Aqua Cloud Security Platform vs Darktrace comparison

Aqua Security and Darktrace are both solutions in the Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP) category. Aqua Security is ranked #19, while Darktrace is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.1. Aqua Security holds a 3.1% mindshare in CNAP, compared to Darktrace’s 2.4% mindshare. Additionally, 93% of Aqua Security users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of Darktrace users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 29, 2026

Darktrace and Aqua Cloud Security Platform compete in the cybersecurity domain. Darktrace seems to have an upper hand in threat detection, while Aqua excels in container security.

Features: Darktrace includes proactive threat identification with AI, comprehensive real-time network visibility, and autonomous incident handling. Aqua focuses on container security, runtime protection, and advanced image scanning, essential for cloud environments.

Room for Improvement: Darktrace may improve false positives, integration, and endpoint protection. Pricing is also a concern. Aqua needs enhanced management, simpler installation, and better documentation. It lacks comprehensive security posture management, requiring improvements in deployment and user experience.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Darktrace offers flexible deployments across environments, with responsive technical support, although complex setups need more support. Aqua's deployments are diverse but challenging, though the technical support is positively received, albeit with less user feedback.

Pricing and ROI: Both are seen as expensive. Darktrace offers negotiable pricing and high ROI through threat prevention. Aqua's cost is justified by value in enhancing security for larger organizations, contributing positively to ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed Aqua Cloud Security Platform vs. Darktrace Report (Updated: April 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Aqua Cloud Security Platform vs. Darktrace

April 2026

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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

Qualys TotalCloud

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP) category, the mindshare of Qualys TotalCloud is 1.8%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Aqua Cloud Security Platform is 3.1%, down from 4.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Darktrace is 2.4%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Qualys TotalCloud	1.8%
Darktrace	2.4%
Aqua Cloud Security Platform	3.1%
Other	92.7%

Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP)

Featured Reviews

Robert Orłowski

IT Security Expert at Alior Bank S.A.

Unified risk scoring has improved our cloud visibility and simplifies remediation priorities

Qualys TotalCloud provides unified vulnerability and threat assessment across both IAS and SaaS. This solution provides a single prioritized view of risk, which helps reduce the work I would have to do. We are no longer based on CVSS; we are based on Qualys risk scoring, which is based on CVSS plus internal findings made by Qualys, and then assigns its own score. The TruRisk insight feature has found a small number of assets with high vulnerability scores, though I am cautious since some information is classified. Qualys TotalCloud has positively impacted our bank's performance, and we have definitely seen benefits after implementing this solution.

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Samir-Paul

Security Paractiner at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

Secures cloud workloads from build to runtime and has needed simpler setup and alert tuning

Regarding how Aqua Cloud Security Platform can be improved, the first area is the complex initial setup. Deployment and configuration can be complex, especially in large environments that require skilled resources. For Kubernetes environments, initial onboarding and policy setup takes time. Compared to Wiz onboarding, it is not very straightforward, as I have also worked with Wiz. The UI is powerful but not very simple for new users, as navigation and dashboard can be overwhelming. Alert noise and tuning are required because Aqua generates a large number of initial alerts that need tuning to reduce false positives. Additionally, pricing can be high depending on workload scale, especially for large Kubernetes and multi-cloud environments. For improvements to Aqua Cloud Security Platform, I think better integration with SOAR and XDR platforms, more AI-driven prioritization, and providing simpler out-of-the-box policies would be beneficial.

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Anil M

Technical Consultant - Unix Platform Services at BITS AND BYTE IT CONSULTING PVT LTD

Consistent threat hunting and anomaly detection deliver valuable insights for network security management

In terms of improvement for Darktrace, pricing is the main concern. Pricing bothers me and this is one of the major factors when choosing a solution. When we get feedback from customers, that's the only felt need. When we factor in Darktrace, we do it only limited. We put it on where the perimeters and connections are, but still, some gray areas are left out, especially if we have multiple branches. We need Darktrace on each branch to get the data out, and I suggest having some kind of a centralized product that gets data from multiple sources to aggregate and provide the data.

