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Developer Tools · head to head

Harness vs Orca Security

Harness logo

Harness

Developer Tools

Software delivery platform across CI, CD, security testing and cost management

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Orca Security logo

Orca Security

Cloud

Agentless cloud-native application protection platform for code-to-runtime security.

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Harness has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Harness essentials and Enterprise pricing requires sales contact; no published rates; Orca Security no public pricing; requires a demo and custom quote from sales.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Harness and Orca Security actually diverge.

Attributes where Harness and Orca Security differ
AttributeHarnessOrca Security
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebweb, 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 Harness

Nothing recorded that Orca Security does not also cover.

Only in Orca Security

  • Agentless cloud scanning
  • Attack path analysis
  • Shadow AI detection
  • Secure code development
  • Alert prioritization
  • Workload protection

What people use each for

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

Harness

  • Deploying apps to AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud with rollbacksnot Orca Security
  • Integrating security scanners throughout build pipelines before productionnot Orca Security
  • Automating cloud cost reduction and tracking unit-level expensesnot Orca Security
  • Enabling developers to provision infrastructure without operations bottlenecksnot Orca Security
  • Assessing deployment frequency and lead time productivity metricsnot Orca Security

Orca Security

  • Gaining full cloud asset visibility without deploying agentsnot Harness
  • Prioritizing cloud risk with attack path correlationnot Harness
  • Detecting shadow AI usage across cloud environmentsnot Harness
  • Scanning code, containers, and IaC before deploymentnot Harness
  • Reducing alert fatigue through contextual risk scoringnot Harness

Where each one falls short

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

Harness

  • Essentials and Enterprise pricing requires sales contact; no published rates
  • DevOps Essentials has no on-premises deployment option
  • Internal Developer Portal requires minimum 20 developer licenses
  • Pipeline execution history retention 6 months (Essentials) vs 25 months as add-on (Enterprise)

Orca Security

  • No public pricing; requires a demo and custom quote from sales.
  • Agentless-only scanning may miss some runtime telemetry that agent-based tools capture.
  • Full value depends on integrating many of the platform's modules across code, cloud, and AI.
  • Primarily targeted at mid-to-large organizations with multi-cloud environments.

Pricing, plan by plan

Harness

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Starter platform for software delivery lifecycle
    • Open source options available (Harness Open Source, Litmus Chaos)
  • Essentials$null/month
    • Growing organizations with small to mid-size teams
    • Packaged DevOps Essentials bundle
    • Continuous software delivery capabilities
  • Enterprise$null/month
    • Large-scale organizations
    • Pick any modules based on needs
    • Advanced features

Orca Security

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Orca Security review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Harness if

  • You want to start without paying.
Harness review

Choose Orca Security if

  • You need agentless cloud scanning.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want attack path analysis.
Orca Security review

Questions people ask

Is Harness or Orca Security better?
Neither clearly leads. Harness starts at Free and Orca Security at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Harness or Orca Security?
Harness has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Harness and On request for Orca Security.
Does Harness or Orca Security run on more platforms?
Harness runs on Web. Orca Security runs on web, api.
Can I use Harness for free?
Yes. Harness has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Orca Security starts at On request.
What is Harness best used for?
Harness is most often used for deploying apps to aws, azure, and google cloud with rollbacks, integrating security scanners throughout build pipelines before production, automating cloud cost reduction and tracking unit-level expenses, enabling developers to provision infrastructure without operations bottlenecks. Of those, deploying apps to aws, azure, and google cloud with rollbacks and integrating security scanners throughout build pipelines before production are not what Orca Security is typically brought in for.
What can Harness do that Orca Security cannot?
Orca Security covers Agentless cloud scanning, Attack path analysis, Shadow AI detection, Secure code development.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Harness: Is there a free Harness plan?

Yes, Harness offers a free plan for individual developers and small teams with open source options including Harness Open Source and Litmus Chaos.

Source
Orca Security: How much does Orca Security cost?

Orca Security does not publish pricing tiers or rates on their website. Organizations must contact Orca Security directly or request a demo to receive custom pricing information based on their specific use case and requirements.

Source
Harness: What are Harness's paid pricing tiers?

Harness offers Essentials for growing teams and Enterprise for large-scale organizations. Both require contacting sales for custom pricing. Pricing is based on modules and features selected.

Source
Harness: Can Harness be deployed on-premises?

Enterprise plans include self-managed platform deployment option. DevOps Essentials bundle does not offer on-premises deployment.

Source
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