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Head-to-head · IaC Security Scanners

Snyk IaC vs Fairwinds Polaris

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 3 checks side by side
Higher score Snyk IaC #1 in IaC Security Scanners 9.3/10 Free plan · paid from $25/mo Free plan✓ 1 of 5 features Visit Snyk
Fairwinds Polaris #7 in IaC Security Scanners 7.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 5 features Visit Polaris

Snyk IaC leads on 0 checks, Fairwinds Polaris on 1, and 2 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 3 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreSnyk IaC · 9.3/10
  • Free planboth
  • Most featuresFairwinds Polaris · 2 of 5

Snyk IaC scores higher on our rubric for iac security scanners: 9.3 against 7.9 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #7.

Fairwinds Polaris offers open-source option; Snyk IaC doesn't publish it.

Snyk IaC is the better fit for enterprise IaC security with broad integrations. Fairwinds Polaris is the better fit for kubernetes policy auditing and admission control.

  • Snyk IaC fits best

    Enterprise IaC security with broad integrations

  • Fairwinds Polaris fits best

    Kubernetes policy auditing and admission control

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. We may earn a commission when you click some links. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Snyk IaC 9.3/10 Visit ↗ Fairwinds Polaris 7.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.3 7.9
Ranking #1 in IaC Security Scanners #7 in IaC Security Scanners
Best for Enterprise IaC security with broad integrations Kubernetes policy auditing and admission control
Pricing model Free plan + paid Free
Starting price Not published Not published
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud Self-hosted
Platforms Web Linux, macOS, Windows
Support Phone, Tickets, Docs Community, Docs
Integrations 109+ integrations 2 integrations
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Snyk IaC 1/5 · Fairwinds Polaris 2/5
Custom policies ✓ ✓
CI/PR integration Not published Not published
Fix suggestions Not published Not published
Drift detection Not published Not published
Open-source option Not published ✓ (best)
Specs
IaC frameworks Not published Not published
Our review
Pros
  • Scans Terraform, CloudFormation, Kubernetes, Helm, and ARM templates
  • Supports custom Open Policy Agent policies and CI/CD policy gates
  • Connects with 109 integrations, including GitHub, Jira, and Terraform Cloud
  • Free open-source plan with dashboard, admission controller, and CLI modes
  • 30+ built-in policies plus custom JSON Schema checks
  • CI thresholds and automatic remediation for supported YAML resources
Cons
  • Cloud deployment may not fit teams requiring on-premises hosting
  • Advanced capabilities are split across multiple paid platform tiers
  • Ignite uses annual per-contributing-developer billing
  • Focused on Kubernetes resources rather than Terraform-based IaC
  • Self-hosted deployment requires teams to operate the software
  • Support is limited to community resources and documentation
Our verdict

Snyk IaC analyzes infrastructure-as-code configurations for security misconfigurations before deployment. It is aimed at developers, DevOps teams, AppSec teams, and organizations managing cloud infrastructure. Coverage includes Terraform,…

Read the review →

Fairwinds Polaris is an open-source policy engine for teams managing Kubernetes resources. It validates configuration, security, efficiency, and reliability settings across Kubernetes environments, serving small, mid-market, and enterprise…

Read the review →
  1. Snyk IaCIaC Security Scanners 9.3Free plan · paid from $25/mo
  2. Fairwinds PolarisIaC Security Scanners 7.9Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Snyk IaC — where it wins

    • Scans Terraform, CloudFormation, Kubernetes, Helm, and ARM templates
    • Supports custom Open Policy Agent policies and CI/CD policy gates
    • Connects with 109 integrations, including GitHub, Jira, and Terraform Cloud

    Where it doesn't

    • Cloud deployment may not fit teams requiring on-premises hosting
    • Advanced capabilities are split across multiple paid platform tiers
    • Ignite uses annual per-contributing-developer billing

  • Fairwinds Polaris — where it wins

    • Free open-source plan with dashboard, admission controller, and CLI modes
    • 30+ built-in policies plus custom JSON Schema checks
    • CI thresholds and automatic remediation for supported YAML resources

    Where it doesn't

    • Focused on Kubernetes resources rather than Terraform-based IaC
    • Self-hosted deployment requires teams to operate the software
    • Support is limited to community resources and documentation
  • Snyk IaC9.3/10 · Free plan · paid from $25/mo

    A broad IaC scanner with policy controls, workflow integrations, and a free starting tier.

    Visit SnykFull verdict →
  • Fairwinds Polaris7.9/10 · Free plan

    Focused Kubernetes auditing and admission control with flexible policy enforcement.

    Visit PolarisFull verdict →

More comparisons

All IaC security scanners comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update