Meanwhile, Wiz is a very young cybersecurity startup founded in 2020 aiming to make a name for itself in the world of cloud security.
In this article, we examine how CrowdStrike and Wiz stack up against each other to determine which is best for you and your organization.
CrowdStrike vs. Wiz: Comparison Table
| Initial price | $59.99 per year (Falcon Go) |
Use their online portal for price quotation. |
| Cloud native application protection platform | yes | yes |
| Cloud Security Position Management | yes | yes |
| Cloud workload protection | yes | yes |
| Agent-based or agentless | Unified agent and agentless | Without an agent |
| Endpoint detection and response | yes | No |
| Cloud detection and response | yes | yes |
CrowdStrike vs Wiz: Pricing
As a disclaimer, this article compares CrowdStrike and Wiz and their overall product offerings. Although the emphasis is on cloud security solutions, we aim to provide general differences between the two providers as a whole.
CrowdStrike Pricing
CrowdStrike offers a variety of cybersecurity solutions that meet different security needs and business sizes.
Below is a brief summary of the pricing and feature differences for each:
- Falcon Go: $59.99 per year; Next-generation antivirus, device control, and express support.
- Falcon Pro: $99.99 per device, billed annually; All Falcon Go features plus firewall management.
- Falcon Enterprise: $184.99 per device, annual bill All Falcon Pro features plus EDR, threat detection, and intelligence capabilities.
- Falcon Elite: Contact sales for pricing. All Falcon Enterprise features plus IT hygiene and identity protection.
- CrowdStrike Cloud Security: Contact sales for pricing; CSPM, ASPM, container security, and server vulnerability graphs.
CrowdStrike offers free trials for most of the subscriptions listed above. I recommend interested buyers check out these trials to get a feel for CrowdStrike’s services and whether they fit your organization’s needs.
Wiz Pricing
Wiz does not provide standard pricing for its cloud services. Instead, it offers one-to-one curated pricing based on your organization’s existing cloud workloads and environment.
On their official website, Wiz has a quote request portal that asks a few questions before providing a custom price quote. Below are some of the questions and details asked of Wiz:
- How much cloud are you using? (AWS, GCP, Azure, etc.)
- Providing name and work email address.
- Job title, company name, and phone number.
You can also get a personalized 30-minute demo of Wiz’s software through their official website. Like a price request, it is accessible after providing a few details.
CrowdStrike vs Wiz: Feature Comparison
Area of focus
While in the cybersecurity space, CrowdStrike and Wiz take different approaches to the services they’re best known for.
On the one hand, Wiz is primarily concerned with securing the cloud environment and cloud infrastructure. This is achieved through their Cloud Security Posture Management, Vulnerability Management, Infrastructure Entitlements Management, and Cloud Native Application Protection Platform consoles.
CrowdStrike, on the other hand, focuses more on endpoint security and is considered the industry leader with its EDR and XDR offerings. They also have detection and response, NGAV, and threat service options.
Clearly, CrowdStrike has a dedicated Falcon Cloud Security product that overlaps Wiz’s offerings. It combines the functionality of CSPM, CNAPP, and CIEM into a unified console.
Despite these similarities, I think it’s a good place to start to understand which provider to go for. Are you looking for a solution that provides strong visibility and security specifically for your cloud infrastructure? In that case, Wiz might be a better choice.
Meanwhile, if you want a more comprehensive provider that offers both cloud and endpoint security tools, CrowdStrike should be your primary consideration.
Independent assessment
If we look at independent reviews, both CrowdStrike and Wiz rank well among their competitors in the cloud space.
i ForresterView’s Cloud Workload Security Report For Q1 2024, CrowdStrike was named the leader, while Wiz was recognized as a strong performer.
The report praised CrowdStrike for its CWS vision, robust container runtime protection, and robust agent-based CWP. Meanwhile, Wiz was highlighted as a solid choice for organizations that “prefer agentless CWP, need attack path visualization, but only minimal agent-based workload protections.”
