts change over time.

| Rating source | Aggregated rating | Number of reviews |
| --- | --- | --- |
| G2 | 4.5 stars | 69 reviews |
| Peerspot | 4.1 stars | 29 reviews |
| Gartner | 4.5 stars | 41 ratings |

---

### [Orca Security](https://orca.security/)

#### Platform philosophy

SideScanning technology for agentless visibility with a focus on cloud assets

#### Architecture and key differentiators

- Agentless SideScanning technology leveraging cloud provider APIs
- Risk prioritization focused on exposure and business impact
- Broad coverage of cloud assets and resources
- Automated compliance reporting for major frameworks

#### Core capabilities

- Cloud security posture management
- [Vulnerability assessment and prioritization](https://www.wiz.io/academy/risk-based-vulnerability-management)
- Cloud infrastructure entitlement management
- Data security posture management
- Compliance automation and reporting
- Container and serverless security

#### Review scores

Public review snapshots (G2, PeerSpot, Gartner Peer Insights) as reported at the time of writing; ratings and counts change over time.

| Rating source | Aggregated rating | Number of reviews |
| --- | --- | --- |
| G2 | 4.6 stars | 218 reviews |
| Peerspot | 4.5 stars | 20 reviews |
| Gartner | 4.6 stars | 143 ratings |

---

### [SentinelOne Singularity Cloud Security](https://www.sentinelone.com/platform/cloud-security/)

#### Platform philosophy

AI-driven detection and response with an offensive security approach

#### Architecture and key differentiators

- SentinelOne’s Offensive Security Engine simulates attack paths
- Verified Exploit Paths methodology for risk prioritization
- AI-powered detection and response capabilities
- Integration with endpoint detection platform

#### Core capabilities

- Cloud security posture management
- Runtime workload protection with behavioral AI
- Vulnerability and risk management
- Automated threat hunting and response
- Container and Kubernetes protection
- Compliance reporting and management

#### Review scores

Public review snapshots (G2, PeerSpot, Gartner Peer Insights) as reported at the time of writing; ratings and counts change over time.

| Rating source | Aggregated rating | Number of reviews |
| --- | --- | --- |
| G2 | 4.7 stars | 183 reviews |
| Peerspot | 4.4 stars | 107 ratings |
| Gartner | 4.8 stars | 13 ratings |

---

### [Fortinet Lacework FortiCNAPP](https://www.fortinet.com/products/forticnapp)

#### Platform philosophy

Machine learning–based anomaly detection with Fortinet integration

#### Architecture and key differentiators

- Machine learning for behavior-based detection
- Polygraph visualization for relationship mapping
- Combined agent and agentless architecture
- Integration with Fortinet security fabric

#### Core capabilities

- Cloud configuration assessment
- Container security with Kubernetes integration
- Behavioral anomaly detection for workloads
- Compliance monitoring and reporting
- Cloud account security monitoring
- Identity and access governance

#### Review scores

Public review snapshots (G2, PeerSpot, Gartner Peer Insights) as reported at the time of writing; ratings and counts change over time.

| Rating source | Aggregated rating | Number of reviews |
| --- | --- | --- |
| G2 | 4.3 stars | 382 reviews |
| Peerspot | 4.3 stars | 10 reviews |
| Gartner | 4.3 stars | 145 ratings |

## How to evaluate and choose the right CNAPP

Before beginning the buying process, it helps to form a cross-functional evaluation team with representatives from all areas that will be using the platform: security operations, cloud security, application security, development and/or DevOps, and cloud platform engineers.

Define your organization's specific requirements:

- Which cloud environments you’ll need to secure (AWS, Azure, GCP, multi-cloud)
- Development pipeline integration needs
- [Applicable compliance requirements](https://www.techtarget.com/searchcio/definition/regulatory-compliance) (CIS, NIST, PCI, HIPAA, etc.)
- Current security gaps and most critical risks
- Runtime protection needs (agent vs. agentless)
- Team collaboration workflows

Together, this evaluation team will identify key evaluation criteria, including some or all of the following:

- Unified vs. modular architecture
- Deployment model and time to value (TTV)
- Agent requirements and performance impact
- API and integration capabilities
- User experience for different personas
- Risk prioritization effectiveness
- Visibility across cloud accounts and resources
- Actionable remediation guidance

Creating an effective proof of concept comes next. That means setting clear success criteria, testing with real-world workloads, measuring false positives, evaluating remediation workflows, and assessing the developer experience of each solution you’re testing.

## Take the next step toward unified cloud security

Choosing a CNAPP should align cloud security objectives with how your development and operations teams work. The most reliable way to evaluate fit is through hands-on testing – seeing how a platform integrates with your workflows, supports security operations, and addresses your cloud risks end-to-end.

If you’re interested in learning how Wiz approaches CNAPP, you can explore a guided walkthrough of the platform. It highlights how visibility, development-lifecycle integrations, and threat detection and response work together in a unified experience.

[Schedule a live Wiz demo ](https://www.wiz.io/demo)and see how unified cloud security accelerates your development, strengthens your infrastructure, and stops threats in real time →

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