FOSSA vs FOSSology

FOSSA9.4Visit FOSSology8.4Visit

Higher score FOSSA #1 in Open Source License Compliance Software 9.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 2 features Visit FOSSA

vs

FOSSology #7 in Open Source License Compliance Software 8.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 2 features Visit FOSSology

• FOSSA fits best

  Broad compliance programs with CI/CD needs

• FOSSology fits best

  Free, self-hosted license review

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Side by side

Feature	FOSSA 9.4/10 Visit ↗	FOSSology 8.4/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.4	8.4
Ranking	#1 in Open Source License Compliance Software	#7 in Open Source License Compliance Software
Best for	Broad compliance programs with CI/CD needs	Free, self-hosted license review
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free
Starting price	$20/site/mo	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Platforms	Web	Web, Linux, Windows, macOS
Support	Email, Docs	Email, Community, Docs
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features FOSSA 0/2 · FOSSology 2/2
Obligation tracking	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Attribution reports	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Specs
Policy enforcement	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
SBOM import formats	Not checked yet	SPDX; RDF
Deployment options	Not checked yet	On-premise
Source scan methods	Not checked yet	Multiple
Our review
Pros	Direct, transitive, and reachability analysis for dependencies SBOM generation, import, export, and management Pull-request checks, merge gating, and policy enforcement	Free and open-source with self-managed deployment options Combines scanning, web review workflows, obligation tracking, and reporting Supports SPDX, CycloneDX, Debian copyright, and README reports
Cons	Free plan is limited to 5 projects Business pricing is billed annually per project Advanced enterprise controls require the Enterprise plan	Policy blocking capabilities are not documented Requires self-managed installation and operation No named third-party integrations are documented
Our verdict	FOSSA is a software supply chain security and compliance platform for engineering, security, and legal teams. It analyzes direct and transitive open-source dependencies, identifies license and vulnerability issues, generates and manages… Read the review →	FOSSology is an open-source license compliance system and toolkit for organizations reviewing software components and distributions. It is suited to teams that want a free, self-hosted workflow for scanning licenses, copyrights, and… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• FOSSA — where it wins

  • Direct, transitive, and reachability analysis for dependencies
  • SBOM generation, import, export, and management
  • Pull-request checks, merge gating, and policy enforcement

  Where it doesn't

  • Free plan is limited to 5 projects
  • Business pricing is billed annually per project
  • Advanced enterprise controls require the Enterprise plan

• FOSSology — where it wins

  • Free and open-source with self-managed deployment options
  • Combines scanning, web review workflows, obligation tracking, and reporting
  • Supports SPDX, CycloneDX, Debian copyright, and README reports

  Where it doesn't

  • Policy blocking capabilities are not documented
  • Requires self-managed installation and operation
  • No named third-party integrations are documented

• FOSSA9.4/10 · Free plan

  Broad open-source compliance coverage with free access, CI/CD controls, and SBOM workflows.

  Visit FOSSAFull verdict →
• FOSSology8.4/10 · Free plan

  A free, self-hosted option for license review, obligations, reports, and automation.

  Visit FOSSologyFull verdict →