The SaaS security landscape shifted dramatically when CrowdStrike acquired Adaptive Shield in late 2024 for approximately $300 million. While Adaptive Shield - now rebranded as CrowdStrike Falcon Shield - brought solid misconfiguration monitoring capabilities, the acquisition has left many organizations reconsidering their options.

Whether you're concerned about vendor lock-in with CrowdStrike's expanding platform, frustrated by opaque enterprise pricing, or simply need a solution that delivers faster time-to-value, this guide covers the best Adaptive Shield alternatives for 2026.

Why Organizations Are Moving Away from Adaptive Shield

The CrowdStrike acquisition changed the calculus for many Adaptive Shield customers. Here's what's driving teams to evaluate alternatives:

Post-acquisition uncertainty. Integration into CrowdStrike's Falcon platform means Adaptive Shield's roadmap now serves CrowdStrike's broader strategy - not necessarily the needs of standalone SSPM buyers. Organizations that don't want the full CrowdStrike suite are left wondering about long-term support and pricing.

Opaque, enterprise-only pricing. Adaptive Shield has never published pricing tiers. Every prospect must contact sales for a custom quote, making budget planning difficult and creating leverage imbalances during negotiations. Analysts note this "quote-only" approach leads to unpredictable costs that often exceed competitors with transparent pricing.

Manual remediation burden. While Adaptive Shield excels at identifying misconfigurations, actually fixing issues still requires significant manual effort. Users report that the platform alerts you to problems but doesn't automate the resolution - leaving security teams with a growing backlog of findings they lack time to address.

Limited application coverage. Despite claims of 150+ integrations, users consistently report gaps. G2 reviewers note "the coverage of applications they cover seems to be limited," forcing organizations to maintain blind spots or supplement with additional tools.

Declining market position. According to PeerSpot data, Adaptive Shield's mindshare in the SSPM category dropped from 12.1% to 8.4% year-over-year - a significant decline that suggests customers are actively exploring alternatives.

What to Look for in an Adaptive Shield Alternative

When evaluating SSPM replacements, prioritize these capabilities:

1. Transparent pricing – Know what you'll pay before engaging sales
2. Automated remediation – Alerts alone create work; automation solves problems
3. Fast deployment – Minutes to value, not weeks of professional services
4. Broad, deep coverage – Shadow SaaS, shadow AI, identities, and configurations
5. Low operational overhead – Maintain security without hiring additional staff

Top Adaptive Shield Alternatives for 2026

1. Perimeters

Best for: Automated SaaS security with transparent pricing and immediate value

Perimeters delivers what Adaptive Shield promises but rarely achieves: comprehensive SaaS security that works from day one, with pricing you can actually plan around.

Where Adaptive Shield identifies problems and leaves you to fix them manually, Perimeters automates the entire remediation lifecycle. Where Adaptive Shield requires custom quotes and lengthy sales cycles, Perimeters publishes simple per-user pricing. Where Adaptive Shield takes weeks to deploy, Perimeters delivers full visibility in minutes.

Key strengths:

• Instant discovery and visibility – Connect your directory and see your entire SaaS environment within minutes, including every shadow app, identity, and misconfiguration
• Automated remediation at scale – Resolve hundreds of issues simultaneously with bulk actions, automated workflows, and one-click quick actions - no manual ticket creation required
• Context-based severity ranking – Hundreds of security parameters continuously checked with findings prioritized by actual business risk, not just technical severity
• Shadow SaaS and AI governance – Discover unauthorized applications including GenAI tools that Adaptive Shield's limited integrations miss
• Complete identity risk management – Detect partial offboarding, over-privileged accounts, inactive users, and risky access patterns

What customers say:

"Perimeters gives us a central point of control, providing clear findings and remediation tools to save time and reduce confusion."

"With Perimeters I can spend a few minutes at a time taking care of well-defined issues with all the information in one place, saving significant time when it comes to auditing."

Pricing: $3 per active user per month - transparent, predictable, no surprises.

Best suited for: Security teams of any size who want comprehensive SSPM without enterprise complexity, opaque pricing, or manual remediation burdens.

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2. AppOmni

Best for: Enterprise Salesforce and ServiceNow environments

AppOmni offers SaaS security posture management with particular depth in Salesforce environments. The platform provides configuration monitoring and compliance controls for organizations heavily invested in specific enterprise applications.

