Checkov vs Fairwinds Polaris

Checkov8.7Visit Fairwinds Polaris7.9Visit

Higher score Checkov #3 in IaC Security Scanners 8.7/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 5 features Visit Checkov

vs

Fairwinds Polaris #7 in IaC Security Scanners 7.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 5 features Visit Polaris

• Checkov fits best

  Open-source multi-framework scanning

• Fairwinds Polaris fits best

  Kubernetes policy auditing and admission control

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Side by side

Feature	Checkov 8.7/10 Visit ↗	Fairwinds Polaris 7.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.7	7.9
Ranking	#3 in IaC Security Scanners	#7 in IaC Security Scanners
Best for	Open-source multi-framework scanning	Kubernetes policy auditing and admission control
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Not published	Not published
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Platforms	Linux, macOS	Linux, macOS, Windows
Support	Community, Docs	Community, Docs
Integrations	9 integrations	2 integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Checkov 2/5 · Fairwinds Polaris 2/5
Custom policies	✓	✓
CI/PR integration	Not published	Not published
Fix suggestions	Not published	Not published
Drift detection	Not published	Not published
Open-source option	✓	✓
Specs
IaC frameworks	Not published	Not published
Our review
Pros	Scans Terraform, CloudFormation, Kubernetes and Terraform plans Supports secrets detection, graph analysis and custom Python or YAML policies Integrates with major CI/CD tools, pre-commit and IDE environments	Free open-source plan with dashboard, admission controller, and CLI modes 30+ built-in policies plus custom JSON Schema checks CI thresholds and automatic remediation for supported YAML resources
Cons	Self-hosted deployment requires your team to operate the scanner Support channels are limited to community resources and documentation Runs on Linux and macOS, narrowing supported host platforms	Focused on Kubernetes resources rather than Terraform-based IaC Self-hosted deployment requires teams to operate the software Support is limited to community resources and documentation
Our verdict	Checkov is an open-source static analysis tool for infrastructure as code, designed for teams that need policy checks across multiple configuration frameworks. It scans Terraform and Terraform plans, CloudFormation and AWS SAM, Kubernetes… Read the review →	Fairwinds Polaris is an open-source policy engine for teams managing Kubernetes resources. It validates configuration, security, efficiency, and reliability settings across Kubernetes environments, serving small, mid-market, and enterprise… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Checkov — where it wins

  • Scans Terraform, CloudFormation, Kubernetes and Terraform plans
  • Supports secrets detection, graph analysis and custom Python or YAML policies
  • Integrates with major CI/CD tools, pre-commit and IDE environments

  Where it doesn't

  • Self-hosted deployment requires your team to operate the scanner
  • Support channels are limited to community resources and documentation
  • Runs on Linux and macOS, narrowing supported host platforms

• Fairwinds Polaris — where it wins

  • Free open-source plan with dashboard, admission controller, and CLI modes
  • 30+ built-in policies plus custom JSON Schema checks
  • CI thresholds and automatic remediation for supported YAML resources

  Where it doesn't

  • Focused on Kubernetes resources rather than Terraform-based IaC
  • Self-hosted deployment requires teams to operate the software
  • Support is limited to community resources and documentation

• Checkov8.7/10 · Free plan

  A self-hosted, multi-framework IaC scanner with broad policy and CI/CD coverage.

  Visit CheckovFull verdict →
• Fairwinds Polaris7.9/10 · Free plan

  Focused Kubernetes auditing and admission control with flexible policy enforcement.

  Visit PolarisFull verdict →