Upwind is a runtime-first cloud security platform built around an eBPF sensor, sold mostly to cloud security, SecOps and platform teams. It shows what is running in the cloud, and it has recently moved into code security: SAST and DAST only arrived in late 2026. As a result, it lacks the depth of many other code-to-cloud vendors, and teams are looking for alternatives that have more meaningful functionality across SAST, code quality, AI pentesting and more.
The gap shows up on the developer side. Upwind has no AutoFix pull requests and no security checks in the IDE, so fixes stay as recommendations and PR comments. It has no authenticated DAST and no AI pentesting, so nothing tests logged-in flows or reasons through an application to find deep flaws such as broken access control and multi-step attack chains. Cloud coverage is close to like-for-like with other vendors, which makes the code and testing side the real difference.
The alternatives below cover code, cloud and runtime security, grouped by the job each one does.
{{cta}}
Which Upwind alternatives should you shortlist?
Our pick: Aikido Security is the best choice for teams that want code and cloud findings in one workspace. It combines cloud posture, reachability and code findings, and AutoFix drafts pull requests for code, dependency, IaC and container findings.
Best for code and cloud findings in one workspace
- Aikido Security: puts SAST, SCA, secrets, IaC and container findings next to cloud posture and reachability in one workspace, so the team that sees the exposure can also see the open code issues.
- Wiz: maps deployed cloud resources back to source code, so a team can sort code fixes by what is deployed.
- Orca Security: traces cloud risks to the code or templates that created them, starting from agentless cloud assessment.
Best for fixing code issues where developers work
- Aikido Security: shows issues in the pull request, IDE and CLI, and AutoFix proposes the change as a reviewable patch or PR.
- Wiz: applies code policies in IDEs, pull requests and pipelines, and can open fix PRs for supported findings.
Best for testing web apps and APIs like an attacker would
- Aikido Security: Aikido Security: runs authenticated and unauthenticated DAST, plus AI pentesting that reasons through the app to find deep flaws such as broken access control and multi-step attack chains.
- Wiz: tests running web applications and APIs through its Red Agent.
Best for protecting a running app while the fix ships
- Aikido Security: Zen, an in-app firewall, blocks attacks at the application layer inside the running app.
- Sweet Security: applies sensor policies that block exploitation of a known vulnerability while engineers prepare the permanent repair.
Best for investigating and responding to workload threats
- Sysdig Secure: uses Falco rules and system-call activity to investigate incidents, with configured response such as stopping supported containers.
- Palo Alto Networks Cortex Cloud: uses deployed agents for prevention and automated response, and connects workload events to identity and network evidence.
- Microsoft Defender for Cloud: connects workload protection to endpoint detection and response for teams already running Microsoft security tooling.
Best for container runtime policy in controlled environments
- Aqua Security: applies local Enforcer policies to block unauthorized process, file, network and privilege actions, with self-hosted options that include disconnected environments.
- Sysdig Secure: offers self-managed and air-gapped deployments, though they do not provide every SaaS analytic.
Why teams look for Upwind alternatives
Code security is new
Upwind is built to show what is running in the cloud. Upwind Code launched in August 2026 and its SAST in November 2026, so the track record is short, and public detail on the engine is limited. It is designed for security teams assessing cloud impact, and findings are tied to pull requests, so seeing everything open in a repository can mean working through them one by one. Run both tools on your own repositories and compare what each one finds.
Fixes stay with the developer
Getting a finding fixed means reaching the developers who own the code. Upwind gives pull request comments and fix recommendations. Aikido adds security checks in the IDE, and AutoFix writes the change as a pull request for code, dependency, IaC and container findings, so the developer reviews a fix instead of starting from a report. Aikido also keeps code and cloud findings in one workspace, with one list of everything open per repository.
Attack testing stops at DAST
Upwind’s DAST page, published in October 2026, describes testing validated against live runtime traffic. Upwind has no AI pentesting, so nothing reasons through an application like an attacker to find deep flaws such as broken access control and multi-step attack chains. Aikido has run authenticated and unauthenticated DAST in customer production for years, and its AI pentesting and Aikido Infinite cover the logic-level flaws that DAST alone misses.