Capabilities:

• Deep integrations with Salesforce, ServiceNow, and Microsoft 365
• Configuration drift detection and compliance mapping
• Data exposure monitoring for connected applications

Limitations to consider:

• Narrow focus – Strongest with a handful of enterprise apps; less comprehensive for broader SaaS stacks
• Limited remediation – Like Adaptive Shield, focuses more on visibility than automated fixing
• Enterprise pricing – Requires sales engagement; costs can escalate quickly
• Slower deployment – Professional services often required for full implementation
• User activity blind spots – Limited insight into actual user behavior and data flows

AppOmni works well for organizations whose SaaS security concerns center almost entirely on Salesforce. For broader coverage, most teams need additional tools.

3. DoControl

Best for: Data loss prevention in collaboration apps

DoControl positions itself as a SaaS security platform focused on data access governance and DLP capabilities, particularly for Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Slack, and similar collaboration tools.

Capabilities:

• Data loss prevention with content classification
• Third-party OAuth app monitoring

• Automated access control workflows
• Insider threat detection

Limitations to consider:

• Narrow scope – Primarily focused on collaboration and file-sharing apps; limited coverage elsewhere
• Complex setup – Workflow automation requires significant configuration effort
• Enterprise pricing – No published pricing; requires lengthy sales process
• Alert fatigue risk – Extensive alerting can overwhelm lean security teams
• Limited SSPM depth – Stronger on DLP than traditional posture management

DoControl may suit organizations with specific data loss concerns in collaboration tools, but it's not a comprehensive Adaptive Shield replacement.

4. Obsidian Security

Best for: User behavior analytics and insider threat focus

Obsidian merges SSPM with User and Entity Behavior Analytics, positioning itself as a security intelligence layer for detecting insider threats and compromised accounts.

Capabilities:

• User behavior analytics across SaaS platforms
• Account compromise detection
• Insider risk monitoring
• Investigation and forensics tools

Limitations to consider:

• Investigation-heavy approach – Better at detecting threats than preventing misconfigurations
• Requires security expertise – Designed for mature security teams with investigation resources
• Limited automation – Focuses on detection and analysis; remediation is manual
• Complex pricing – Enterprise-only with variable costs based on data volume
• Narrow use case – Less helpful for organizations focused on compliance and configuration hygiene

Obsidian works best as a complement to other tools rather than a standalone SSPM solution.

5. Wing Security

Best for: Organizations wanting a free tier to start

Wing Security offers a freemium model that provides basic SaaS inventory visibility at no cost, with paid tiers adding security controls and compliance capabilities.

Capabilities:

• Free SaaS discovery and inventory
• Third-party app risk assessment
• Compliance monitoring
• Automated security workflows (paid tiers)

Limitations to consider:

• Free tier is very limited – Useful only for initial discovery; meaningful security requires paid plans
• Younger platform – Less mature than established competitors; feature gaps remain
• Configuration flexibility issues – Users report needing improvements in customization options
• Integration limitations – Third-party integration depth lags behind market leaders
• Support response times – Growing pains evident in customer service

Wing works as an entry point for organizations new to SSPM, but most outgrow it quickly.

6. Netskope SSPM

Best for: Organizations already using Netskope's security platform

Netskope offers SSPM as part of its broader Security Service Edge (SSE) platform, providing SaaS configuration monitoring alongside CASB, DLP, and zero-trust capabilities.

Capabilities:

• SaaS configuration monitoring and compliance
• Integration with Netskope CASB and DLP
• Automated alerting for policy violations
• Unified security platform approach

Limitations to consider:

• Platform lock-in required – SSPM value diminishes significantly without broader Netskope deployment
• Reporting weaknesses – Users consistently note room for improvement in reporting and data insights
• Not a standalone solution – Designed as a feature within Netskope, not a best-of-breed SSPM
• Complex licensing – Pricing tied to broader platform consumption; difficult to isolate SSPM costs
• Implementation burden – Full value requires extensive Netskope ecosystem adoption

Netskope SSPM makes sense only for organizations committed to Netskope's full security stack.

7. Varonis

Best for: On-premises and hybrid data security

Varonis provides data security across on-premises and cloud environments, with SSPM capabilities added to its traditional data protection focus.