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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 would recommend Qualys TotalCloud to other users because it is cost-efficient and has a good return on investment."

"Its excellent graphical interface makes the scanning process simple."

"I appreciate Qualys TotalCloud's ability to onboard any type of device with ease, including containers."

"The agent and agentless scanning in TotalCloud, particularly the FlexScan method, is incredibly valuable. With traditional scanning approaches, we had to give IP ranges and whitelist IPs. All that is now simplified. FlexScan requires minimal intervention, and after configuration, it automatically collects data and performs necessary scans."

"I found the initial setup user-friendly."

"If someone were to ask me to review Qualys TotalCloud, I would summarize it as an end-to-end solution for cloud security with visibility and governance-grade controls without needing to manage multiple disconnected tools."

"Generally, Qualys is very good at detections, whether on cloud or on-prem, and the agent allows deployment on both infrastructures, providing continuous monitoring of your assets, which is a key selling point for us."

"I like the web API security and IoT scanning features the most. The user-friendly design of TotalCloud's interface enables customers to navigate it and use its full potential easily"

More Qualys TotalCloud pros

"Their sandboxing service is also really good."

"Aqua Security allowed us to gain visibility into the vulnerabilities that were present in the container images, that were being rolled out, the amount of risk that we were introducing to the platform, and provided us a look into the container environment by introducing access control mechanisms. In addition, when it came to runtime-level policies, we could restrict container access to resources in our environment, such as network-level or other application-level access."

"The CSPM product is great at securing our cloud accounts and I really like the runtime protection for containers and functions too."

"It is a very good product from an environmental perspective."

"The container security element of this product has been very valuable to our organization."

"From what I understand, the initial setup is simple."

"Support is very helpful."

"The ROI is clear; we could not live without it because now we are getting back a picture of the vulnerability and we are able to fix severe security and vulnerability bugs."

More Aqua Cloud Security Platform pros

"The investigative part of Darktrace is valuable, especially the automation features. It allows setting up checks and provides guidance on mitigating situations, which is very useful. There are different modules that you can add to the console for protection."

"The solution is stable. We've never had any problems with it."

"Darktrace is very useful for us because it has a large number of models for detecting threats."

"It is a very simple product to use."

"I find the complete portfolio to be excellent."

"The support was fantastic, really good."

"The most valuable feature of Darktrace is its ability to detect and counter threats before they occur."

"The features that are most valuable to me include detection, response with analytics, and network detection."

More Darktrace pros

Cons

"The system is not 100% secure yet, so proactive threat hunting could be enhanced to be more proactive than the current system."

"The onboarding process is a bit difficult. In the initial phase, it is very difficult to understand the features, what the dashboard contains, and what criteria they are using."

"From a downside perspective, the UI is not user-friendly and feels dated compared to other tools like Prisma Cloud."

"Their customer support needs improvement."

"The cost of Qualys TotalCloud is high and could be more competitive."

"The patching process with Qualys Patch Management, which is part of TotalCloud, does not cover installing certain prerequisites on the servers or workstations. This shortcoming means we must rely on SCCM when any service stack updates or additional prerequisites are needed."

"Regarding technical support from Qualys, they respond, but the response time can be too long. Sometimes we need to wait weeks for solutions to simple questions."

"TotalCloud could improve the classification of vulnerabilities. Specifically, it could enhance the categorization of what aspects fall under patches resolved by OS or software updates and what pertains to configuration adjustments."

More Qualys TotalCloud cons

"The solution could improve user-friendliness."

"It's a bit hard to use the user roles. That was a bit confusing."

"We would like to see an improvement in the overview visibility that this solution offers."

"Aqua Security could provide more open documentation so that their learning resources can be more easily accessed and searched through online."

"I would like Aqua Security to look into the development of a web security portal."

"In the next release, Aqua Security should add the ability to automatically send reports to customers."

"Aqua Security could improve the forwarding of logging into Splunk and into other tools, it should be easier."

