Juliet vs Falco
Falco is an open-source runtime threat detector for Kubernetes and Linux. Juliet is a full Kubernetes security platform that covers KSPM, vulnerability scanning, compliance, admission, and runtime (built on eBPF). Falco alone solves the runtime detection piece. Juliet solves runtime and everything that comes before it, with one graph and one dashboard.
What each product does
Juliet. Full Kubernetes security platform. Graph-based KSPM, attack path analysis, vulnerability scanning, compliance frameworks, admission control, and eBPF runtime detection and enforcement. Commercial, with a free tier for one cluster.
Falco. CNCF-graduated open-source runtime threat detector. Uses eBPF or kmod drivers to watch syscalls and kernel events against a rule language. Widely adopted, actively maintained by The Falco Project (originally Sysdig).
Feature comparison
| Capability | Juliet | Falco |
|---|---|---|
| Runtime threat detection (eBPF) | Yes | Yes |
| Runtime enforcement (kill/block) | Yes (Enterprise) | No (detection only) |
| Kubernetes posture (KSPM) | Yes | No |
| Attack path analysis | Yes | No |
| Container vulnerability scanning | Yes | No |
| Admission control | Yes | No |
| Compliance frameworks | Yes (CIS, NSA/CISA, SOC 2, PSS) | No |
| RBAC / identity graph | Yes | No |
| Managed / SaaS | Yes | No (self-hosted) |
| Open source | No (commercial) | Yes (Apache 2.0) |
| Free tier | Yes (1 cluster) | Yes (fully free) |
When to choose each
Choose Juliet when…
- You need more than runtime: posture, vulnerability scanning, admission, and compliance in one place.
- You want attack paths that correlate a runtime alert with the pod's image, RBAC, and internet exposure.
- You want enforcement (not just detection) in Enterprise environments.
- You would rather operate one SaaS than run Falco plus Falcosidekick plus alert plumbing yourself.
- You need SOC 2 compliance evidence, plus CIS and NSA/CISA hardening baselines, for an audit.
Choose Falco when…
- You only need runtime threat detection and have KSPM and scanning covered elsewhere.
- You have a strict open-source-only mandate.
- You are comfortable building your own alert routing, deduplication, and response playbooks.
- You want to extend with custom rules and plugins at the rule-engine level.
Juliet vs Falco FAQ
Does Juliet use Falco internally?
No. Juliet's runtime sensor is its own eBPF-based implementation. We wrote up why and how we replaced a Falco sidecar with an embedded sensor.
Can I run Falco and Juliet together?
Yes. Some teams keep Falco for specific community rules and add Juliet for posture, compliance, admission, and attack paths. Runtime signals overlap but are not exactly the same, and both agents can coexist on the same node.
Does Falco have a managed cloud offering?
Sysdig's commercial product is built on Falco and offers managed delivery. That is a different product at a different price point. The Falco project itself is self-hosted open source.
How do Juliet runtime rules compare to Falco rules?
Falco has a mature, public rule library. Juliet's rules overlap the high-value ones (shell in container, write to sensitive path, reverse shell) and add graph context. The same event is prioritized by whether the pod is internet-exposed, what RBAC it has, and which compliance frameworks apply.
Try Juliet on your clusters
Free tier, 5-minute Helm install, no credit card. See attack paths, compliance, and vulnerabilities in under 15 minutes.