One thing to note is that this is Weiss’ first inclusion in the Forrester Report. Despite being only four years old, I feel it shows how the company has already made a good impression on both end users and independent evaluators.
For CrowdStrike’s part, their frequent presence at the top of third-party reports shows that they are still one of the most influential players in cybersecurity today.
Agent-based vs. agentless
A key difference between the two is their choice of agent-based and agentless security.
CrowdStrike is known for its agent-based Falcon platform, but in recent years it has also introduced agentless security. Now, it positions its Falcon Cloud Security service as a “flexible” agent-based and agentless unified platform, aiming to bring the benefits of both systems into its software.
Meanwhile, Wiz’s CSPM platform is an agentless solution that prioritizes ease of deployment, low maintenance requirements, and scalability.
Crowdstrike vs. Wiz on Reddit
To accomplish this comparison, I scoured online forums and communities like Reddit to see how CrowdStrike and Wiz worked with different users around the world.
For both, user feedback appears to be very positive. i The Cybersecurity Reddit Communitya poster asked what other users’ experiences had been with Wiz and their cloud-based solutions.
One commenter in this thread said, “Wiz has been really useful for us. We went with it because it’s agentless, making deployment super quick and straightforward. It’s great for identifying vulnerabilities and misconfigurations.” Well, that’s a huge help.
“The interface is pretty solid, with everything we need to see in one place, and while it’s on the pricier side, the amount of work it saves justifies the cost,” commented added.
On the other hand, recent talk about CrowdStrike revolves around their involvement in a global IT shutdown in July 2024. In this incident, a faulty CrowdStrike Falcon sensor update caused a massive IT disruption affecting 8.5 million Windows devices worldwide. Learn more about you. Closure of crowd strike by our news article.
Despite this, many users continue to express their support for CrowdStrike. In another post within The Cybersecurity Reddit Communityone user had this to say when asked if they would continue to use CrowdStrike:
“CrowdStrike has always been a respected brand with high performing metrics. Every company has its hiccups. The real question is how they handle their mistakes. (IMO, they handled it pretty well. (fixed in less than 12 hours and automation fixed in 24). is software that is to help,” said the commenter.
“The fact CrowdStrike received so much attention in the media is a testament to how many customers they have,” added the commenter.
See: Top 4 CrowdStrike Alternatives and Rivals in 2024 (Tech Republic)
Advantages and Disadvantages of CrowdStrike
Advantages of CrowdStrike
- Agent-based and agentless solutions.
- Dark cloud visibility.
- Also offers EDR and XDR.
Disadvantages of CrowdStrike
- Involvement in July 2024 IT shutdown.
Pros and cons of Wiz
Benefits of Wiz
- Full focus on cloud infrastructure security.
- Completely agentless.
- Straightforward deployment and intuitive UI.
Disadvantages of Wiz
- Fewer options in terms of other security solutions.
Should Your Business Use CrowdStrike or Wiz?
Both CrowdStrike and Wiz are standard choices when it comes to securing your organization’s cloud infrastructure. That being said, there are differences between the two that may sway your decision on one over the other.
If you’re looking for a provider with years of industry experience, robust real-time threat response, and an agent-based platform, CrowdStrike Falcon Cloud Security should be your choice. It’s also a better choice if your business is looking for additional security services, especially in endpoint security.
On the other hand, if you prefer to invest in a new cybersecurity provider that only emphasizes cloud security, Wiz is the better option. It’s also the obvious choice if you want a completely agentless solution and if your business doesn’t want to work with CrowdStrike after the July 2024 shutdown.
See: Everything you need to know about the malvertising cybersecurity threat. (TechRepublic Premium)
Procedure
My comparison of CrowdStrike and Wiz included a head-to-head comparison of their software offerings, features, and overall value.
Specifically, I looked at key differences between the two cloud providers, such as their area of focus, independent evaluation, and the choice between agent-based or agentless security. Research on providers included an extensive review of official product documentation, available demos, and advertised use cases for each product.
In addition, real user feedback and verified third-party reviews were also considered to arrive at the final recommendations.