Secure Compass vs Prowler
Prowler gives your security engineer a JSON report. Secure Compass gives your CTO a compliance score, your engineer a priority list, and your auditor exportable evidence.
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The short version
An open-source CLI tool that runs hundreds of security checks against your AWS account and outputs JSON, CSV, or HTML. Powerful and extensible — but requires CLI expertise, produces raw findings, and has no built-in dashboard, scoring, or executive reporting. The CTO never sees the results.
A web dashboard that runs automated security checks against the AWS Well-Architected Framework Security Pillar. Scored compliance per design principle, public exposure scanning, compliance mapping to SOC 2 and ISO 27001, and executive PDF reports. No CLI, no installation, free tier.
Feature comparison
| Prowler | Secure Compass | |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | Command-line (CLI) | Web dashboard |
| Setup | Install Python, configure credentials, run commands | One CloudFormation stack — no installation |
| Output format | JSON, CSV, HTML files | Interactive dashboard + PDF export |
| Security scoring | Pass/fail counts | Compliance score per design principle |
| Framework alignment | CIS Benchmarks, custom checks | AWS Well-Architected Security Pillar |
| Compliance mapping | CIS, PCI-DSS, NIST, HIPAA (check-level) | SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI-DSS, HIPAA, NIST, FedRAMP |
| Executive reporting | None — raw output only | One-click PDF for board and auditors |
| Public exposure scanner | Individual checks across findings | Dedicated scanner — 22 resource types |
| Historical trends | Manual — save and diff output files | Built-in period-over-period comparison |
| Multi-cloud | AWS, Azure, GCP, K8s | AWS-focused (deep, not wide) |
| Continuous monitoring | Manual re-runs or cron jobs | Scheduled automatic rescans |
| Target user | Security engineers | CTOs, engineers, and auditors |
| Pricing | Free (open-source) / Prowler Cloud (paid) | Free tier available |
When to use which
Prowler is better if you...
• Have security engineers comfortable with CLI tools
• Need multi-cloud coverage (Azure, GCP, Kubernetes)
• Want to write custom checks and extend the tool
• Need CIS Benchmark-specific compliance
• Want to integrate output into CI/CD pipelines
Secure Compass is better if you...
• Need results your CTO can read without a terminal
• Want a compliance score, not a pass/fail count
• Are preparing for SOC 2 or ISO 27001 audits
• Don't want to install, configure, or maintain a CLI tool
• Need executive PDF reports for board or auditors
• Want public exposure scanning as a dedicated feature
• Need historical trend tracking without manual diffing
Key differences
CLI vs dashboard
Prowler runs in your terminal. You pipe the output to a file, maybe upload it somewhere, and somebody with the right expertise reads it. Secure Compass is a web dashboard your whole team can access — the CTO sees the score, the engineer sees the actions, the auditor sees the evidence.
Raw output vs scored reporting
Prowler outputs findings — hundreds of them in JSON or CSV. You know what passed and failed, but not what matters most or how you compare to last month. Secure Compass scores every design principle, ranks findings by priority, and shows compliance trends over time.
Broad vs deep
Prowler covers AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes, and more. Secure Compass focuses exclusively on AWS — specifically the Well-Architected Framework Security Pillar. If you're AWS-only, depth beats breadth. If you're multi-cloud, Prowler covers more ground.
Engineer tool vs team tool
Prowler is built for the security engineer who runs it. The output stays with them unless they actively share it. Secure Compass is built for the team — the dashboard is shared, the reports are exportable, and the compliance mapping serves auditors directly.
Open-source vs managed service
Prowler is open-source — free to run, free to extend, and backed by a strong community of 300+ contributors. Secure Compass is a managed service — no maintenance, no updates, no infrastructure. You trade customisability for convenience.
Most teams run Prowler once, file the JSON, and never look at it again. The CTO never sees the results. The auditor can't use them. Secure Compass makes the output useful.
Frequently asked questions
Is Prowler free?
The open-source CLI is free. Prowler Cloud (their hosted dashboard) is a paid product available via AWS Marketplace. Secure Compass also has a free tier that includes the full Security Pillar assessment and Public Exposure scanner.
Can I use both?
Yes. Some teams run Prowler for CIS Benchmark compliance in CI/CD and use Secure Compass for executive reporting and audit evidence. They serve different audiences within the same organisation.
Does Prowler have a dashboard?
Prowler Cloud (the paid product) has a web dashboard. The open-source CLI outputs JSON, CSV, and HTML files. Secure Compass includes a full web dashboard in the free tier.
Why not just use Prowler? It's open-source.
If your security engineer is happy running CLI tools, interpreting JSON, and manually tracking trends — Prowler is excellent. But if your CTO is asking "what's our security score?" or your auditor needs compliance evidence, Prowler doesn't answer those questions. Secure Compass does.
Does Secure Compass cover as many checks as Prowler?
Prowler has hundreds of checks across multiple clouds and benchmarks. Secure Compass focuses on 228 controls mapped to the AWS Security Pillar. Fewer checks, but each one is scored, ranked, and mapped to compliance frameworks — not just pass/fail.
What if I need multi-cloud support?
Prowler is the better choice for multi-cloud. Secure Compass is AWS-only by design — built on the AWS Well-Architected Framework. If your primary workloads are on AWS, the depth of the Security Pillar assessment is more valuable than broad coverage.