Compare · Open source
ConfigCobra vs Prowler
Prowler is an open-source platform that you run yourself or use hosted, with broad coverage across clouds, Kubernetes, code and SaaS; ConfigCobra is a hosted, read-only service for Microsoft 365, Azure, Google Cloud and AWS built around CIS benchmarks, a cross-cloud inventory and fix-impact preview. Choose Prowler for breadth and pipeline use, ConfigCobra for CIS results, inventory insights and audit evidence in one place.
At a glance
| ConfigCobra | Prowler | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A read-only cloud posture service for Microsoft 365, Azure, Google Cloud and AWS, built around CIS benchmarks, an inventory and impact analysis | An open-source cloud security platform: CLI, self-hosted Local Server, hosted Prowler Cloud and a Private Cloud edition |
| Clouds covered | Microsoft 365, Azure, Google Cloud, AWS (Google Workspace is coming soon) | README table lists AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes, GitHub, M365, OCI, Alibaba Cloud, Cloudflare, Google Workspace, OpenStack and more |
| Benchmarks / checks | CIS Microsoft 365 Foundations v7.0.0 (160 controls); four CIS Azure benchmarks (339 controls); CIS Google Cloud Platform Foundation v5.0.0 (93); four CIS AWS benchmarks (306) | Checks per provider in its README: AWS 662, Azure 191, GCP 110, M365 144; compliance frameworks per provider, CIS among them |
| Asset inventory (what objects it collects) | One inventory across clouds, per-cloud and All clouds views. Microsoft 365: users, guests, admins, groups, devices, apps, mailboxes, SharePoint sites, policies, domains, licences, roles. Azure, Google Cloud, AWS: resources with security properties | Resource inventory in the dashboards of the web edition; an AWS-only attack-path graph built on a cloud inventory. Object list per cloud: Not documented |
| Risk views (inactive users, guests, app secrets…) | Built-in views: users inactive 90 days, guests who never signed in, expiring app credentials, no MFA, high-privilege app permissions | ThreatScore (0–100 risk prioritisation) and attack paths; named identity views such as inactive users or app secrets: Not documented |
| Cost and licence savings (unused paid licences, licences of inactive users, unattached disks) | Views of the inventory for unused paid licences, licences of inactive users and unattached disks | Not documented |
| Remediation impact analysis (what a fix changes before you apply it) | Yes: shows what a fix changes in your environment before you apply it, with an impact level (High, Medium, Low, None) | Remediation guidance on every finding, and an Autonomous Fixer in the paid edition; an impact view of a fix: Not documented |
| Drift monitoring and scheduled scans | Continuous scanning and drift detection; every connected cloud is scanned automatically every day, and an ad hoc scan can be started any time | Scheduled scans (daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly) in Prowler Cloud; the Local Server runs a scheduler component; drift detection: Not documented |
| Notifications | Email notifications for findings and drift | Email and Slack alerts and Jira in Prowler Cloud |
| Reports and evidence | PDF report, audit-ready evidence export, inventory CSV export, read-only auditor seat | Reports and exports in CSV, JSON-OCSF, HTML and compliance CSV; SARIF; AWS Security Hub integration |
| AI assistant (MCP) | Yes: a native MCP server that answers from live scan data | Lighthouse AI and an MCP server (Prowler Cloud, paid) |
| Multi-tenant / MSP use | Yes: assess subsidiaries or client tenants from one workspace | A multi-tenant environment for MSPs and MSSPs through its partner program |
| How it runs (install, agent, SaaS, script) | Hosted service; no agent and no software to install | CLI (pip or container), Local Server (Docker Compose), hosted Prowler Cloud, or Private Cloud in your own environment |
| Access it needs | Read-only on every cloud (Graph read permissions, Reader, a viewer-level service account, an assume-role); it never changes the tenant | Prowler Cloud uses a Prowler SaaS IAM role in scanned accounts; exact permissions per cloud: Not documented |
| Licence / pricing model | 14-day free trial with full access, then a subscription | CLI, SDK and Local Server are Apache-2.0 and free; Prowler Cloud lists $99 per cloud account per month billed monthly, 20% less billed annually, with a 7-day free trial |
What Prowler does well
Prowler is broad. Its README describes an open-source platform that you can run in four ways, and the same engine sits behind each one. If you want one tool for many kinds of target, its coverage is wider than ConfigCobra's.
- Wide scope. The README table lists AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes, GitHub, Microsoft 365, Oracle Cloud, Alibaba Cloud, Cloudflare, Google Workspace and others, plus infrastructure-as-code and container image scanning. ConfigCobra covers four clouds.
