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Head-to-head · Infrastructure as Code Security Software

KICS vs Aikido Security

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 8 checks side by side
Higher score KICS #1 in Infrastructure as Code Security Software 9.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 7 of 7 features Visit KICS
Aikido Security #5 in Infrastructure as Code Security Software 8.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 7 features Visit Aikido

KICS leads on 0 checks, Aikido Security on 0, and 8 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 8 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreKICS · 9.4/10
  • Free planboth
  • Most featuresKICS · 7 of 7

KICS scores higher on our rubric for infrastructure as code security software: 9.4 against 8.9 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #5.

KICS is the better fit for broad, free IaC security coverage. Aikido Security is the better fit for full-stack cloud and IaC security.

  • KICS fits best

    Broad, free IaC security coverage

  • Aikido Security fits best

    Full-stack cloud and IaC security

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 9.4/10 Visit ↗ Aikido Security 8.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.4 8.9
Ranking #1 in Infrastructure as Code Security Software #5 in Infrastructure as Code Security Software
Best for Broad, free IaC security coverage Full-stack cloud and IaC security
Pricing model Free Free plan + paid
Starting price Free plan —
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Self-hosted Cloud, Self-hosted, Desktop
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux Web, Windows, macOS, Linux
Support Email, Community, Docs Email, Live chat, Docs
Integrations 16 integrations 18 integrations
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features KICS 7/7 · Aikido Security 0/7
Terraform analysis ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Kubernetes analysis ✓ (best) Not checked yet
CloudFormation analysis ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Custom policies ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Secrets detection ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Pull request scanning ✓ (best) Not checked yet
IDE integration ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Scans Terraform, Kubernetes, and CloudFormation
  • Detects security issues, compliance gaps, misconfigurations, and secrets
  • Connects with CI/CD tools, GitHub Actions, and Visual Studio Code
  • Covers IaC, SAST, dependencies, secrets, containers and cloud posture
  • Free Developer plan includes scanning for two users
  • Supports major repositories, clouds, CI/CD tools and issue trackers
Cons
  • Primarily focuses on infrastructure-as-code configuration files
  • Custom queries may require security and policy knowledge
  • Workflow coverage depends on configuring its listed integrations
  • Free Developer plan is limited to two users
  • PR security review and issue synchronization start with Basic
  • On-premises and virtual-machine scanning start with Pro
Our verdict

KICS is a free, open-source static analysis tool for infrastructure-as-code projects. It is designed for teams that need security, compliance, misconfiguration, and secrets checks across Terraform, Kubernetes, and CloudFormation. The…

Read the review →

Aikido Security is a software security platform for development, security and infrastructure teams. It combines infrastructure-as-code scanning with software composition analysis, SAST, secrets detection, container image scanning, cloud…

Read the review →
  1. KICSInfrastructure as Code Security Software 9.4Free plan
  2. Aikido SecurityInfrastructure as Code Security Software 8.9Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • KICS — where it wins

    • Scans Terraform, Kubernetes, and CloudFormation
    • Detects security issues, compliance gaps, misconfigurations, and secrets
    • Connects with CI/CD tools, GitHub Actions, and Visual Studio Code

    Where it doesn't

    • Primarily focuses on infrastructure-as-code configuration files
    • Custom queries may require security and policy knowledge
    • Workflow coverage depends on configuring its listed integrations

  • Aikido Security — where it wins

    • Covers IaC, SAST, dependencies, secrets, containers and cloud posture
    • Free Developer plan includes scanning for two users
    • Supports major repositories, clouds, CI/CD tools and issue trackers

    Where it doesn't

    • Free Developer plan is limited to two users
    • PR security review and issue synchronization start with Basic
    • On-premises and virtual-machine scanning start with Pro

More comparisons

All infrastructure as code security software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update