Checkov vs Kubescape

Checkov8.7Visit Kubescape8.1Visit

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

vs

Kubescape #6 in IaC Security Scanners 8.1/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 5 features Visit Kubescape

• Checkov fits best

  Open-source multi-framework scanning

• Kubescape fits best

  Teams securing Kubernetes beyond configuration scanning

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Side by side

Feature	Checkov 8.7/10 Visit ↗	Kubescape 8.1/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.7	8.1
Ranking	#3 in IaC Security Scanners	#6 in IaC Security Scanners
Best for	Open-source multi-framework scanning	Teams securing Kubernetes beyond configuration scanning
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Not published	Not published
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted	Self-hosted, Desktop
Platforms	Linux, macOS	Windows, macOS, Linux
Support	Community, Docs	Community, Docs
Integrations	9 integrations	4 integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Checkov 2/5 · Kubescape 1/5
Custom policies	✓ (best)	Not published
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	Scans Kubernetes configurations, YAML files, Helm charts, clusters, and images Adds eBPF runtime threat detection and continuous cluster monitoring Generates SBOMs and supports Validating Admission Policy enforcement
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	Self-hosted deployment puts operation and upkeep on the team Kubernetes-specific scope may not suit broader infrastructure scanning needs Support channels are community 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 →	Kubescape is an open-source Kubernetes security platform from ARMO for engineers, DevOps teams, and cluster operators. It covers scanning across development and live environments, including Kubernetes configurations, YAML files, Helm… 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

• Kubescape — where it wins

  • Scans Kubernetes configurations, YAML files, Helm charts, clusters, and images
  • Adds eBPF runtime threat detection and continuous cluster monitoring
  • Generates SBOMs and supports Validating Admission Policy enforcement

  Where it doesn't

  • Self-hosted deployment puts operation and upkeep on the team
  • Kubernetes-specific scope may not suit broader infrastructure scanning needs
  • Support channels are community and documentation

• Checkov8.7/10 · Free plan

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

  Visit CheckovFull verdict →
• Kubescape8.1/10 · Free plan

  A self-hosted scanner that extends Kubernetes checks into runtime monitoring and policy enforcement.

  Visit KubescapeFull verdict →