Suggestions appear as you type. Use the up and down arrows to choose one and Enter to open it.

This page's audience our own tag's counts — open to see them
–Visits
–Page views
–Clicks to vendors
–Time on page
–Reading now
Clicks to vendors, by tool
  • –
Top countries
  • –
Devices
  • –

– · visits, page views and clicks counted by our own tag, which counts more than our checked analytics; every figure rounded down · how we count

Head-to-head · Infrastructure as Code Security Software

KICS vs Checkov

  • 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
Checkov #2 in Infrastructure as Code Security Software 9.3/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 7 of 7 features Visit Checkov

KICS leads on 0 checks, Checkov 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

KICS scores higher on our rubric for infrastructure as code security software: 9.4 against 9.3 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #2.

KICS is the better fit for broad, free IaC security coverage. Checkov is the better fit for open-source multi-framework scanning.

  • KICS fits best

    Broad, free IaC security coverage

  • Checkov fits best

    Open-source multi-framework scanning

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 ↗ Checkov 9.3/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.4 9.3
Ranking #1 in Infrastructure as Code Security Software #2 in Infrastructure as Code Security Software
Best for Broad, free IaC security coverage Open-source multi-framework scanning
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Free plan Free plan
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Self-hosted Self-hosted
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux Linux, macOS
Support Email, Community, Docs Community, Docs
Integrations 16 integrations 9 integrations
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features KICS 7/7 · Checkov 7/7
Terraform analysis ✓ ✓
Kubernetes analysis ✓ ✓
CloudFormation analysis ✓ ✓
Custom policies ✓ ✓
Secrets detection ✓ ✓
Pull request scanning ✓ ✓
IDE integration ✓ ✓
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
  • Scans Terraform, CloudFormation, Kubernetes, and AWS SAM
  • Supports graph analysis, secrets detection, and custom policies
  • Integrates with CI/CD tools, pre-commit hooks, and IDEs
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
  • Command-line workflows may require development-tool familiarity
  • Policy customization requires Python or YAML knowledge
  • Commercial platform capabilities are separate from Checkov itself
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 →

Checkov is an open-source static analysis tool for infrastructure as code. It scans Terraform and Terraform plans, CloudFormation, AWS SAM, Kubernetes manifests, Helm, ARM templates, Serverless Framework files, Dockerfiles, and other…

Read the review →
  1. KICSInfrastructure as Code Security Software 9.4Free plan
  2. CheckovInfrastructure as Code Security Software 9.3Free 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

  • Checkov — where it wins

    • Scans Terraform, CloudFormation, Kubernetes, and AWS SAM
    • Supports graph analysis, secrets detection, and custom policies
    • Integrates with CI/CD tools, pre-commit hooks, and IDEs

    Where it doesn't

    • Command-line workflows may require development-tool familiarity
    • Policy customization requires Python or YAML knowledge
    • Commercial platform capabilities are separate from Checkov itself
  • KICS9.4/10 · Free plan

    A broad, free IaC scanner for security, compliance, secrets, and misconfigurations.

    Visit KICSFull verdict →
  • Checkov9.3/10 · Free plan

    A free, multi-framework IaC scanner with custom policies, graph analysis, and CI/CD support.

    Visit CheckovFull verdict →

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