FOSSA vs SW360

FOSSA9.4Visit SW3608.3Visit

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

vs

SW360 #8 in Open Source License Compliance Software 8.3/10 Open source ✓ 2 of 2 features Visit SW360

• FOSSA fits best

  Broad compliance programs with CI/CD needs

• SW360 fits best

  Component catalogs and compliance tracking

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Side by side

Feature	FOSSA 9.4/10 Visit ↗	SW360 8.3/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.4	8.3
Ranking	#1 in Open Source License Compliance Software	#8 in Open Source License Compliance Software
Best for	Broad compliance programs with CI/CD needs	Component catalogs and compliance tracking
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free
Starting price	$20/site/mo	Open source
Free plan	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms	Web	Web
Support	Email, Docs	Docs, Community
Integrations	7 integrations	6 integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Mid-market, Enterprise
Features FOSSA 0/2 · SW360 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/XML, CycloneDX
Deployment options	Not checked yet	Both
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	Centralizes components, releases, licenses, obligations, and vulnerabilities Supports BOMs, SPDX, CycloneDX, clearing workflows, and attribution documents REST API access with FOSSology and external tool integrations
Cons	Free plan is limited to 5 projects Business pricing is billed annually per project Advanced enterprise controls require the Enterprise plan	Does not perform direct source-code or license scanning Requires deployment through containers or bare-metal installation Workflow-specific SBOM format support varies by import or export path
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 →	SW360 is an open-source software catalog and compliance application for organizations managing third-party components. It brings component, release, project, license, obligation, vulnerability, and clearing information into one system.… 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

• SW360 — where it wins

  • Centralizes components, releases, licenses, obligations, and vulnerabilities
  • Supports BOMs, SPDX, CycloneDX, clearing workflows, and attribution documents
  • REST API access with FOSSology and external tool integrations

  Where it doesn't

  • Does not perform direct source-code or license scanning
  • Requires deployment through containers or bare-metal installation
  • Workflow-specific SBOM format support varies by import or export path

• FOSSA9.4/10 · Free plan

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

  Visit FOSSAFull verdict →
• SW3608.3/10 · Open source

  A strong catalog and compliance hub for teams managing third-party software.

  Visit SW360Full verdict →