More Aqua Cloud Security Platform cons

"I think there is some MSSP missing."

"We'd like threat hunting, and we'd like to see a global solution that can automate vulnerability scans. I know it is something they are working on."

"The initial setup is more complex and time-consuming than some solutions."

"The one downside is the pricing, which is quite high."

"One thing that I would like to look at going forward is to have a fully automated network infrastructure that is monitored automatically real-time, and that gives me this kind of capability where I would be able to look at my network at any given time and see the state of my network. With Darktrace, at the moment, I have to almost put in a date and tell them that want you to give me data from this date to this date. I don't want that. I want a fast solution in which it doesn't matter when I log into the application. Whenever I log in, I must be able to see my network and run a report. In other words, if I go in now and I say, "Give me a full report of what happened today, it must be able to give me that. It mustn't just be limited to a seven-day period, for argument's sake. It must be able to give me real-time and day-to-day tracking of what has happened within my network."

"There is a high ratio of false positive information."

"There are still some issues with the network capturing or blocking traffic even after implementing exceptions."

"Block attack capabilities or integration with other SIEM solutions such as IBM QRadar."

More Darktrace cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Qualys TotalCloud is cost-efficient and was selected for its value compared to other products."

"While Qualys TotalCloud's pricing is currently acceptable, it is becoming increasingly expensive and may soon be considered overpriced."

"I am not sure about the pricing. From what I understand, it is a bit on the higher side, but I do not have the exact numbers."

"Qualys TotalCloud is expensive."

"Qualys TotalCloud offers cost-effective licensing flexibility."

"As a middle management member, I do not have direct pricing knowledge, but based on the knowledge from our meetings, its pricing is competitive."

"Its price seems higher compared to other tools, but it is worth it. If they could adjust the pricing and make it comparable with other tools, that would be great."

"Qualys TotalCloud is expensive, but it offers a premier solution with no headaches."

More Qualys TotalCloud pricing and cost advice

"The pricing of this solution could be improved."

"Dealing with licensing costs isn't my responsibility, but I know that the licenses don't depend on the number of users, but instead are priced according to your workload."

"Aqua Security is not cheap, and it's not very expensive, such as Splunk, they are in the middle."

"It comes at a reasonable cost."

"They were reasonable with their pricing. They were pretty down-to-earth about the way they pitched their product and the way they tried to close the deal. They were one of the rare companies that approached the whole valuation in a way that made sense for our company, for our needs, and for their own requirements as well... They will accommodate your needs if they are able to understand them and they're stated clearly."

"It was $3,600 a month or $2,000 plus or so. I am not sure. Its licensing is pretty simple."

"The pricing is subscription-based and it is high."

"The pricing is expensive. It costs over $100,000 a year."

"The cost is moderate."

"The pricing is a little high compared to the competition."

"The cost of the solution can be reduced to make it more appealing to customers."

"If you consider the features and the cost of market leaders, we are satisfied with the pricing."

"The tool's pricing is costly."

More Darktrace pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

15%

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

21%

Government

10%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	10
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	28

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	11

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	44
Midsize Enterprise	20
Large Enterprise	29

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Qualys TotalCloud?

The price is very expensive, actually.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Qualys TotalCloud?

Areas that need improvement in every solution include the remediation part. The remediation steps should be simple en...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Qualys TotalCloud?

Our use case involves the assets that we have under cloud, the assets exposed to the internet, and the internal appli...

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 valu...

See all answers

How does Crowdstrike Falcon compare with Darktrace?

Both of these products perform similarly and have many outstanding attributes. CrowdStrike Falcon offers an amazing u...

See all answers

Which is better - SentinelOne or Darktrace?

Which solution is better depends on which is more suitable specifically for your company. Darktrace, for example, is ...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Darktrace?

Concerning pricing for the product, I would say it is somewhat expensive.