How we evaluated these tools:
We read each vendor’s documentation for code security, developer fix workflows, runtime protection and commercial basis, and looked at how each tool handles remediation in the configurations named in the table below. Recommendations reflect those documented differences. We did not run hands-on tests or performance benchmarks.
Upwind alternatives compared
Top 8 Upwind alternatives reviewed
Aikido Security
What it does: Aikido is a software security platform for code, cloud, runtime protection and pentesting. Code security covers SAST, SCA, secrets, IaC and container images, with results in the pull request, IDE and CLI. Aikido Cloud covers CSPM and CWPP across AWS, Azure, GCP, Oracle, Alibaba and DigitalOcean, and traces network reachability to show which workloads an attacker can actually reach.
Why it stands out: Aikido covers the cloud, and goes much deeper than alternatives on code. Developers see findings in the IDE and pull request, and AutoFix drafts the fix for code, dependency, IaC and container issues. For testing, Aikido runs authenticated DAST and AI pentesting that reasons through an app like an attacker to find deep flaws such as broken access control and multi-step attack chains. Zen adds an in-app firewall, and setup takes minutes.
What to know: Runtime Sensors need an agent on supported Kubernetes clusters and Linux VMs. Cloud Security Audit runs on demand and consumes credits.
Best for: teams that want cloud security with deeper code security and AI pentesting in one workspace.
See the full comparison of Aikido vs Upwind Security here.
Wiz
What it does: Wiz assesses cloud environments without agents and adds Wiz Code for source-code vulnerabilities, dependencies, secrets and infrastructure definitions, with policies in IDEs, pull requests and pipelines.
Why it stands out: Wiz Code links cloud findings to the source behind them and can open a fix PR from a finding.
What to know: Live process visibility and blocking require the Wiz Sensor on supported workloads. Wiz sells Wiz One, Wiz Go and à-la-carte packages, so confirm which code and runtime capabilities each quote includes. Fix automation is reported as limited to the main branch in many setups, which fits poorly with pull-request workflows.
Best for: teams that start from cloud risk and add code later.
Sysdig Secure
What it does: Sysdig Secure combines posture and permissions assessment with vulnerability management and runtime threat detection. Its Linux workload analysis uses Falco rules and system-call activity, and cloud logs add a second source of detections.
Why it stands out: Threat policies support investigation and configured responses, such as stopping supported containers or killing a process.
What to know: Response support differs across Linux, Windows and serverless environments and needs deployed components. Self-managed and air-gapped deployments do not provide every SaaS analytic. The documented remediation PRs target infrastructure code. Pricing is host-based, with separate metering for cloud-log events.
Best for: teams whose main job is investigating workload incidents.
Orca Security
What it does: Orca combines agentless cloud assessment with application security for source code, dependencies, secrets, infrastructure definitions and container images, and links those findings to production context.
Why it stands out: Its application security workflow generates supported IaC and first-party-code fixes as PRs.
What to know: Live execution context and configured process termination need the Orca Sensor. Orca’s single-SKU model bundles several capabilities, but workload credits are allocated across protected resources, developers and sensors, so included features do not mean unlimited capacity.
Best for: teams that want agentless cloud findings first and code fixes second.
Palo Alto Networks Cortex Cloud
What it does: Cortex Cloud combines posture assessment with workload protection, threat detection and investigation. Its Runtime offering uses deployed agents on supported hosts, containers, Kubernetes and serverless environments.
Why it stands out: Runtime Security connects workload events with identity, network and cloud evidence and supports prevention and automated response.
What to know: Application Security, which adds infrastructure checks, dependency analysis and supported fixes, is an add-on priced per developer. Workload definitions, log allowances and retention shape the purchase, and a Cortex Cloud subscription does not include every Cortex product or Unit 42 managed service.
Best for: security operations teams that own production response.
