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Developer Tools · head to head

Garden vs Wiz

Garden logo

Garden

Developer Tools

Kubernetes development and testing automation with shared caching, now owned by Incredibuild

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Wiz logo

Wiz

Cloud

Cloud and AI security platform unifying code, cloud, and runtime protection.

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Garden has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Garden incredibuild acquired Garden in November 2024 and the pricing page now redirects to documentation, so there is no public commercial offer and no published roadmap for a team betting a platform on it.; Wiz no public pricing; licensing requires a custom quote based on workloads and sensors.
  • They diverge on capability: Garden covers Action graph, Wiz covers Cloud security posture management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Garden and Wiz actually diverge.

Attributes where Garden and Wiz differ
AttributeGardenWiz
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feequote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, macOS, Windows, Kubernetesweb, api
CategoryDeveloper ToolsCloud

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 Garden

  • Action graph
  • Shared result caching
  • Remote Kubernetes environments
  • In-cluster builds
  • Same config everywhere
  • Hot reload sync
  • Helm and Kustomize support
  • Templating

Only in Wiz

  • Cloud security posture management
  • Code security (Wiz Code)
  • Runtime threat detection (Wiz Defend)
  • AI security agents
  • AI workload protection
  • Attack path analysis

What people use each for

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

Garden

  • A platform team whose integration test suite takes longer than the coffee break and needs caching to cut the loopnot Wiz
  • An organisation with thirty or more services on Kubernetes where docker-compose no longer approximates productionnot Wiz
  • Giving every developer an ephemeral namespace instead of queuing for one shared staging environmentnot Wiz
  • Running the identical build and test definition locally and in CI so failures reproduce on a laptopnot Wiz

Wiz

  • Identifying cloud misconfigurations across multi-cloud environmentsnot Garden
  • Securing code from IDE through CI/CD deploymentnot Garden
  • Detecting and responding to active threats at runtimenot Garden
  • Governing AI workloads and models in the cloudnot Garden
  • Prioritizing risk with cross-environment attack path analysisnot Garden

Where each one falls short

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

Garden

  • Incredibuild acquired Garden in November 2024 and the pricing page now redirects to documentation, so there is no public commercial offer and no published roadmap for a team betting a platform on it.
  • It is tightly bound to Kubernetes, so teams running on ECS, Nomad, plain VMs or serverless get little from it and would need a different tool entirely.
  • The YAML action graph is a real configuration surface: a large monorepo needs someone to own and maintain Garden config as a first-class artefact, which is a standing platform-engineering cost.
  • Shared remote environments mean every developer needs cluster access and a cost allocation model, so cloud spend rises and namespace sprawl becomes a thing you have to police.
  • Caching correctness depends on declaring dependencies accurately; an under-declared action will serve a stale cached pass and hide a genuine test failure, which is a hard class of bug to notice.

Wiz

  • No public pricing; licensing requires a custom quote based on workloads and sensors.
  • Modular licensing across Cloud, Code, Defend, and Sensor products can complicate cost planning.
  • Full runtime protection value depends on deploying Wiz Sensor agents, adding operational overhead.
  • Primarily aimed at mid-to-large enterprises despite the smaller Wiz Go bundle.

Pricing, plan by plan

Garden

Free
  • Garden open sourceFree
    • Apache 2.0 licensed CLI
    • Full action graph and caching
    • Self-managed clusters
  • Commercial tier$undefined/year
    • Hosted caching and team features
    • Support and onboarding
    • Pricing no longer published since the Incredibuild acquisition

Wiz

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Wiz review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Garden if

  • You need action graph.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows, Kubernetes.
  • You also want shared result caching.
Garden review

Choose Wiz if

  • You need cloud security posture management.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want code security (wiz code).
Wiz review

Questions people ask

Is Garden or Wiz better?
Neither clearly leads. Garden starts at Free and Wiz at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Garden or Wiz?
Garden has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Garden and On request for Wiz.
Does Garden or Wiz run on more platforms?
Garden runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, Kubernetes. Wiz runs on web, api.
Can I use Garden for free?
Yes. Garden has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Wiz starts at On request.
What is Garden best used for?
Garden is most often used for a platform team whose integration test suite takes longer than the coffee break and needs caching to cut the loop, an organisation with thirty or more services on kubernetes where docker-compose no longer approximates production, giving every developer an ephemeral namespace instead of queuing for one shared staging environment, running the identical build and test definition locally and in ci so failures reproduce on a laptop. Of those, a platform team whose integration test suite takes longer than the coffee break and needs caching to cut the loop and an organisation with thirty or more services on kubernetes where docker-compose no longer approximates production are not what Wiz is typically brought in for.
What can Garden do that Wiz cannot?
Garden covers Action graph, Shared result caching, Remote Kubernetes environments, In-cluster builds. Wiz covers Cloud security posture management, Code security (Wiz Code), Runtime threat detection (Wiz Defend), AI security agents.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Garden: Is Garden still maintained?

The open source project remains on GitHub under Incredibuild ownership, but the commercial pricing page redirects to the docs and there is no public paid offer.

Wiz: How much does Wiz cost?

Wiz does not publish standard pricing. The platform uses modular licensing based on workloads, active developers, log ingestion, or sensors. All pricing requires requesting a custom quote directly from the company.

Source
Garden: Do I need Kubernetes?

Effectively yes. Garden is built around Kubernetes environments and offers little to teams on other runtimes.

Wiz: Does Wiz offer a free trial?

No free trial information is mentioned on Wiz's pricing page. Pricing is determined by custom quote based on organizational needs.

Source
Garden: Does it replace my CI system?

No. It runs inside GitHub Actions, GitLab CI or similar and speeds up what those pipelines execute.

Wiz: What products does Wiz offer?

Wiz provides five modular licensing options: Wiz Cloud, Wiz Code, Wiz Defend, Wiz Sensor, and Wiz Go Bundle for SMBs, allowing organizations to scale based on specific security requirements.

Source
Garden: What is the actual saving?

It comes from skipping builds and tests whose inputs have not changed, so the benefit scales with how many services you have and how often only a few change.

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