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Head-to-head · Infrastructure Testing Tools

KICS vs Cloud-Radar

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 4 checks side by side
Higher score KICS #5 in Infrastructure Testing Tools 8.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 4 features Visit KICS
Cloud-Radar #8 in Infrastructure Testing Tools 8.5/10 Open source ✓ 2 of 4 features Visit Cloud-Radar

KICS leads on 0 checks, Cloud-Radar on 0, and 4 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 4 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreKICS · 8.8/10
  • Free planonly KICS
  • Most featuresCloud-Radar · 2 of 4

KICS scores higher on our rubric for infrastructure testing tools: 8.8 against 8.5 out of 10; our editors rank them #5 and #8.

KICS is the better fit for multi-format IaC security scanning. Cloud-Radar is the better fit for cloudFormation unit and functional testing.

  • KICS fits best

    Multi-format IaC security scanning

  • Cloud-Radar fits best

    CloudFormation unit and functional testing

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature KICS 8.8/10 Visit ↗ Cloud-Radar 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.8 8.5
Ranking #5 in Infrastructure Testing Tools #8 in Infrastructure Testing Tools
Best for Multi-format IaC security scanning CloudFormation unit and functional testing
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Free plan Open source
Free plan ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Free trial — —
Deployment Self-hosted Self-hosted
Integrations 16 integrations 4 integrations
Features KICS 0/4 · Cloud-Radar 2/4
Config compliance Not checked yet —
Provisioning tests Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Deployed checks Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Policy as code Not checked yet Not checked yet
Specs
IaC support Not checked yet AWS CloudFormation
Execution model Not checked yet Local
Cloud support Not checked yet AWS
Our review
Pros
  • Scans Terraform, Kubernetes, CloudFormation, Pulumi, and many other formats
  • Customizable OPA Rego queries support policy testing and tailored checks
  • CI/CD integrations and reports in JSON, SARIF, HTML, PDF, CSV, and more
  • Tests template logic, conditionals, resources, properties, and generated names locally
  • Runs functional tests across AWS Regions through Taskcat
  • Supports deployed-resource interaction and stack lifecycle management
Cons
  • CLI-first workflows may not suit teams seeking a hosted SaaS interface
  • Broad format coverage can require different policies across technologies
  • Automatic remediation is provided as a command rather than a managed workflow
  • Limited to AWS CloudFormation and AWS-based testing workflows
  • Self-hosted setup places installation and operation responsibility on the team
  • Pre-alpha package classification signals an early-stage project
Our verdict

KICS, or Keeping Infrastructure as Code Secure, is an open-source command-line tool from Checkmarx for infrastructure-as-code security scanning. It is designed for engineering and security teams that need to identify vulnerabilities,…

Read the review →

Cloud-Radar is an open-source Python module for testing AWS CloudFormation templates and stacks. It is designed for developers and infrastructure teams that need to validate template behavior before deployment, then exercise deployed…

Read the review →
  1. KICSInfrastructure Testing Tools 8.8Free plan
  2. Cloud-RadarInfrastructure Testing Tools 8.5Open source

Strengths and trade-offs

  • KICS — where it wins

    • Scans Terraform, Kubernetes, CloudFormation, Pulumi, and many other formats
    • Customizable OPA Rego queries support policy testing and tailored checks
    • CI/CD integrations and reports in JSON, SARIF, HTML, PDF, CSV, and more

    Where it doesn't

    • CLI-first workflows may not suit teams seeking a hosted SaaS interface
    • Broad format coverage can require different policies across technologies
    • Automatic remediation is provided as a command rather than a managed workflow

  • Cloud-Radar — where it wins

    • Tests template logic, conditionals, resources, properties, and generated names locally
    • Runs functional tests across AWS Regions through Taskcat
    • Supports deployed-resource interaction and stack lifecycle management

    Where it doesn't

    • Limited to AWS CloudFormation and AWS-based testing workflows
    • Self-hosted setup places installation and operation responsibility on the team
    • Pre-alpha package classification signals an early-stage project
  • KICS8.8/10 · Free plan

    A free, open-source CLI for broad IaC security, compliance, secrets, and policy scanning.

    Visit KICSFull verdict →
  • Cloud-Radar8.5/10 · Open source

    A focused open-source toolkit for testing CloudFormation locally and across AWS Regions.

    Visit Cloud-RadarFull verdict →

More comparisons

All infrastructure testing tools comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update