Sweet Security
What it does: Sweet combines workload sensors and cloud logs with application and API context to investigate runtime threats, with incident views that connect process activity, identities and workload behavior.
Why it stands out: Sweet documents runtime hotfixes and containment, including malicious-process termination and sensor policies that block exploitation of a known vulnerability until a fix ships.
What to know: A runtime hotfix changes behavior in the running environment, so the vulnerable code stays in the repository until someone fixes it. Its Marketplace tiers split log-based Primary from broader Advanced protection, so confirm which sensor capabilities a contract includes.
Best for: teams that need a stopgap for a running application.
Aqua Security
What it does: Aqua connects code, image and infrastructure findings with production workload protection. Dev Security covers repositories and build pipelines, and Cloud Security adds cloud assessment and runtime controls for supported workloads.
Why it stands out: The Aqua Enforcer applies local policies to block unauthorized process, file, network and privilege actions, and Aqua offers SaaS and self-hosted deployments, including disconnected environments.
What to know: Runtime protection needs the Enforcer and policies validated for each environment. Developer workflows document guidance, PR comments and tickets, so check separately whether source-fix PRs are generated. Pricing splits repository-based Dev Security from workload-based Cloud Security, so build coverage does not establish runtime scope.
Best for: teams enforcing container runtime policy in controlled environments.
Microsoft Defender for Cloud
What it does: Defender for Cloud combines cloud posture assessment with separately enabled workload protection plans. It fits best where teams already use Azure, Defender for Endpoint and Microsoft’s security operations tooling, although supported features extend to AWS and GCP.
Why it stands out: Security Copilot can create IaC fix PRs for connected Azure DevOps repositories, and Defender for Servers integrates endpoint detection and response.
What to know: Copilot fixes require repository integration, the Microsoft Security DevOps extension and allocated Security Compute Units. Pod response actions are in preview and need sensors, API access and suitable permissions. Feature coverage varies by cloud and plan, and billing uses plan-specific meters or the preview Defender Workload Unit model. Best for: Microsoft-centric estates.
FAQ
Is Upwind mainly for cloud security or code security?
Cloud security. Upwind is a runtime-first platform built around an eBPF sensor, and its code security arrived later: Upwind Code in August 2026, a DAST page in October 2026 and SAST in November 2026. Compare findings and fixes on your own repositories and apps, and check whether authenticated testing and AI pentesting are covered.
Do I have to replace Upwind entirely, or can an alternative run alongside it?
You can move one part at a time. During a transition, teams can keep existing coverage in place and move code, DAST and pentesting to Aikido first, then add cloud connections while existing coverage stays active. Define which platform owns each alert and response action, and do not assume findings or exceptions sync between the products.
Which Upwind alternative is best for getting developers to fix findings?
Aikido Security shows issues in the pull request, IDE and CLI, and AutoFix proposes a reviewable patch or PR for supported code, dependency, IaC and container findings. Wiz and Orca offer fix PRs for supported findings, while Sweet’s runtime hotfixes and Aqua’s tickets follow a different path.
Can Aikido replace Upwind?
For teams that want cloud and code security together, plus developer workflow, DAST and pentesting, yes. Aikido covers cloud posture, reachability, container checks, Zen and Runtime Sensors alongside code security.
Which alternatives support runtime threat response?
Sysdig, Cortex Cloud, Wiz, Orca, Sweet and Aqua document response or enforcement actions through their runtime components. Microsoft offers endpoint response and preview container actions. Aikido documents Zen and sensor-based detection and investigation. Check the exact action you need, such as blocking execution, terminating a process or isolating a pod, and separate software automation from a staffed response service.
How does pricing compare across Upwind alternatives?
Use the same estate, coverage and service requirements for every proposal. Ask each vendor what its billing unit means, and count repositories, developers, hosts, serverless resources, sensors and managed services by that vendor’s rules. Aikido publishes its plan tiers and resource limits, while other vendors count hosts, workload credits, repositories or developers.
