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Head-to-head · Infrastructure as Code Security Software

KICS vs Safeguard IaC 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
Safeguard IaC Security #4 in Infrastructure as Code Security Software 9.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 6 of 7 features Visit Safeguard

KICS leads on 0 checks, Safeguard IaC 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 9.0 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #4.

KICS is the better fit for broad, free IaC security coverage. Safeguard IaC Security is the better fit for low-cost, feature-rich IaC security.

  • KICS fits best

    Broad, free IaC security coverage

  • Safeguard IaC Security fits best

    Low-cost, feature-rich 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 ↗ Safeguard IaC Security 9.0/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.4 9.0
Ranking #1 in Infrastructure as Code Security Software #4 in Infrastructure as Code Security Software
Best for Broad, free IaC security coverage Low-cost, feature-rich IaC security
Pricing model Free Free plan + paid
Starting price Free plan $89/yr
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Self-hosted Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux Web
Support Email, Community, Docs Email, Tickets, Docs
Integrations 16 integrations 13 integrations
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features KICS 7/7 · Safeguard IaC Security 6/7
Terraform analysis ✓ ✓
Kubernetes analysis ✓ ✓
CloudFormation analysis ✓ ✓
Custom policies ✓ ✓
Secrets detection ✓ (best) Not checked yet
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, Pulumi, Helm, and Kubernetes
  • Gates Terraform plans and CloudFormation change sets before deployment
  • Supports custom Rego and Cue policies plus scheduled drift reconciliation
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
  • Pricing is presented through platform tiers rather than an IaC-only plan
  • The product is proprietary rather than open source
  • Advanced remediation capabilities require higher-priced tiers
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 →

Safeguard IaC Security analyzes infrastructure-as-code configurations before deployment for engineering, platform, and security teams. It covers Terraform, CloudFormation, Pulumi, Helm, Kubernetes manifests, Kustomize, and Crossplane,…

Read the review →
  1. KICSInfrastructure as Code Security Software 9.4Free plan
  2. Safeguard IaC SecurityInfrastructure as Code Security Software 9.0Free 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

  • Safeguard IaC Security — where it wins

    • Scans Terraform, CloudFormation, Pulumi, Helm, and Kubernetes
    • Gates Terraform plans and CloudFormation change sets before deployment
    • Supports custom Rego and Cue policies plus scheduled drift reconciliation

    Where it doesn't

    • Pricing is presented through platform tiers rather than an IaC-only plan
    • The product is proprietary rather than open source
    • Advanced remediation capabilities require higher-priced tiers

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