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Cybersecurity · head to head

DTiQ vs Falco

DTiQ logo

DTiQ

Cybersecurity

Managed video loss prevention with human auditors for restaurants, convenience stores and retail

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Falco logo

Falco

Cybersecurity

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Falco has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: DTiQ you are buying labour, so the cost per site is far higher than a self-service video licence and it does not fall as camera prices do.; 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: DTiQ covers SmartAudit, Falco covers eBPF kernel instrumentation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which DTiQ and Falco actually diverge.

Attributes where DTiQ and Falco differ
AttributeDTiQFalco
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidLinux, Kubernetes, Self-hosted

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 DTiQ

  • SmartAudit
  • POS transaction linking
  • 360iQ platform
  • Exception alerting
  • Drive-through timing
  • Food safety and compliance checks
  • Managed installation

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.

DTiQ

  • A multi-unit quick service franchisee who has no one available to review video across fifteen storesnot Falco
  • A convenience store chain investigating till fraud by matching voids to what actually happened at the counternot Falco
  • An operator enforcing drive-through service time standards across locations from evidence rather than anecdotenot Falco
  • A brand auditing food safety and cleanliness compliance at franchise sites without sending a field managernot 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 DTiQ
  • A regulated business required to evidence host and container intrusion detection on Kubernetes nodes for an auditnot DTiQ
  • A security team wanting a vendor-neutral detection layer whose rules they can read and modify rather than a black-box agentnot DTiQ
  • A cluster where a compromised dependency might write to sensitive paths or open unexpected outbound connections, and only kernel-level visibility will catch itnot DTiQ

Where each one falls short

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

DTiQ

  • You are buying labour, so the cost per site is far higher than a self-service video licence and it does not fall as camera prices do.
  • Audits are sampled, not continuous, so a problem outside the reviewed window is invisible and the score is a statistical impression rather than a complete record.
  • Nothing is published on price and the commercial shape is a multi-year managed service agreement, which is harder to exit than a software subscription and typically involves bundled hardware you do not own.
  • Ownership changed in a $200 million Digital Alpha led investment tied to a Cisco Meraki partnership, so the hardware and network roadmap may shift under an existing estate.
  • It is built around restaurant, convenience and retail operating models, so an organisation outside those verticals gets a generic video product and pays for an audit methodology that does not fit its work.

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

DTiQ

On request
  • DTiQ managed service$undefined/month
    • Priced per location as a managed service, not per camera
    • Audit frequency and scope determine the rate
    • Hardware and installation bundled into the service agreement

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 DTiQ if

  • You need smartaudit.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want pos transaction linking.
DTiQ 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 DTiQ or Falco better?
Neither clearly leads. DTiQ 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, DTiQ or Falco?
Falco has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for DTiQ and Free for Falco.
Does DTiQ or Falco run on more platforms?
DTiQ runs on Web, iOS, Android. 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. DTiQ starts at On request.
What is DTiQ best used for?
DTiQ is most often used for a multi-unit quick service franchisee who has no one available to review video across fifteen stores, a convenience store chain investigating till fraud by matching voids to what actually happened at the counter, an operator enforcing drive-through service time standards across locations from evidence rather than anecdote, a brand auditing food safety and cleanliness compliance at franchise sites without sending a field manager. Of those, a multi-unit quick service franchisee who has no one available to review video across fifteen stores and a convenience store chain investigating till fraud by matching voids to what actually happened at the counter are not what Falco is typically brought in for.
What can DTiQ do that Falco cannot?
DTiQ covers SmartAudit, POS transaction linking, 360iQ platform, Exception alerting. Falco covers eBPF kernel instrumentation, System call rules engine, Container and Kubernetes context, Default rule set.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

DTiQ: Is DTiQ a video management system?

Not primarily. It is a managed service where human auditors review your footage and deliver scored reports. The platform exists to support that service.

Falco: Does Falco block attacks?

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

DTiQ: How is it priced?

Per location as a managed service, based on audit scope and frequency, with hardware and installation bundled. Nothing is published.

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.

DTiQ: Who owns DTiQ?

Digital Alpha holds a majority stake following a $200 million investment that bought out Bain Capital, BV Investment Partners and others, alongside a Cisco Meraki partnership.

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.

DTiQ: Does it integrate with my POS?

Yes, with major restaurant and convenience store point of sale systems, which is what allows transaction exceptions to be replayed on video.

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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