- Many checks. It lists 662 checks for AWS, 191 for Azure, 110 for GCP and 144 for Microsoft 365, with a Prowler Hub to browse them. These are Prowler checks, not the same unit as CIS controls, so the numbers are not directly comparable to ConfigCobra's control counts.
- Open and flexible. The CLI, SDK and Local Server are Apache-2.0. The pricing page describes enabling or disabling checks and services, scan throttling and a private registry in the paid edition.
- Fits pipelines. There is an official GitHub Action with SARIF output, JSON-OCSF and CSV exports, and an AWS Security Hub integration.
- Team workflow in the paid edition. The pricing page lists finding statuses, Jira, Slack and email alerts and single sign-on.
Where ConfigCobra is different
ConfigCobra is narrower and more opinionated. It is built around four clouds, each measured against the CIS benchmarks, with one inventory and a set of modules on top. It is read-only and never changes a tenant.
- CSPM. CIS Microsoft 365 Foundations Benchmark v7.0.0 with 160 controls (143 automated, 17 manual), four CIS Azure benchmarks with 339 controls, CIS Google Cloud Platform Foundation Benchmark v5.0.0 with 93 controls and four CIS AWS benchmarks with 306 controls. Each finding carries evidence and a severity estimate, which is ConfigCobra's own prioritisation because CIS publishes no severity. A dashboard shows the compliance score and the most severe failures.
- Inventory & Insights. One inventory with a per-cloud and an All clouds view. On Microsoft 365 it holds users, guests, admins, groups, devices, enterprise apps, app registrations, mailboxes, SharePoint sites, policies, domains, licences and directory roles. Azure, Google Cloud and AWS resources come with their security properties. Built-in risk views include users inactive 90 days, guests who never signed in and expired or soon-expiring app credentials. A relation graph shows how objects connect, findings link to the objects they concern, and the inventory exports to CSV.
- Cost & licence optimisation. Three views of the inventory: unused paid licences, licences of inactive users and unattached disks.
- Remediation impact analysis. Before you apply a fix, it lists the users, groups, mailboxes, apps and policies (or the resources and identities on the other clouds) that would be affected, with the effect, a confidence level and a prepare step. Impact is rated High, Medium, Low or None.
- Monitoring & drift detection. Every connected cloud is scanned automatically every day, you can start an ad hoc scan, and you get an email when a control regresses or drift appears.
- Reports & evidence. A PDF report with findings, evidence and a timestamped snapshot, an audit-ready evidence export and a read-only auditor seat for clients or external auditors.
- AI assistant. A native MCP server lets Claude, Cursor or another MCP client ask about posture, findings and global admins, answered from live scan data.
- Multi-tenant workspace. Assess subsidiaries or client tenants from one workspace.
Microsoft 365, Azure, Google Cloud and AWS are all available. Google Workspace is coming soon.
Which one to choose
Pick by the shape of the job, not by a feature count.
- Prowler fits if you need coverage beyond the four clouds (Kubernetes, GitHub, infrastructure as code), want to run checks from a pipeline, want to self-host, or want to build on an open-source engine you can inspect and extend.
- ConfigCobra fits if your estate is Microsoft 365 and the big three clouds, you want CIS benchmark results with evidence in one hosted service, you want the inventory risk views, licence and disk savings and fix-impact preview, or you hand audit evidence to clients or auditors through a read-only seat.
- Run both if a platform team wants raw check output in CI while a security or MSP team works from the CIS results, inventory and reports. The two do not conflict because both read from the cloud.
How to move or run them side by side
There is nothing to migrate from one to the other, because neither stores configuration the other needs. A side-by-side run is the safest way to compare.
- Start the ConfigCobra 14-day free trial, which gives full access, and connect one tenant, subscription, project or account with read-only access.
- Keep your current Prowler runs as they are.
- After the first ConfigCobra scan (Microsoft 365 results arrive in 20–25 minutes), compare failing items. Expect differences in wording and units: Prowler reports checks, ConfigCobra reports CIS controls.
- Use the inventory views and the impact analysis for the items you plan to fix, then apply fixes yourself with your own process. ConfigCobra only suggests the script or portal steps.
Facts about Prowler on this page come from its README, licence and pricing page, checked on 2026-11-02.
Sources
- raw.githubusercontent.comhttps://raw.githubusercontent.com/prowler-cloud/prowler/master/README.md
- prowler.comhttps://prowler.com/pricing
- raw.githubusercontent.comhttps://raw.githubusercontent.com/prowler-cloud/prowler/master/LICENSE
Facts about Prowler come from its public documentation, last checked 1 Nov 2026. Product names and trademarks belong to their owners. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
See where your cloud stands
ConfigCobra checks Microsoft 365, Azure, Google Cloud and AWS against the CIS benchmarks, read-only.