See all answers

Comparisons

Wiz vs Qualys TotalCloud

Compared 13% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Cloud vs Qualys TotalCloud

Compared 8% of the time

Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks vs Qualys TotalCloud

Compared 6% of the time

Nucleus Security vs Qualys TotalCloud

Compared 5% of the time

JupiterOne vs Qualys TotalCloud

Compared 5% of the time

More Qualys TotalCloud Competitors

Sysdig Secure vs Aqua Cloud Security Platform

Compared 9% of the time

Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks vs Aqua Cloud Security Platform

Compared 7% of the time

Wiz vs Aqua Cloud Security Platform

Compared 5% of the time

Snyk vs Aqua Cloud Security Platform

Compared 4% of the time

TrendAI Deep Security vs Aqua Cloud Security Platform

Compared 4% of the time

More Aqua Cloud Security Platform Competitors

Vectra AI vs Darktrace

Compared 6% of the time

CrowdStrike Falcon vs Darktrace

Compared 4% of the time

Cisco Secure Network Analytics vs Darktrace

Compared 3% of the time

SentinelOne Singularity Endpoint vs Darktrace

Compared 3% of the time

ExtraHop Reveal(x) vs Darktrace

Compared 2% of the time

More Darktrace Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Qualys TotalCloud

May 2026

Download Qualys TotalCloud product report

Buyer's Guide

Aqua Cloud Security Platform

May 2026

Download Aqua Cloud Security Platform product report

Buyer's Guide

Darktrace

May 2026

Download Darktrace product report

Also Known As

Qualys TotalCloud with FlexScan

Aqua Security Platform, CloudSploit, Argon

No data available

Overview

Qualys TotalCloud enhances security posture across cloud environments with continuous monitoring, vulnerability management, and risk visualization, ensuring efficient threat assessment and automated remediation for improved cyber risk reduction.

Qualys TotalCloud offers a robust suite of security tools essential for organizations managing multi-cloud infrastructures. By integrating cloud accounts and automating workflows, it supports AWS, Azure, and GCP, offering comprehensive vulnerability management and zero-day detection. The platform's user-friendly design, combined with its extensive risk management and unified threat assessment capabilities, enables organizations to prioritize and remediate vulnerabilities effectively. TruRisk Insights provides clear insights on cyber risks, while the automation options streamline patch management and scanning processes. API integration across IaaS and SaaS environments further enhances resource allocation efficiency and saves time, addressing misconfigurations across cloud environments.

What are the most important features of Qualys TotalCloud?

Accurate Vulnerability Reports: Delivers precise and actionable insights for risk mitigation.
Zero-Day Detection: Identifies and addresses zero-day vulnerabilities proactively.
Unified Threat Assessment: Offers comprehensive evaluation of threats across the environment.
Extensive Risk Management: Manages risks effectively with advanced insights and prioritization.
Continuous Monitoring: Provides non-stop surveillance for vulnerabilities and threats.
Cloud-Native Automation: Streamlines processes and reduces manual efforts using automation.
FlexScan for Internet-Facing VMs: Scans external VMs efficiently to detect vulnerabilities.
Dashboard Risk Visualization: Clear visualization helps prioritize vulnerabilities.

What benefits and ROI should users look for?

Improved Security Posture: Enhances threat detection and response across clouds.
Time Savings: Automation reduces time spent on manual vulnerability management.
Resource Efficiency: Better allocation of resources through streamlined workflows.
Enhanced Risk Prioritization: Focus on critical vulnerabilities for effective mitigation.
Integrated Cloud Accounts: Facilitates seamless cloud management and security.

Qualys TotalCloud is deployed in sectors needing rigorous vulnerability management, such as finance and healthcare. Companies utilize it to secure multi-cloud environments like AWS, Azure, and GCP, focus on compliance, and integrate security into CI/CD pipelines to detect and remedy threats pre-deployment.

Qualys

Aqua Cloud Security Platform supports container environments with strong features such as Docker and Kubernetes integration, efficient vulnerability management, and seamless runtime protection, making it a key choice for cloud and container security.

