Prowler vs Wazuh
Both are alternatives to Vanta. Here's how they stack up — verified facts, no spin.
Also searched as Wazuh vs Prowler — same comparison, one verdict.
Prowler
TOP PICKOpen-source cloud security posture scanning with framework check packs.
Scans AWS, Azure, GCP and Kubernetes against hundreds of checks and maps them to compliance frameworks including CIS, SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR and NIST. Runs as a CLI in CI or as a self-hosted app, and produces the technical-control evidence a compliance platform would otherwise gather for you.
Wazuh
Open-source SIEM and XDR with compliance reporting built in.
Agent-based security monitoring with file integrity checks, vulnerability detection, log analysis and prebuilt compliance reporting for PCI DSS, HIPAA, NIST 800-53 and GDPR. Covers the continuous-monitoring requirement that auditors ask about, on infrastructure you run.
Side by side
| Prowler | Wazuh | |
|---|---|---|
| Sovereignty Score | 92 | 88 |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| Local-first | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Pricing | Free / self-host; optional paid hosted Prowler Cloud | Free / self-host; paid Wazuh Cloud available |
Prowler is Macrostack's recommended Vanta alternative, so it's our pick here.
Prowler
Strengths
- +Framework mappings are built in — SOC 2, CIS, HIPAA, GDPR, NIST and more, not just raw findings
- +Runs in CI, so posture is checked on every change rather than the week before an audit
- +Covers the part of compliance that is genuinely automatable: technical control state
Trade-offs
- −Produces evidence, not an audit — no auditor relationship, no report
- −No policy management, security training tracking or vendor review workflow
- −Someone has to own the findings; the tool will not chase them
Wazuh
Strengths
- +Genuine SIEM capability, not just configuration scanning
- +Compliance report templates map findings to named framework controls
- +Large deployed base and active development
Trade-offs
- −Real operational weight — agents, indexers and storage to run and tune
- −Overkill if you only need cloud posture and have no on-host estate
- −Again: monitoring and evidence, never the audit itself
Related alternative guides
Facts verified 2026-09-01. Licenses and pricing change — spotted something out of date? That's a correction we want.