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Cloud · head to head

Orca Security vs Thanos

Orca Security logo

Orca Security

Cloud

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

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Thanos logo

Thanos

Cloud

Highly available Prometheus with long-term object storage

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Thanos has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Orca Security no public pricing; requires a demo and custom quote from sales.; Thanos several components — sidecar, store, querier, compactor, ruler — each with its own configuration and failure modes
  • They diverge on capability: Orca Security covers Agentless cloud scanning, Thanos covers Global query.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Orca Security and Thanos differ
AttributeOrca SecurityThanos
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
Platformsweb, apiKubernetes, Linux, Docker

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

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 Orca Security

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

Only in Thanos

  • Global query
  • Object storage retention
  • Deduplication
  • Downsampling

What people use each for

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

Orca Security

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

Thanos

  • Querying metrics across many clusters or regions from one placenot Orca Security
  • Retaining metrics for years without local disk growthnot Orca Security
  • Removing the gap that appears when a single Prometheus instance restartsnot Orca Security

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Thanos

  • Several components — sidecar, store, querier, compactor, ruler — each with its own configuration and failure modes
  • The compactor is a common source of operational trouble and must not run twice against the same bucket
  • Query latency over object storage is meaningfully higher than local Prometheus
  • Object storage costs and API request charges become real at high volume

Pricing, plan by plan

Orca Security

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Orca Security review.

Thanos

Free
  • ThanosFree
    • Full functionality
    • No usage limits
    • Community support

Which should you pick?

Choose Orca Security if

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

Choose Thanos if

  • You need global query.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Kubernetes, Linux, Docker.
  • You also want object storage retention.
Thanos review

Questions people ask

Is Orca Security or Thanos better?
Neither clearly leads. Orca Security starts at On request and Thanos at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Orca Security or Thanos?
Thanos has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Orca Security and Free for Thanos.
Does Orca Security or Thanos run on more platforms?
Orca Security runs on web, api. Thanos runs on Kubernetes, Linux, Docker.
Can I use Thanos for free?
Yes. Thanos has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Orca Security starts at On request.
What is Orca Security best used for?
Orca Security is most often used for gaining full cloud asset visibility without deploying agents, prioritizing cloud risk with attack path correlation, detecting shadow ai usage across cloud environments, scanning code, containers, and iac before deployment. Of those, gaining full cloud asset visibility without deploying agents and prioritizing cloud risk with attack path correlation are not what Thanos is typically brought in for.
What can Orca Security do that Thanos cannot?
Orca Security covers Agentless cloud scanning, Attack path analysis, Shadow AI detection, Secure code development. Thanos covers Global query, Object storage retention, Deduplication, Downsampling.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
Thanos: Is Thanos free?

Yes, open source and CNCF-incubating. Costs are the object storage it uses.

Thanos: Does Thanos replace Prometheus?

No. It runs alongside existing Prometheus servers, adding global query, deduplication and long-term storage.

Thanos: Thanos or VictoriaMetrics?

Thanos layers onto Prometheus using object storage and is the more established multi-cluster answer. VictoriaMetrics is a separate store aiming at lower resource use and fewer moving parts.

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