Aqua Cloud Security Platform focuses on comprehensive container and cloud security enhancements. It offers robust tools for Docker and Kubernetes, efficient vulnerability management, and on-demand patching. The platform is praised for its Runtime Protection, Drift Prevention, and robust documentation, promoting seamless integration with existing platforms. Image scanning, Digital Threat Analysis, and sandboxing services accentuate security measures while integration with Docker Hub ensures ease of use. Scalable runtime policies, image assurance, and dynamic threat analysis simplify security tasks. Challenges remain in developing web security portals and greater standard server integration. Enhancing reporting, simplifying training, and improving log forwarding are key goals. Resource consumption, clearer roles, automation, and code analysis are vital future considerations.

What are the most important features of Aqua Cloud Security Platform?

Docker and Kubernetes Support: Ensures container security and streamlined operations.
Vulnerability Management: Efficient scanning and on-demand patching.
Strong Runtime Protection: Implements Drift Prevention and scalable policies.
Seamless Integration: Works with existing platforms for optimal performance.
Image Assurance and Threat Analysis: Provides thorough security checks and dynamic analysis.

What benefits or ROI can users expect?

Simplified Container Security: Streamlines container and cloud tasks for enhanced protection.
Enhanced Image Assessment: Detects configurations and risks efficiently.
Greater Data Protection: Ensures application visibility and security in deployments.
Flexible Licensing Models: Offers potential for reconsideration and optimization.

Aqua Cloud Security Platform is leveraged in industries focusing on container security, vulnerability scanning, and securing Kubernetes configurations within CI/CD pipelines. It is employed for image assessments and network security, demonstrating its efficacy in cloud applications and workload protection. Efficiently identifying misconfigurations and risks in cloud environments, it provides scanning for public clouds and docker environments, emphasizing data protection and application visibility tailored to customer-specific deployments.

Aqua Security

Darktrace revolutionizes network security with AI-driven alerts, anomaly detection, and robust visibility across networks. It autonomously detects threats, minimizing the need for human oversight, and offers efficient IP identification with minimal false positives.

Darktrace uses advanced AI analytics to enhance network protection. Its powerful real-time threat response capabilities and self-learning enable thorough monitoring and insightful analysis of network activities. While providing scalable and reliable security, users seek improvements in false positive reduction, user-friendly interfaces, and pricing. Enhanced third-party integration, more effective dashboards, and centralized automation features remain top priorities. Users benefit greatly from its Antigena feature, offering automated responses like blocking suspicious connections for robust network defense.

What Are Darktrace's Key Features?

AI-Driven Alerts: Provides real-time alerts for threat detection.
Anomaly Detection: Identifies unusual network activities with precision.
Real-Time Threat Response: Autonomously counteracts potential threats.
Comprehensive Monitoring: Offers detailed network activity insights.
Scalability: Adapts to expanding network environments effectively.

Which Benefits Should Users Consider in Reviews?

Stability: Reliable performance ensures constant protection.
Efficient Cloud Protection: Safeguards data across cloud infrastructures.
Intuitive Interface: Facilitates easy navigation and efficient operations.
Network Visibility: Enhances understanding of network traffic and activities.
Automated Threat Blocking: Quick response to potential network breaches.

In industries employing Darktrace, it is pivotal in securing LAN networks, analyzing behavioral patterns, and detecting internal and external threats. Adoption alongside platforms like F5 and SAP enhances incident response, traffic analysis, and threat identification, utilizing Antigena for proactive security measures.

Darktrace

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

HPE Salesforce Telstra Ellie Mae Cathay Pacific HomeAway

Irwin Mitchell, Open Energi, Wellcome Trust, FirstGroup plc, Virgin Trains, Drax, QUI! Group, DNK, CreaCard, Macrosynergy, Sisley, William Hill plc, Toyota Canada, Royal British Legion, Vitol, Allianz, KKR, AIRBUS, dpd, Billabong, Mclaren Group.

Buyer's Guide

Aqua Cloud Security Platform vs. Darktrace

April 2026

Free Report: Aqua Cloud Security Platform vs. Darktrace

Find out what your peers are saying about Aqua Cloud Security Platform vs. Darktrace and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.

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