7 AWS Config Alternatives for Cloud Compliance

Cloud Custodian is a free, open source tool that lets you define cloud policies as code and enforce them automatically. You write a policy in YAML, such as tagging untagged resources or stopping idle instances, and Cloud Custodian runs it on a schedule through a serverless function. The policy library covers hundreds of common checks across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, so you rarely start from a blank file.

• It is maintained by a large community and used by companies that manage thousands of resources.
• The main cost is learning.
• Writing and testing policies takes time, and you need to understand the cloud APIs to write a good rule.
• There is no hosted console or support contract unless you buy one from a vendor.

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Prowler is a free, open source security tool that scans your cloud accounts against a large set of checks drawn from CIS benchmarks and other frameworks. It covers AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and Kubernetes, and it produces reports in HTML, CSV, and JSON that you can feed into your own ticketing or reporting system. The checks cover identity, storage, networking, logging, and encryption, which matches much of what AWS Config rules do.

• Prowler also offers a commercial cloud version with a hosted dashboard.
• The open source version is a command line tool, so you run it yourself and store the results.
• That suits security teams that already have a reporting pipeline, but it is less convenient than a hosted console.
• The commercial version adds the dashboard and team features for a subscription price.

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ScoutSuite is a free, open source multi cloud security auditing tool from NCC Group. It connects to AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and other providers, collects the configuration of your resources, and produces an HTML report that highlights misconfigurations and risks. The report groups findings by service and severity, which makes it easy to hand to an engineer or an auditor.

• ScoutSuite needs no agent and no changes to your cloud accounts beyond read only credentials.
• The trade off is pace and polish.
• ScoutSuite is maintained by a smaller team than Prowler or Cloud Custodian, and new checks arrive more slowly.
• The report is a snapshot rather than a live dashboard, so you need to run it on a schedule to track changes.

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Fugue is a policy as code tool that checks your infrastructure before it is deployed. It reads Terraform plans and compares them against compliance rules, then reports violations with the exact resource and line that caused them. That shift left approach catches misconfigurations before they reach production, which is different from AWS Config, which mostly reports on resources that already exist.

• Fugue also supports runtime checks for resources that drift after deployment.
• The main limits are price and scope.
• Fugue does not publish pricing, so you need a quote to compare it, and the strongest features assume you use Terraform.
• Teams that use CloudFormation or the console will get less value.

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Turbot is a cloud governance platform that manages policy, permissions, and controls across many cloud accounts. It lets you define guardrails once and apply them to every account, with automatic remediation for common violations. The platform covers AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, and it includes audit trails and reporting for compliance teams.

• Turbot is aimed at enterprises that run dozens or hundreds of accounts and need consistent controls across all of them.
• The cost and complexity are the barriers for smaller teams.
• Turbot does not publish pricing, and the setup involves defining your governance model across accounts.
• A team with one or two accounts will find a simpler tool faster to adopt.

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Wiz is a cloud security platform that scans your cloud environment without installing agents. It maps your resources, identities, and network paths into a risk graph, then shows which combinations of issues create a real attack path. That context is the main advantage over a simple rule checker: instead of a long list of findings, you see the few that matter most.

• Wiz covers AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and Kubernetes, and it includes vulnerability scanning, secrets detection, and compliance reporting.
• The drawback is price.
• Wiz does not publish pricing, and it is aimed at mid size and larger companies, so small teams may find it expensive.
• The platform is also broad, which means the setup and the number of features can feel like a lot for a team that only needs compliance checks.

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Prisma Cloud, from Palo Alto Networks, is a full cloud native application protection platform that covers code security, cloud posture, workload protection, and runtime defense. It checks cloud configurations against compliance frameworks, scans code and containers for vulnerabilities, and monitors workloads at runtime. The compliance reporting covers many frameworks, and the integrations with CI pipelines and ticketing tools are extensive.

• For teams that want one vendor for cloud security, Prisma Cloud is a comprehensive option.
• The trade off is scope and price.
• Prisma Cloud does not publish pricing, and the platform takes time to configure and tune.
• A small team that only needs configuration checks will find it more than they need.

Visit Prisma Cloud →