# Cloud-native application protection for small business buyers: what AI models recommend, November 2026

Gane Index, November 2026 Edition. Asked as "CNAPP" and as "cloud-native application protection platform", six framings each, to fourteen models with search on, on behalf of a small B2B company. Page: https://www.gane.ai/index/it/cloud/cloud-native-application-protection/smb

**Standing:** Microsoft Defender for Cloud leads with 30% of first choices; verdict contested. 56 first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts.

## First-choice share

| Rank | Product | Share | Negative rate | Labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [Microsoft Defender for Cloud](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/vendors/microsoft-defender-for-cloud/index.md) | 30% | 17% | 64 |
| 2 | [Aikido Security](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/vendors/aikido-security/index.md) | 25% | 3% | 39 |
| 3 | [Orca Security](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/vendors/orca-security/index.md) | 16% | 19% | 57 |
| 4 | [Wiz](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/vendors/wiz/index.md) | 11% | 46% | 61 |
| 8 | [FortiCNAPP](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/vendors/forticnapp/index.md) | 2% | 35% | 20 |
| 12 | [Cyscale CNAPP](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/vendors/cyscale-cnapp/index.md) | 0% | 7% | 15 |
| 13 | [AWS Security Hub](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/vendors/aws-security-hub/index.md) | 0% | 13% | 15 |
| 15 | [SecPod Saner Cloud](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/vendors/secpod-saner-cloud/index.md) | 0% | 8% | 12 |
| 16 | [Trivy](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/vendors/trivy/index.md) | 0% | 0% | 10 |
| 47 | [Aqua Security](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/vendors/aqua-security/index.md) | 0% | 46% | 13 |
| 48 | [Sysdig Secure](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/vendors/sysdig-secure/index.md) | 0% | 45% | 20 |
| 55 | [CrowdStrike Falcon Cloud Security](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/vendors/crowdstrike-falcon-cloud-security/index.md) | 0% | 48% | 31 |

Rank is by share of first choices among all 57 products named; products with the same share are tied, and the order among them carries no meaning. The table lists those with at least 10 labels.

## Each model's first choice on the direct prompt

- Claude Haiku 4.5: Lightspin, Orca Security; alternatives Microsoft Defender for Cloud
- GPT-5.4 mini: Microsoft Defender for Cloud; alternatives Wiz
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: Orca Security, Wiz; alternatives AWS Native Stack, Aikido Security, Datadog Cloud Security, Microsoft Defender for Cloud
- Perplexity Sonar: Aikido Security; alternatives Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Orca Security, Sysdig Secure
- Grok 4.20: Wiz; alternatives Aikido Security, Cyscale CNAPP, Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Orca Security
- Mistral Small: Aikido Security; alternatives Microsoft Defender for Cloud, TigerGate
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: Aikido Security; alternatives Microsoft Defender for Cloud
- Llama 4 Maverick: Aikido Security; alternatives Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Orca Security, TigerGate
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: Wiz; alternatives Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Orca Security, Tenable Cloud Security
- Kimi K2: FortiCNAPP, Orca Security; alternatives Aikido Security, Microsoft Defender for Cloud
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: Aikido Security, Microsoft Defender for Cloud; alternatives CrowdStrike Falcon Cloud Security, Orca Security, Wiz
- MiniMax M2.5: Orca Security, Wiz; alternatives CrowdStrike Falcon Cloud Security, FortiCNAPP, Microsoft Defender for Cloud
- GPT-6 Luna: Wiz Go; alternatives AWS Security Hub, Microsoft Defender for Cloud
- Muse Glimmer 30B: Check Point CloudGuard, Fidelis Halo Cloud Secure, Microsoft Defender for Cloud; alternatives Aikido Securi, Orca Security, TigerGate, Wiz

## Sources the answers cite

75 of 84 answers came back with a source list, from 14 of 14 models. Sites named in the most answers:

- g2.com: 50 answers, 84 citations
- softwaretestinghelp.com: 33 answers, 33 citations
- sourceforge.net: 27 answers, 31 citations
- comparitech.com: 25 answers, 25 citations
- microsoft.com: 21 answers, 36 citations
- expertinsights.com: 21 answers, 21 citations
- wiz.io: 20 answers, 24 citations
- gane.ai/index: 19 answers, 25 citations

Pages named in the most answers:

- https://g2.com/categories/cloud-native-application-protection-platform-cnapp/small-business (46 answers)
- https://softwaretestinghelp.com/best-cnapp-vendors (33 answers)
- https://sourceforge.net/software/cloud-native-application-protection-platforms-cnapp/for-small-business (26 answers)
- https://comparitech.com/net-admin/best-cnapp (25 answers)
- https://startupstash.com/top-cloud-native-application-protection-platforms (19 answers)
- https://gane.ai/index/it/cloud/cloud-native-application-protection/smb (18 answers)
- https://csoonline.com/article/573629/cnapp-buyers-guide-top-tools-compared.html (17 answers)
- https://expertinsights.com/application-security/the-top-cloud-native-application-protection-platforms-cnapps (17 answers)
- https://cyberpress.org/cnapp-platforms-by-business-size-2 (16 answers)
- https://cloudaware.com/blog/cnapp-tools (14 answers)

## Warned against

- Wiz: 28 of 61 labels negative. "Often recommended to be avoided unless you have specific compliance or multi-cloud-at-scale requirements that justify its enterprise-level pricing and complexity." (Mistral Small, negative prompt)
- Prisma Cloud: 30 of 36 labels negative. "What Small Teams Should Avoid ... Prisma Cloud historically consists of multiple acquired modules ... high maintenance overhead" (Gemini 3.5 Flash, comparative prompt)
- CrowdStrike Falcon Cloud Security: 15 of 31 labels negative. "approach Prisma Cloud, Wiz, Orca, and CrowdStrike Falcon Cloud Security with significant caution" (DeepSeek V4 Flash, negative prompt)
- Orca Security: 11 of 57 labels negative. "Avoid Wiz/Orca/Prisma unless you have specific compliance or multi-cloud-at-scale requirements" (DeepSeek V4 Flash, negative prompt)

## Movement since October 2026

Floor: 11 points of share, measured on the calibration repeat.
New leader: Aikido Security (29%) to Microsoft Defender for Cloud (30%). Margin 5 points, within noise.

- FortiCNAPP: 7% to 2%, −5. Inside the floor by 6 points · rank 5 → 8 of 57.
- Aikido Security: 29% to 25%, −4. Inside the floor by 7 points · rank 1 → 2 of 57.
- Microsoft Defender for Cloud: 28% to 30%, +2. Inside the floor by 9 points · rank 2 → 1 of 57.
- Wiz: 9% to 11%, +2. Inside the floor by 9 points · rank 4 of 57, unchanged.
- Cyscale CNAPP: 2% to 0%, −2. Inside the floor by 9 points · rank 7 → 12 of 57.
- AWS Security Hub: 2% to 0%, −2. Inside the floor by 9 points · rank 9 → 13 of 57.
- Sweet Security: 2% to 0%, −2. Inside the floor by 9 points · rank 8 → 21 of 57.
- Cloudanix: 2% to 0%, −2. Not named this edition · was rank 6 of 60.
- Orca Security: 16% to 16%, ±0. Inside the floor by 11 points · rank 3 of 57, unchanged.
- Prowler: 0% to 0%, ±0. Inside the floor by 11 points · rank 13 → 14 of 57.
- SecPod Saner Cloud: 0% to 0%, ±0. New · not ranked in October 2026 · rank 15 of 57.
- Trivy: 0% to 0%, ±0. Inside the floor by 11 points · rank 17 → 16 of 57.

## Record

- Method: https://www.gane.ai/index/it/methodology
- License: CC BY 4.0. Cite as Gane Index, November 2026 Edition, www.gane.ai/index/it.