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Government · head to head

AWS GovCloud vs Falco

AWS GovCloud logo

AWS GovCloud

Government

Secure Cloud for Government

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Falco logo

Falco

Cybersecurity

CNCF-graduated runtime threat detection for Linux and Kubernetes using eBPF

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Falco has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: AWS GovCloud access is restricted to vetted US entities, with account holders screened for US citizenship or permanent residency; Falco falco detects and alerts but does not block; stopping an attack requires wiring up Falco Talon or your own response tooling, so out of the box a confirmed detection still means a human intervening after the fact.
  • They diverge on capability: AWS GovCloud covers FedRAMP High Authorized, Falco covers eBPF kernel instrumentation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which AWS GovCloud and Falco actually diverge.

Attributes where AWS GovCloud and Falco differ
AttributeAWS GovCloudFalco
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelusage-basedOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Cli, SdkLinux, Kubernetes, Self-hosted
CategoryGovernmentCybersecurity
Founded2006Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in AWS GovCloud

  • FedRAMP High Authorized
  • ITAR Compliant
  • DOD SRG Levels
  • Isolated Infrastructure
  • Full AWS Services
  • Third-party Tools
  • Government Systems
  • Security Tools

Only in Falco

  • eBPF kernel instrumentation
  • System call rules engine
  • Container and Kubernetes context
  • Default rule set
  • Falcosidekick
  • Falco Talon
  • Plugins framework
  • DaemonSet deployment

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

AWS GovCloud

  • Hosting controlled unclassified information for US federal agenciesnot Falco
  • Workloads requiring FedRAMP High, ITAR or DFARS compliancenot Falco
  • Defence and public sector systems needing US-person operationnot Falco
  • Regulated contractors handling government datanot Falco

Falco

  • A platform team that needs to know when a shell is opened inside a production container, which image scanning cannot detect because it happens at runtimenot AWS GovCloud
  • A regulated business required to evidence host and container intrusion detection on Kubernetes nodes for an auditnot AWS GovCloud
  • A security team wanting a vendor-neutral detection layer whose rules they can read and modify rather than a black-box agentnot AWS GovCloud
  • A cluster where a compromised dependency might write to sensitive paths or open unexpected outbound connections, and only kernel-level visibility will catch itnot AWS GovCloud

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

AWS GovCloud

  • Access is restricted to vetted US entities, with account holders screened for US citizenship or permanent residency
  • Separate IAM, console, CLI and APIs from commercial AWS, so accounts and tooling do not carry across
  • Not every AWS service is available in the two GovCloud regions
  • Pricing is not published on the product page

Falco

  • Falco detects and alerts but does not block; stopping an attack requires wiring up Falco Talon or your own response tooling, so out of the box a confirmed detection still means a human intervening after the fact.
  • The default rule set is noisy in real clusters and generates a large volume of benign matches from normal operational activity; without weeks of tuning, alert fatigue sets in and the team stops reading the feed, which is the usual failure mode.
  • There is no storage, console, search or case management in the project, so a working detection capability means also running Falcosidekick, an event store, a dashboard and alert routing, all of which you build, host and maintain.
  • The modern eBPF driver requires kernel 5.8 or later; older hosts fall back to the legacy probe or the kernel module, which brings driver-building against kernel headers and the operational fragility that comes with it on every kernel upgrade.
  • Per-node syscall instrumentation carries measurable CPU overhead on busy hosts, and the cost scales with syscall volume rather than with cluster size, so the noisiest and most performance-sensitive workloads are exactly the ones that feel it most.

Pricing, plan by plan

AWS GovCloud

On request
  • Pay-as-you-goFree
    • Compute
    • Storage
    • Database

Falco

Free
  • Falco (open source)Free
    • Apache 2.0 licence, CNCF graduated project
    • eBPF and kernel module drivers
    • Full rules engine and default rule set

Which should you pick?

Choose AWS GovCloud if

  • You need fedramp high authorized.
  • You work on Web, Cli, Sdk.
  • You also want itar compliant.
AWS GovCloud review

Choose Falco if

  • You need ebpf kernel instrumentation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Kubernetes, Self-hosted.
  • You also want system call rules engine.
Falco review

Questions people ask

Is AWS GovCloud or Falco better?
Neither clearly leads. AWS GovCloud starts at On request and Falco at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, AWS GovCloud or Falco?
Falco has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for AWS GovCloud and Free for Falco.
Does AWS GovCloud or Falco run on more platforms?
AWS GovCloud runs on Web, Cli, Sdk. Falco runs on Linux, Kubernetes, Self-hosted.
Can I use Falco for free?
Yes. Falco has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. AWS GovCloud starts at On request.
What is AWS GovCloud best used for?
AWS GovCloud is most often used for hosting controlled unclassified information for us federal agencies, workloads requiring fedramp high, itar or dfars compliance, defence and public sector systems needing us-person operation, regulated contractors handling government data. Of those, hosting controlled unclassified information for us federal agencies and workloads requiring fedramp high, itar or dfars compliance are not what Falco is typically brought in for.
What can AWS GovCloud do that Falco cannot?
AWS GovCloud covers FedRAMP High Authorized, ITAR Compliant, DOD SRG Levels, Isolated Infrastructure. Falco covers eBPF kernel instrumentation, System call rules engine, Container and Kubernetes context, Default rule set.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

AWS GovCloud: Is AWS GovCloud pricing different from standard AWS?

The page does not disclose specific pricing for AWS GovCloud (US). It mentions 'AWS Savings Plans' as a flexible pricing model but provides no actual costs. Users must contact AWS directly via the 'Contact us' link or visit AWS pricing calculators for estimates.

Source
Falco: Does Falco block attacks?

No. It detects and emits events. Response requires Falco Talon or your own automation on top.

AWS GovCloud: Who is eligible to use AWS GovCloud?

AWS GovCloud (US) is restricted to verified U.S. government agencies and entities meeting specific screening requirements. Commercial organizations and individual users cannot use this service.

Source
Falco: Is Falco owned by Sysdig?

Sysdig created and open sourced it, but it graduated within the CNCF in February 2024, so governance sits with the foundation rather than the vendor.

AWS GovCloud: Can I try AWS GovCloud before committing to a contract?

The page does not disclose whether a free trial or evaluation period is available for AWS GovCloud. Pricing and trial information would need to be obtained by contacting AWS directly.

Source
Falco: What does it cost?

The project is Apache 2.0 with no licence fee. The cost is the storage, routing, tuning and staff time needed to make its output useful.

Falco: What kernel version do I need?

Kernel 5.8 or later for the default modern eBPF driver. Older hosts need the legacy eBPF probe or the kernel module.

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