Capabilities:

• Data classification and protection
• User behavior analytics
• Permission analysis and cleanup
• Compliance reporting

Limitations to consider:

• Legacy architecture – Built for on-premises first; SaaS capabilities feel bolted on
• Complex, expensive implementation – Requires significant professional services investment
• Higher initial costs – Setup expenses substantially exceed modern cloud-native alternatives
• Slow time to value – Deployment measured in months, not days
• Overhead intensive – Requires dedicated resources to operate effectively

Varonis suits organizations with significant on-premises data security needs who want a single vendor. For SaaS-first organizations, purpose-built SSPM tools deliver better results.

8. Zscaler SSPM

Best for: Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange customers

Zscaler includes "advanced SSPM" as part of its Zero Trust Exchange platform, offering SaaS configuration monitoring for organizations already invested in Zscaler's ecosystem.

Capabilities:

• SaaS discovery and configuration monitoring
• Policy enforcement through Zero Trust Exchange
• Compliance alignment tools
• Guided remediation workflows

Limitations to consider:

• Platform dependency – Minimal standalone value; requires Zscaler infrastructure
• Add-on positioning – SSPM treated as a feature, not a focus area
• Limited depth – Configuration checks less comprehensive than dedicated SSPM vendors
• Bundled pricing complexity – Difficult to evaluate SSPM cost independently
• Slower innovation – SSPM features update on Zscaler's broader platform timeline

Like Netskope, Zscaler SSPM only makes sense for existing Zscaler customers.

9. Spin.AI (SpinOne)

Best for: Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 backup with basic security

SpinOne combines SaaS security with backup and recovery capabilities, targeting organizations that need both functions in a single platform.

Capabilities:

• SaaS backup for Google Workspace and Microsoft 365
• Basic SSPM and misconfiguration detection
• OAuth app governance
• Ransomware detection and recovery

Limitations to consider:

• Limited platform coverage – Essentially restricted to Google Workspace and Microsoft 365
• Backup-first mentality – Security features feel secondary to data protection focus
• Basic SSPM capabilities – Less depth than dedicated posture management tools
• SMB-oriented – May lack enterprise-grade features larger organizations require
• Browser extension limitations – Some features require agents that create management overhead

SpinOne works for smaller organizations wanting backup and basic security in one tool, but it's not a comprehensive Adaptive Shield replacement.

10. Valence Security

Best for: Microsoft-heavy environments

Valence offers SaaS discovery and security posture management with particular strength in Microsoft ecosystem protection.

Capabilities:

• SaaS discovery and shadow IT detection
• Configuration monitoring and remediation
• Identity threat detection
• Microsoft 365 deep integration

Limitations to consider:

• Microsoft-centric – Strongest in Microsoft environments; other platforms receive less attention
• Scalability questions – Users suggest improvements needed for larger deployments
• Data visualization gaps – Dashboard and reporting capabilities lag competitors
• Smaller vendor risk – Less established than larger platform players
• Remediation workflow limitations – Automation less mature than leading alternatives

Valence may suit Microsoft-dominated environments, but organizations with diverse SaaS stacks need broader coverage.

Comparison Table: Adaptive Shield Alternatives

How to Evaluate Your Options

When selecting an Adaptive Shield replacement, ask these questions:

1. Can I see pricing before talking to sales? If not, expect negotiations designed to maximize vendor revenue, not your value.
2. How quickly will I see results? Weeks of professional services means weeks of continued exposure.
3. Does it actually fix problems, or just find them? Visibility without automation just creates a to-do list your team can't complete.
4. Does coverage match my actual SaaS stack? Deep integrations with three apps don't help if you use thirty.
5. What's the ongoing operational burden? A tool that requires dedicated staff defeats the purpose of automation.

The Bottom Line

Adaptive Shield delivered solid misconfiguration detection, but the CrowdStrike acquisition, manual remediation model, and opaque pricing have pushed many organizations to explore alternatives.

For most security teams, Perimeters offers the clearest path forward: transparent pricing at $3/user/month, full visibility in minutes instead of weeks, and automated remediation that actually resolves issues instead of just flagging them. While enterprise SSPM vendors require sales calls, lengthy implementations, and ongoing manual effort, Perimeters delivers comprehensive SaaS security that a lean team can manage in 30 minutes per week.

The other alternatives each serve specific niches - Obsidian for behavior analytics, DoControl for collaboration DLP, platform-bundled options for existing customers - but none match Perimeters' combination of speed, simplicity, and value.

Start Securing Your SaaS Environment Today

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• ✓ Full SaaS discovery including shadow apps and shadow AI
• ✓ Automated remediation workflows
• ✓ Transparent pricing: $3/user/month