Aikido CSPM

Aikido CSPM is a cloud security posture management tool for teams that need to find misconfigurations, risky access and compliance gaps across multiple cloud accounts. It is best suited to organizations that want those checks alongside infrastructure and container scanning; the free plan’s one-account cap makes it a sensible starting point for an individual or small team, not a broad cloud estate.

Its strongest case is the combination of read-only, agentless cloud access, context-aware risk ranking and guided remediation. The trade-off is that it does not automatically change infrastructure, and meaningful account capacity starts at a paid tier.

Overview

Aikido brings cloud exposures, configuration weaknesses, overly broad IAM permissions and compliance gaps into a shared view. It supports AWS, Azure, GCP and selected other providers, including DigitalOcean. Checks target practical risks such as public storage, unencrypted databases and open SSH ports. Because cloud access uses read-only APIs and requires no agents, teams can inspect environments without installing cloud-side agents; that also means remediation remains a separate step.

Context-aware scoring elevates higher-impact production findings over lower-impact staging issues, helping teams direct attention rather than treating every alert alike. The broader offering adds container image and AWS EC2 vulnerability scanning, Infrastructure as Code checks, outdated runtime detection, SBOM management, identity risk analysis and attack path analysis. Aikido describes its deployment model as hybrid. The company was founded in 2022 and is headquartered in Ghent, Belgium.

Key features

• Cloud inventory and posture checks: A multi-cloud asset inventory and checks for common exposures give teams a way to review configuration risk across accounts.
• Search and alerting: Plain-language Cloud Search can query cloud resources, and a search can be turned into a real-time alert for matching assets. This is useful for monitoring a condition after finding it, rather than relying only on periodic review.
• Guided remediation: The product provides suggested fixes and can generate pull requests for some issues, but it does not automatically alter infrastructure. Teams retain control, at the cost of needing to review and apply changes.
• Compliance mapping: Checks map to SOC 2 and ISO 27001, with reporting that can sync to Vanta and Drata. The broader compliance framework set also includes OWASP Top 10, CIS, NIS2 and PCI.
• Related scanning: Container scanning, IaC scanning and runtime detection extend coverage beyond cloud configuration. These capabilities make the platform more relevant to teams consolidating adjacent security work than to buyers seeking only a narrow CSPM tool.

Pricing

Aikido uses a freemium model. Developer costs nothing, billed free forever, and includes two users, one cloud account, 10 repositories, two container images, one domain, 10 AI AutoFixes per month and 250k protected requests per month. The single cloud account is the key constraint: it suits evaluation or a small footprint, but not teams that need coverage across several accounts.

Basic costs $300 a month, billed as a total fee including 10 users. It raises the allowance to three cloud accounts, 100 repositories, 50 container images, three domains, unlimited AI AutoFixes per month and 10M protected requests per month. Same-day support is included with Pro, not Basic. Basic is the entry paid step for a team that needs more than one account but can work within three.

Pro costs $600 a month, billed as a total fee including 10 users. It includes 10 cloud accounts, 200 repositories, 100 container images, 10 domains, 30 VM scaling groups, unlimited AI AutoFixes per month and 20M protected requests per month, with same-day support. This tier fits teams whose account and workload limits exceed Basic’s and who value faster support.

Advanced also costs $600 a month, billed as a total fee including 10 users. It provides 20 cloud accounts, 500 repositories, 200 container images, 20 domains, 100 VM scaling groups, unlimited AI AutoFixes per month and 50M protected requests per month, plus priority support in Slack or MS Teams. At the same stated monthly price as Pro, its higher quotas make it the stronger fit when those limits matter; the support channel also changes.

Enterprise has custom pricing and tailored terms, with Enterprise-grade modules. Choose it when a tailored package is required. Across the published tiers, the included user count is capped at 10 on paid plans; the published quotas for accounts and other resources rise by plan, so buyers should match them to their expected estate.

Platforms

Aikido lists API, Linux, macOS, web and Windows support. This broad platform coverage suits teams working across common desktop and server environments, while the cloud connection itself is agentless.

Who it's for

Aikido CSPM is a good fit for security and engineering teams managing multiple cloud providers that want prioritized configuration findings, compliance mapping and a guided path to fixes. It is less compelling for a team that expects the tool to make infrastructure changes automatically, or for a larger estate that cannot fit the account and resource quotas of the chosen plan.

Aikido’s Trust Center lists GDPR, ISO 27001:2022, ISO/IEC 42001:2023, SOC 2, CSA STAR Level 1, TX-RAMP Level 2 and AWS Security Competency. Those credentials may matter to buyers evaluating a security vendor, though they do not change the capacity limits of each plan.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Read-only API connections and no-agent access reduce deployment friction for cloud posture checks.
• Pro: Risk scoring distinguishes production impact from staging, making prioritization more useful than an undifferentiated issue list.
• Pro: Guided fixes and generated pull requests provide a route from finding to proposed change while leaving infrastructure control with the team.
• Con: Remediation is not automatic, so teams seeking hands-off correction will need another workflow or must apply changes themselves.
• Con: The free plan covers just one cloud account, and paid tiers include 10 users; teams with larger estates should check quotas before committing.

Alternatives

For teams comparing adjacent security and development tools, DevSecOps Platforms, Interactive Application Security Testing Software, Cloud Security Posture Management Software and Infrastructure as Code Security Software provide category starting points.

• GitLab Duo Code Suggestions is a better fit when the priority is code suggestions rather than cloud posture management; its Duo Pro plan is $19 a month per user.
• Sonatype Nexus Repository is worth considering when repository management is the priority; it offers a free Community Edition and a paid Pro Edition.
• Endor Labs suits individual developers looking for local scans through its free Developer plan; that plan has no account requirement.
• JFrog Artifactory is an alternative for artifact management, with a freemium model and a Pro plan starting at $50 a month, scaling with consumption.
• Semgrep Code is a better choice when code and supply-chain analysis is the focus; its free edition supports up to 10 repositories and 10 contributors.
• Snyk Open Source is a more focused option for open-source dependency analysis, with a free plan covering five projects.
• Contrast Security Platform is an alternative for runtime CVE monitoring and runtime SCA, with a free plan for two applications.
• Eureka is another freemium security option, with a Team plan at $125 a month billed annually.

Verdict

Choose Aikido CSPM if you need multi-cloud visibility, risk prioritization and guided fixes in a broader scanning platform, and its account quotas fit your environment. Its agentless, read-only access and contextual ranking are persuasive strengths. Look elsewhere if automatic infrastructure remediation is essential or if you need more capacity than the selected plan provides.