Cybersecurity · head to head
Falco vs Frontegg
Falco
Cybersecurity
CNCF-graduated runtime threat detection for Linux and Kubernetes using eBPF
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Frontegg
Cybersecurity
Customer identity and access management platform for SaaS applications
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: 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.; Frontegg detailed per-unit pricing beyond the free tier is not published, requiring use of an online calculator or sales contact to estimate costs.
- They diverge on capability: Falco covers eBPF kernel instrumentation, Frontegg covers Hosted login.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Falco and Frontegg actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Falco
- eBPF kernel instrumentation
- System call rules engine
- Container and Kubernetes context
- Default rule set
- Falcosidekick
- Falco Talon
- Plugins framework
- DaemonSet deployment
Only in Frontegg
- Hosted login
- Enterprise SSO/SCIM
- Multi-tenant organizations
- Custom domains
- M2M tokens
- Fraud protection
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
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 Frontegg
- A regulated business required to evidence host and container intrusion detection on Kubernetes nodes for an auditnot Frontegg
- A security team wanting a vendor-neutral detection layer whose rules they can read and modify rather than a black-box agentnot Frontegg
- A cluster where a compromised dependency might write to sensitive paths or open unexpected outbound connections, and only kernel-level visibility will catch itnot Frontegg
Frontegg
- Adding enterprise SSO/SCIM to a B2B SaaS productnot Falco
- Multi-tenant customer identity managementnot Falco
- White-labeled, custom-domain login experiencesnot Falco
- Securing AI agent access to a SaaS product via Agen.conot Falco
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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.
Frontegg
- Detailed per-unit pricing beyond the free tier is not published, requiring use of an online calculator or sales contact to estimate costs.
- Advanced fraud protection and multiple environments are Enterprise-only, unavailable on the Pay As You Go plan.
- The 7,500 free monthly active users is comparatively modest next to some competitors' free tiers.
- As a broader CIAM platform, it can be more complex to integrate than lighter-weight developer-first auth tools for smaller apps.
Pricing, plan by plan
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
Frontegg
Free- Pay As You GoFree
- 7,500 monthly active users included
- 5 enterprise connections (SSO/SCIM)
- Unlimited organizations
- Enterprise$undefined/month
- Custom pricing
- Multiple environments
- Advanced fraud protection
Which should you pick?
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.
Choose Frontegg if
- You need hosted login.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on web, api.
- You also want enterprise sso/scim.
Questions people ask
- Is Falco or Frontegg better?
- Neither clearly leads. Falco starts at Free and Frontegg at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Falco or Frontegg?
- Falco starts at Free and Frontegg at Free.
- Does Falco or Frontegg run on more platforms?
- Falco runs on Linux, Kubernetes, Self-hosted. Frontegg runs on web, api.
- Can I use Falco for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Falco best used for?
- Falco is most often used for 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 runtime, a regulated business required to evidence host and container intrusion detection on kubernetes nodes for an audit, a security team wanting a vendor-neutral detection layer whose rules they can read and modify rather than a black-box agent, a cluster where a compromised dependency might write to sensitive paths or open unexpected outbound connections, and only kernel-level visibility will catch it. Of those, 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 runtime and a regulated business required to evidence host and container intrusion detection on kubernetes nodes for an audit are not what Frontegg is typically brought in for.
- What can Falco do that Frontegg cannot?
- Falco covers eBPF kernel instrumentation, System call rules engine, Container and Kubernetes context, Default rule set. Frontegg covers Hosted login, Enterprise SSO/SCIM, Multi-tenant organizations, Custom domains.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Falco: Does Falco block attacks?
No. It detects and emits events. Response requires Falco Talon or your own automation on top.
Frontegg: What does Frontegg cost?
Frontegg's Pay As You Go plan is free up to 7,500 monthly active users, after which pricing scales with users, enterprise connections and M2M tokens via an online calculator; Enterprise pricing is custom.
SourceFalco: 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.
Frontegg: Is there a free plan and what are its limits?
Yes, the free Pay As You Go plan includes 7,500 monthly active users, 5 enterprise SSO/SCIM connections, unlimited organizations, and a custom domain.
SourceFalco: 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.
Frontegg: How is usage metered?
Pricing is consumption-based, driven by monthly active users, monthly enterprise connections (SSO/SCIM), and monthly M2M tokens, with customers paying only for usage beyond the free 7,500-user threshold.
SourceFalco: 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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