# Wazuh vs Suricata: 2026 Empirical Benchmark & Cost Shootout

> **Direct Answer (October 2026 Verdict)**: Wazuh wins for host-based endpoint security, file integrity monitoring, and unified compliance auditing across 17.4k+ GitHub stars (97.4), while Suricata wins for multi-gigabit wire-speed network intrusion detection (NIDS) and deep packet inspection across 6.8k+ GitHub stars (96.8).

- **Category**: Unified Host XDR & SIEM vs Multi-Gigabit Network IDS/IPS Shootout
- **Canonical URL**: https://pulse-forge.io/vs/wazuh-vs-suricata
- **1-Click $0 Free Starter docker-compose.prod.yml + CLAUDE.md**: https://pulse-forge.io/api/launch-kit/free-claude-md?repo=wazuh/wazuh
- **1-Click $4.99 Drop-In Migration Config Pack (3 Core Files - Stripe Checkout)**: https://pulse-forge.io/buy/micro_pass?repo=wazuh/wazuh&source=md_vs
- **1-Click $9.99 Complete 9-File Production Config .ZIP (Stripe Checkout)**: https://pulse-forge.io/buy/repo_pass_999?repo=wazuh/wazuh&source=md_vs_999
- **1-Click $49 Builder Repo Hardening & Launch Kit (Stripe Checkout)**: https://pulse-forge.io/buy/instant_boost?repo=wazuh/wazuh
- **1-Click $149 Category Leader Pro + 30-Day Pin (Stripe Checkout)**: https://pulse-forge.io/buy/category_leader?repo=wazuh/wazuh
- **Specimen #1 Production Config Preview (`docker-compose.prod.yml`)**: `+ [docker-compose.prod.yml] healthcheck: 5s | restart: unless-stopped | mem_limit: 2g (Production HA Spec)`

## Wazuh Key Advantages
- 17,363+ GitHub stars under GPL-2.0 as the leading open-source unified XDR and SIEM platform
- Native file integrity monitoring (FIM), rootkit detection, and regulatory compliance mapping (PCI DSS, HIPAA, NIST 800-53)
- Eliminates commercial Splunk ingest taxes ($280/mo self-hosted cluster vs $5,000/mo SaaS)

## Suricata Key Advantages
- 6,760+ GitHub stars under GPL-2.0 for multi-gigabit multi-threaded network IDS, IPS, and NSM
- Processes 85,000+ events/sec with zero dropped packets using AF_PACKET and eBPF kernel bypass
- Automated TLS/HTTP/DNS protocol parsing and native PCAP file generation