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Head-to-head · IaC Security Scanners

DeepSource vs Fairwinds Polaris

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 3 checks side by side
Higher score DeepSource #5 in IaC Security Scanners 8.3/10 Free plan · paid from $24/user/mo (annual) · 14-day trial Free plan✓ 0 of 5 features Visit DeepSource
Fairwinds Polaris #7 in IaC Security Scanners 7.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 5 features Visit Polaris

DeepSource leads on 0 checks, Fairwinds Polaris on 2, and 1 is even. Who comes out ahead on the 3 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreDeepSource · 8.3/10
  • Free planboth
  • Most featuresFairwinds Polaris · 2 of 5

DeepSource scores higher on our rubric for iac security scanners: 8.3 against 7.9 out of 10; our editors rank them #5 and #7.

Fairwinds Polaris offers custom policies; DeepSource doesn't publish it. Fairwinds Polaris offers open-source option; DeepSource doesn't publish it.

DeepSource is the better fit for teams combining IaC and code security. Fairwinds Polaris is the better fit for kubernetes policy auditing and admission control.

  • DeepSource fits best

    Teams combining IaC and code security

  • Fairwinds Polaris fits best

    Kubernetes policy auditing and admission control

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. We may earn a commission when you click some links. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature DeepSource 8.3/10 Visit ↗ Fairwinds Polaris 7.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.3 7.9
Ranking #5 in IaC Security Scanners #7 in IaC Security Scanners
Best for Teams combining IaC and code security Kubernetes policy auditing and admission control
Pricing model Free plan + paid Free
Starting price $24/user/mo Not published
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Self-hosted
Platforms Web Linux, macOS, Windows
Support Email, Tickets, Docs Community, Docs
Integrations 8 integrations 2 integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features DeepSource 0/5 · Fairwinds Polaris 2/5
Custom policies Not published ✓ (best)
CI/PR integration Not published Not published
Fix suggestions Not published Not published
Drift detection Not published Not published
Open-source option Not published ✓ (best)
Specs
IaC frameworks Not published Not published
Our review
Pros
  • Reviews Dockerfiles, Terraform, and Ansible alongside application code.
  • Scans pull requests for secrets and dependency vulnerabilities.
  • Connects with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and Azure DevOps.
  • 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
  • Secrets detection is limited to Team and Enterprise plans.
  • Team costs $30 per user monthly or $24 with annual billing.
  • The Individual plan's repository limits are not stated.
  • 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

DeepSource brings code review and application-security checks together for software teams that want infrastructure-as-code findings in the same workflow as code issues. It reviews Dockerfiles, Terraform, and Ansible, alongside static…

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 →
  1. DeepSourceIaC Security Scanners 8.3Free plan · paid from $24/user/mo (annual) · 14-day trial
  2. Fairwinds PolarisIaC Security Scanners 7.9Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • DeepSource — where it wins

    • Reviews Dockerfiles, Terraform, and Ansible alongside application code.
    • Scans pull requests for secrets and dependency vulnerabilities.
    • Connects with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and Azure DevOps.

    Where it doesn't

    • Secrets detection is limited to Team and Enterprise plans.
    • Team costs $30 per user monthly or $24 with annual billing.
    • The Individual plan's repository limits are not stated.

  • 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
  • DeepSource8.3/10 · Free plan · paid from $24/user/mo (annual) · 14-day trial

    Combines IaC checks with code, secrets, and dependency scanning in pull requests.

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

    Focused Kubernetes auditing and admission control with flexible policy enforcement.

    Visit PolarisFull verdict →

More comparisons

All IaC security scanners comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update