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Cybersecurity · head to head

Cosign vs Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud

Cosign logo

Cosign

Cybersecurity

Signs and verifies container images and artifacts, with or without managing keys

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud logo

Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud

Cybersecurity

Cloud-native application protection platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Cosign has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Cosign keyless signing inherits every weakness of the identity provider behind it. Sigstore’s own threat model states that if an identity provider is compromised, Sigstore will issue certificates to those identities, so a compromised account produces perfectly valid signatures.; Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud listed on UK G-Cloud at £147.54 per unit for Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud, via reseller Phoenix Software Limited, with the billing period not stated on the listing
  • They diverge on capability: Cosign covers Keyless signing, Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud covers Cloud Security Posture Management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cosign and Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud actually diverge.

Attributes where Cosign and Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud differ
AttributeCosignPalo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsmacOS, Linux, Windows, DockerWeb, Api
FoundedUnknown2005

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

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 Cosign

  • Keyless signing
  • Key and KMS signing
  • Registry-native storage
  • In-toto attestations
  • Offline verification
  • Trusted root and signing config

Only in Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud

  • Cloud Security Posture Management
  • Cloud Workload Protection
  • Cloud Network Security
  • Cloud Identity Security
  • Code Security
  • API Security
  • Data Security
  • Microsegmentation

What people use each for

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

Cosign

  • Signing container images in a build pipeline without managing long-lived private keysnot Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud
  • Attaching a signed bill of materials to a release so consumers can verify its provenancenot Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud
  • Meeting a customer or regulatory requirement for signed artifactsnot Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud
  • Verifying third-party images before they enter an internal registrynot Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud

Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud

  • Cloud Securitynot Cosign
  • Cspmnot Cosign
  • Cwppnot Cosign

Where each one falls short

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

Cosign

  • Keyless signing inherits every weakness of the identity provider behind it. Sigstore’s own threat model states that if an identity provider is compromised, Sigstore will issue certificates to those identities, so a compromised account produces perfectly valid signatures.
  • A signature proves who signed, never whether they should have. The documentation is explicit that Sigstore cannot determine authorisation, so every consumer must write and maintain their own identity and issuer policy or verification means nothing.
  • Nothing is enforced without an admission controller. Signing changes what you can prove, not what runs, and the official policy controller has a small maintainer base for a component sitting in a cluster admission path.
  • Upgrades break pipelines. Version 3 changed defaults, version 4 is announced as removing legacy functionality and roughly half the command line flags, and two official client libraries still lacked support for the new log format as of mid 2026.
  • Signatures do not expire. An artifact signed before a maintainer account was compromised and one signed after are indistinguishable unless somebody is actively monitoring the transparency log, and almost nobody is.

Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud

  • Listed on UK G-Cloud at £147.54 per unit for Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud, via reseller Phoenix Software Limited, with the billing period not stated on the listing

Pricing, plan by plan

Cosign

Free
  • CosignFree
    • Apache-2.0
    • Public Sigstore infrastructure free to use
    • No usage limits published

Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud

On request
  • Cloud SecurityFree
    • CSPM
    • CWPP
    • CIEM
  • Code SecurityFree
    • IaC security
    • SCA
    • Secrets scanning
  • Prisma Cloud EnterpriseFree
    • Full platform
    • API security
    • Data security

Which should you pick?

Choose Cosign if

  • You need keyless signing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on macOS, Linux, Windows, Docker.
  • You also want key and kms signing.
Cosign review

Choose Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud if

  • You need cloud security posture management.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want cloud workload protection.
Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud review

Questions people ask

Is Cosign or Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud better?
Neither clearly leads. Cosign starts at Free and Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cosign or Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud?
Cosign has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Cosign and On request for Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud.
Does Cosign or Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud run on more platforms?
Cosign runs on macOS, Linux, Windows, Docker. Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud runs on Web, Api.
Can I use Cosign for free?
Yes. Cosign has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud starts at On request.
What is Cosign best used for?
Cosign is most often used for signing container images in a build pipeline without managing long-lived private keys, attaching a signed bill of materials to a release so consumers can verify its provenance, meeting a customer or regulatory requirement for signed artifacts, verifying third-party images before they enter an internal registry. Of those, signing container images in a build pipeline without managing long-lived private keys and attaching a signed bill of materials to a release so consumers can verify its provenance are not what Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud is typically brought in for.
What can Cosign do that Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud cannot?
Cosign covers Keyless signing, Key and KMS signing, Registry-native storage, In-toto attestations. Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud covers Cloud Security Posture Management, Cloud Workload Protection, Cloud Network Security, Cloud Identity Security.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Cosign: Does Cosign tell me if an image is vulnerable?

No. It has no vulnerability knowledge whatsoever. It can carry an SBOM as a signed attestation but never reads it. Pair it with a scanner.

Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud: How much does Prisma Cloud cost?

Prisma Cloud pricing is not published publicly. Pricing is provided through the sales team via a custom quote based on your deployment scope and requirements.

Source
Cosign: Is signing alone enough?

No. Verification is a command somebody runs. Without an admission controller enforcing it, an unsigned image still runs.

Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud: Is there a free trial for Prisma Cloud?

No free trial is available without contacting the sales team. The company offers a demo through the product demo center or by requesting a demo through their sales process.

Source
Cosign: What does a bare cosign verify actually prove?

Very little. Without a pinned certificate identity and OIDC issuer, it accepts a valid signature from any identity at all.

Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud: What do I need to do to get Prisma Cloud pricing and start a trial?

You must contact the sales team via the Contact Us link or request a demo. Pricing details are provided only through direct sales engagement.

Source
Cosign: What is the risk of keyless signing?

Your OIDC provider becomes the root of trust. Compromise of that account yields genuine, verifiable signatures, so account security is the control that matters.

Cosign: Should we expect breaking changes?

Yes. Version 4 is announced to remove roughly half the flags, and a post-quantum migration is named as a further breaking change after that.

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