Editorial take
Why it stands out
Falco should be framed as runtime detection infrastructure, not as just another scanner or policy engine.
Loading
Tool profile
Open-source cloud-native runtime threat detection engine for containers, Kubernetes, Linux hosts, and suspicious workload behavior.
Runtime threat detection
Falco belongs in the database because runtime security is too important to leave implied when the catalog covers build-time and policy tooling so heavily. The official project and Sysdig surfaces position Falco as an open-source runtime threat detection engine for cloud-native environments, focused on suspicious behavior, compliance violations, anomalous activity, and real-time detection across containers, Kubernetes, and Linux systems. That makes Falco a different kind of security tool than Snyk or Trivy. It is not mainly about scanning artifacts before they ship. It is about observing what workloads actually do while they run.
That distinction is exactly why Falco is a valuable addition. Many real stacks combine static or build-time scanning with runtime visibility, and Falco is still one of the most recognized OSS names in that runtime layer. Pricing is also straightforward to frame honestly: the upstream project is free and open source, while paid value usually appears through supporting products, managed security platforms, or premium rule content in the broader ecosystem.
Quick fit
Editorial take
Falco should be framed as runtime detection infrastructure, not as just another scanner or policy engine.
What it does well
Primary use cases
Fit notes
Compare with
Pressure-test this pick against nearby alternatives.
Apache Kafka
Free planEvent streaming and event-driven architectures
Open-source distributed event streaming platform for high-throughput pipelines, pub/sub, and stream-processing ecosystems.
Choose Kafka when replayable event streams and ecosystem breadth matter more than the lightest possible operational footprint.
Pricing snapshot
Falco is open source and free to use directly. The checked official project surfaces do not publish a standalone upstream pricing table, so paid costs generally come from managed security platforms, support, or premium rule content in the surrounding ecosystem.
Arcjet
Free planApplication runtime security
Runtime security toolkit for modern applications and AI systems that helps teams enforce quotas, block bots, prevent prompt abuse, and ship app-level protections in code.
Closer to application-runtime security and abuse-prevention tooling than to classic perimeter appliances.
