ggshield vs Datadog Secret Scanning

ggshield9.0Visit Datadog Secret Scanning8.8Visit

Higher score ggshield #4 in Secrets Scanning Software 9.0/10 Free plan · 30-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 5 of 5 features Visit GitGuardian

vs

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

• ggshield fits best

  Free multi-platform scanning and developer hooks

• Datadog Secret Scanning fits best

  Mature managed scanning with enforcement

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Side by side

Feature	ggshield 9.0/10 Visit ↗	Datadog Secret Scanning 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.0	8.8
Ranking	#4 in Secrets Scanning Software	#5 in Secrets Scanning Software
Best for	Free multi-platform scanning and developer hooks	Mature managed scanning with enforcement
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Paid
Starting price	—	$15/user/mo
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	30 days	14 days
Free trial length	30 days	14 days
Deployment	Cloud	Cloud
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux	Web
Support	Docs, Community	Live chat, Email, Community, Docs
Compliance	SSO/SAML	SSO/SAML, 2FA
Integrations	8 integrations	5 integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Mid-market, Enterprise
Features ggshield 5/5 · Datadog Secret Scanning 5/5
CI/CD scanning	✓	✓
Pre-commit scanning	✓	✓
Pull-request scanning	✓	✓
Push protection	✓	✓
Custom detection rules	✓	✓
Specs
Supported VCS	GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Azure DevOps	GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps
Repository limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Scans more than 600 secret types across code, Docker, and CI/CD Supports pre-commit, pre-push, and pre-receive Git hooks Works with major CI platforms and Windows, macOS, Linux, and APIs	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
Cons	Teams pricing requires contacting sales Starter includes 10,000 API calls per month Does not include AI features	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
Our verdict	ggshield is GitGuardian’s open-source command-line application for finding and preventing hardcoded secrets in developer workflows. It scans local files, repositories, commits, CI/CD content, Docker image layers, build arguments, and… Read the review →	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 →

Strengths and trade-offs

• ggshield — where it wins

  • Scans more than 600 secret types across code, Docker, and CI/CD
  • Supports pre-commit, pre-push, and pre-receive Git hooks
  • Works with major CI platforms and Windows, macOS, Linux, and APIs

  Where it doesn't

  • Teams pricing requires contacting sales
  • Starter includes 10,000 API calls per month
  • Does not include AI features

• 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

• ggshield9.0/10 · Free plan · 30-day trial

  A broad, developer-focused scanner with a free workspace plan and extensive CI coverage.

  Visit GitGuardianFull verdict →
• Datadog Secret Scanning8.8/10 · 14-day trial

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

  Visit DatadogFull verdict →