Aqua Security vs Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes

Aqua Security9.4Visit Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes9.0Visit

Higher score Aqua Security #1 in Kubernetes Security Software 9.4/10 Pricing on request ✓ 3 of 5 features Visit Aqua Security

vs

Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes #4 in Kubernetes Security Software 9.0/10 Pricing on request · 60-day trial Free trial✓ 5 of 5 features Contact Red Hat

• Aqua Security fits best

  Enterprises needing broad Kubernetes security

• Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes fits best

  Red Hat and enterprise Kubernetes environments

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Side by side

Feature	Aqua Security 9.4/10 Visit ↗	Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes 9.0/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.4	9.0
Ranking	#1 in Kubernetes Security Software	#4 in Kubernetes Security Software
Best for	Enterprises needing broad Kubernetes security	Red Hat and enterprise Kubernetes environments
Pricing model	Paid	Paid
Starting price	—	Pricing on request · 60-day trial
Free plan	—	—
Free trial	—	60 days
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms	Web, Linux	Web
Support	Email, Tickets	Email, Live chat, Phone, Tickets, Docs
Integrations	17 integrations	5 integrations
Built for	Mid-market, Enterprise	Enterprise
Features Aqua Security 3/5 · Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes 5/5
Image scanning	✓	✓
Posture management	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Runtime protection	✓	✓
Admission control	✓	✓
Identity security	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Specs
Deployment model	Hybrid	Hybrid
Managed Kubernetes	Not checked yet	Broad
Our review
Pros	Covers image, registry, posture, admission, runtime, SBOM, and forensics Supports Kubernetes, major cloud services, registries, CI/CD, and SIEM tools Adds runtime context for vulnerability prioritization and attack prevention	Covers image, posture, compliance, build, deploy, and runtime security Enforces policies at build, deployment, runtime, and admission stages Integrates with CI/CD, registries, SIEM, logging, and email systems
Cons	No free plan is available Pricing requires contact with sales Repository- and workload-based pricing can complicate budgeting	Pricing requires contacting Red Hat There is no free plan The 60-day trial is self-supported
Our verdict	Aqua Security is a cloud-native application protection platform for organizations securing software from development through production. It brings together scanning for container images, repositories, vulnerabilities, secrets, malware, and… Read the review →	Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes is an enterprise Kubernetes-native security platform covering cloud-native applications from build through deployment and runtime. It supports self-managed Kubernetes and OpenShift… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Aqua Security — where it wins

  • Covers image, registry, posture, admission, runtime, SBOM, and forensics
  • Supports Kubernetes, major cloud services, registries, CI/CD, and SIEM tools
  • Adds runtime context for vulnerability prioritization and attack prevention

  Where it doesn't

  • No free plan is available
  • Pricing requires contact with sales
  • Repository- and workload-based pricing can complicate budgeting

• Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes — where it wins

  • Covers image, posture, compliance, build, deploy, and runtime security
  • Enforces policies at build, deployment, runtime, and admission stages
  • Integrates with CI/CD, registries, SIEM, logging, and email systems

  Where it doesn't

  • Pricing requires contacting Red Hat
  • There is no free plan
  • The 60-day trial is self-supported

• Aqua Security9.4/10 · Pricing on request

  Broad Kubernetes security spanning supply chain, posture, admission, runtime, and forensics.

  Visit Aqua SecurityFull verdict →
• Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes9.0/10 · Pricing on request · 60-day trial

  Broad Kubernetes security coverage for Red Hat and enterprise environments.

  Contact Red HatFull verdict →