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Head-to-head · Secrets Scanning Software

Kingfisher vs Gitleaks

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 6 checks side by side
Higher score Kingfisher #3 in Secrets Scanning Software 9.1/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit Kingfisher
Gitleaks #8 in Secrets Scanning Software 8.5/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 5 features Visit Gitleaks

Kingfisher leads on 0 checks, Gitleaks on 0, and 6 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 6 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreKingfisher · 9.1/10
  • Free planboth
  • Most featuresKingfisher · 5 of 5

Kingfisher scores higher on our rubric for secrets scanning software: 9.1 against 8.5 out of 10; our editors rank them #3 and #8.

Kingfisher is the better fit for broad open-source scanning across code and cloud. Gitleaks is the better fit for free CI and Git-history scanning.

  • Kingfisher fits best

    Broad open-source scanning across code and cloud

  • Gitleaks fits best

    Free CI and Git-history 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 Kingfisher 9.1/10 Visit ↗ Gitleaks 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.1 8.5
Ranking #3 in Secrets Scanning Software #8 in Secrets Scanning Software
Best for Broad open-source scanning across code and cloud Free CI and Git-history scanning
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Free plan Free plan
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Self-hosted Self-hosted
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux Windows, macOS, Linux
Support Community, Docs Community, Docs
Integrations 14 integrations 4 integrations
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Kingfisher 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 Local Git, GitHub, GitLab, Azure Repos, Bitbucket, Gitea, Hugging Face GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps, Gitea, Bitbucket
Repository limit Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Scans code, history, files, archives, cloud storage, and containers
  • Validates credentials and maps permissions, resources, and blast radius
  • Supports CI, pull requests, pre-commit hooks, and custom rules
  • 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
  • Revocation workflows apply only to supported credential providers
  • Command-line workflows may require security and developer expertise
  • No separate paid or enterprise tier for centralized commercial support
  • 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

Kingfisher is an Apache-2.0 open-source secret scanner from MongoDB for developers, security engineers, and incident responders. It scans source code, Git history, local files, archives, cloud storage, container images, and supported…

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 →
  1. KingfisherSecrets Scanning Software 9.1Free plan
  2. GitleaksSecrets Scanning Software 8.5Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Kingfisher — where it wins

    • Scans code, history, files, archives, cloud storage, and containers
    • Validates credentials and maps permissions, resources, and blast radius
    • Supports CI, pull requests, pre-commit hooks, and custom rules

    Where it doesn't

    • Revocation workflows apply only to supported credential providers
    • Command-line workflows may require security and developer expertise
    • No separate paid or enterprise tier for centralized commercial support

  • 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
  • Kingfisher9.1/10 · Free plan

    A broad, free scanner for exposed credentials across code, cloud, containers, and developer platforms.

    Visit KingfisherFull verdict →
  • Gitleaks8.5/10 · Free plan

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

    Visit GitleaksFull verdict →

More comparisons

All secrets scanning software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update