# Microsoft Defender for Cloud vs Orca Security: which do AI models recommend for CNAPP, October 2026

IT AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, Cloud-native application protection. Two of fourteen models named Microsoft Defender for Cloud first on the direct prompt; four named Orca Security. Page: https://it-ai-index.com/cloud/cloud-native-application-protection/microsoft-defender-for-cloud-vs-orca-security/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Defender for Cloud | 21% | #2 of 11 | 4% | 53 | 14 of 14 |
| Orca Security | 19% | #3 of 11 | 14% | 57 | 14 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- Kimi K2: both first (first choices: Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Orca Security) (alternatives: Rapid7 InsightCloudSec, Wiz)
- GPT-5.4 mini: microsoft defender for cloud first (first choices: Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Wiz) (alternatives: Sysdig Secure)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: orca security first (first choices: Orca Security) (alternatives: Upwind, Wiz)
- Mistral Small: orca security first (first choices: Orca Security, Wiz) (alternatives: FortiCNAPP, Sysdig Secure)
- Muse Glimmer 30B: orca security first (first choices: Orca Security, Wiz) (alternatives: Rapid7 InsightCloudSec)
- Claude Haiku 4.5: neither first, one named (first choices: Wiz) (alternatives: CrowdStrike Falcon Cloud Security, Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Orca Security, SentinelOne Singularity Cloud Security)
- Grok 4.20: neither first, one named (first choices: Wiz) (alternatives: Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Orca Security, Sysdig Secure)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Wiz) (alternatives: Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Orca Security, Sysdig Secure)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Wiz) (alternatives: Orca Security, Palo Alto Networks Cortex Cloud)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: neither first, one named (first choices: Wiz) (alternatives: CrowdStrike Falcon Cloud Security, Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Orca Security)
- MiniMax M2.5: neither first, one named (first choices: Aqua Security, Wiz) (alternatives: Microsoft Defender for Cloud)
- GPT-6 Luna: neither first, one named (first choices: Wiz) (alternatives: Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Orca Security)
- Perplexity Sonar: neither named (first choices: Wiz) (alternatives: Prisma Cloud, Rapid7 InsightCloudSec, SentinelOne Singularity Cloud Security, Sysdig Secure)
- Llama 4 Maverick: neither named

## What the models said about Microsoft Defender for Cloud

- "The Trap: Relying exclusively on AWS Security Hub or Microsoft Defender for Cloud... Vendor Lock-in." (Qwen 3.7 Flash, negative prompt, hard negative)

## What the models said about Orca Security

- "Avoid enterprise vendors (Wiz, Orca, Prisma Cloud) initially" (Kimi K2, budget prompt, hard negative)
- "Median contract is ~$95K/year; no free tier, quote-only pricing" (DeepSeek V4 Flash, budget prompt, hard negative)
- "The Best Overall Fit: Orca Security ... widely considered the most practical and efficient choice for mid-market B2B organizations." (Gemini 3.5 Flash, direct prompt, first choice)
- "Orca Security has been more flexible than Wiz on pricing for mid-market organizations (under 2,000 cloud resources)" (Muse Glimmer 30B, direct prompt, first choice)

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category. Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category. Published under CC BY 4.0; the output is the models' output, and nothing here is a recommendation by the index.