Datadog Secret Scanning vs Gitleaks

Datadog Secret Scanning8.8Visit GGitleaks8.5Visit

Higher score Datadog Secret Scanning #5 in Secrets Scanning Software 8.8/10 14-day trial Free trial✓ 5 of 5 features Visit Datadog

vs

G Gitleaks #8 in Secrets Scanning Software 8.5/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 5 features Visit Gitleaks

• Datadog Secret Scanning fits best

  Mature managed scanning with enforcement

• Gitleaks fits best

  Free CI and Git-history scanning

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature	Datadog Secret Scanning 8.8/10 Visit ↗	GGitleaks 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.8	8.5
Ranking	#5 in Secrets Scanning Software	#8 in Secrets Scanning Software
Best for	Mature managed scanning with enforcement	Free CI and Git-history scanning
Pricing model	Paid	Free
Starting price	$15/user/mo	Free plan
Free plan	—	✓ (best)
Free trial	14 days	—
Deployment	Cloud	Self-hosted
Platforms	Web	Windows, macOS, Linux
Support	Live chat, Email, Community, Docs	Community, Docs
Integrations	5 integrations	4 integrations
Built for	Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Datadog Secret Scanning 5/5 · Gitleaks 4/5
CI/CD scanning	✓	✓
Pre-commit scanning	✓	✓
Pull-request scanning	✓	✓
Push protection	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Custom detection rules	✓	✓
Specs
Supported VCS	GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps	GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps, Gitea, Bitbucket
Repository limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Scans repositories, CI/CD pipelines, pull requests, and pre-commit activity Blocks merges with pull-request gates and supports local pre-commit blocking Connects GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps, and Jira workflows	Free and open source with Git repository and history scanning Custom TOML rules, baselines, allowlists, and configurable extensions GitHub Actions workflows plus JSON, CSV, JUnit, SARIF, and template reports
Cons	No free plan; access starts with paid pricing Annual billing is required for the $15 per committer monthly rate The product is offered through a web platform rather than desktop or mobile apps	Command-line focus may require engineering-led setup and maintenance Platform options center on macOS and self-hosted deployments GitHub Action licensing differs from the MIT-licensed core scanner
Our verdict	Datadog Secret Scanning detects exposed API keys, tokens, passwords, and encryption keys in source code and configuration files. It is designed for development, security, and DevOps teams that need managed scanning across repositories and… Read the review →	Gitleaks is an open-source command-line secret scanner for teams that need to detect passwords, API keys, tokens, and other sensitive values in Git repositories, commit history, files, directories, or standard input. It fits development… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Datadog Secret Scanning — where it wins

  • Scans repositories, CI/CD pipelines, pull requests, and pre-commit activity
  • Blocks merges with pull-request gates and supports local pre-commit blocking
  • Connects GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps, and Jira workflows

  Where it doesn't

  • No free plan; access starts with paid pricing
  • Annual billing is required for the $15 per committer monthly rate
  • The product is offered through a web platform rather than desktop or mobile apps

• Gitleaks — where it wins

  • Free and open source with Git repository and history scanning
  • Custom TOML rules, baselines, allowlists, and configurable extensions
  • GitHub Actions workflows plus JSON, CSV, JUnit, SARIF, and template reports

  Where it doesn't

  • Command-line focus may require engineering-led setup and maintenance
  • Platform options center on macOS and self-hosted deployments
  • GitHub Action licensing differs from the MIT-licensed core scanner

• Datadog Secret Scanning8.8/10 · 14-day trial

  A mature managed scanner with broad enforcement, priced from $15 per committer monthly.

  Visit DatadogFull verdict →
• GGitleaks8.5/10 · Free plan

  A free, flexible scanner for Git history, CI workflows, files, and pre-commit checks.

  Visit GitleaksFull verdict →