ggshield vs Gitleaks

ggshield9.0Visit GGitleaks8.5Visit

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

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

• ggshield fits best

  Free multi-platform scanning and developer hooks

• Gitleaks fits best

  Free CI and Git-history scanning

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Side by side

Feature	ggshield 9.0/10 Visit ↗	GGitleaks 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.0	8.5
Ranking	#4 in Secrets Scanning Software	#8 in Secrets Scanning Software
Best for	Free multi-platform scanning and developer hooks	Free CI and Git-history scanning
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free
Starting price	—	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	30 days	—
Deployment	Cloud	Self-hosted
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows, macOS, Linux
Support	Docs, Community	Community, Docs
Integrations	8 integrations	4 integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features ggshield 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, Bitbucket, Azure DevOps	GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps, Gitea, Bitbucket
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	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	Teams pricing requires contacting sales Starter includes 10,000 API calls per month Does not include AI features	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	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 →	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

• 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

• 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

• 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 →
• GGitleaks8.5/10 · Free plan

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

  Visit GitleaksFull verdict →