AWS Trusted Advisor vs StackSage
Comprehensive AWS auditing without requiring AWS Business Support. Get 40+ cost and security checks without paying for an AWS support plan.
✅ AWS Trusted Advisor
Native AWS service with 56 free checks, 482 total with Business Support+.
- Native AWS integration
- 482 checks with Business Support+
- Well-Architected best practices
- Limited free tier (only 56 checks)
- Full access requires $100+/month support plan
- No evidence-graded findings
🔍 StackSage
Privacy-first audits — runs on your machine or in CI without AWS support plans.
- No AWS support plan required
- 40+ checks (cost + security)
- Evidence grades (A-F) for confidence
- Copy-paste CLI remediation commands
- Fewer total checks than full Trusted Advisor
- AWS-only (no multi-cloud)
💰 Cost Consideration
AWS Trusted Advisor full access requires AWS Business Support or higher:
- •Business Support: Greater of $100/month or 10% of monthly AWS usage
- •Enterprise Support: Greater of $15K/month or 10% of usage (first $150K)
StackSage provides comprehensive auditing without requiring AWS support plans. CloudWatch API costs are typically under $5/month for comprehensive scans.
Detailed Feature Comparison
| Feature | Trusted Advisor | StackSage |
|---|---|---|
| Free Tier Checks | 56 checks | 40+ checks (trial: top 50 findings) |
| Full Access Requirement | Business Support+ ($100+/month minimum) | License-based (no support plan needed) |
| Total Checks Available | 482 checks (with Business Support+) | 40+ checks + expanding |
| Deployment Model | AWS Console + API | pip install or CI |
| Authentication | AWS IAM credentials | Local creds, SSO profile, or IAM role |
| Data Privacy | Analyzed by AWS | Stays on your machine or CI runner |
| CloudWatch Metrics | Yes (for some checks) | Yes (with evidence grades A-F) |
| Cost Savings Estimates | Yes | Yes (with real-time AWS pricing) |
| Security Checks | Yes (comprehensive) | Yes (16 posture checks) |
| Remediation Guidance | Recommendations | Copy-paste CLI commands |
Choose Trusted Advisor if you:
- Already have AWS Business/Enterprise Support
- Want native AWS Console integration
- Need maximum check coverage (482 checks)
- Prefer AWS-managed tooling
Choose StackSage if you:
- Don't want to pay for AWS support plans
- Want privacy-first (data stays on your machine)
- Need evidence-graded findings (A-F)
- Want copy-paste CLI remediation commands
Get comprehensive AWS audits without support plans
Try StackSage free to audit your AWS account with 40+ cost and security checks.