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Head-to-head · Secrets Scanning Software

TruffleHog vs Gitleaks

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 6 checks side by side
Higher score TruffleHog #2 in Secrets Scanning Software 9.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit TruffleHog
Gitleaks #8 in Secrets Scanning Software 8.5/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 5 features Visit Gitleaks

TruffleHog 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 scoreTruffleHog · 9.2/10
  • Free planboth
  • Most featuresTruffleHog · 5 of 5

TruffleHog scores higher on our rubric for secrets scanning software: 9.2 against 8.5 out of 10; our editors rank them #2 and #8.

TruffleHog is the better fit for open-source teams needing deep verification. Gitleaks is the better fit for free CI and Git-history scanning.

  • TruffleHog fits best

    Open-source teams needing deep verification

  • Gitleaks fits best

    Free CI and Git-history scanning

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Side by side

Feature TruffleHog 9.2/10 Visit ↗ Gitleaks 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.2 8.5
Ranking #2 in Secrets Scanning Software #8 in Secrets Scanning Software
Best for Open-source teams needing deep verification Free CI and Git-history scanning
Pricing model Free plan + paid Free
Starting price — Free plan
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Self-hosted
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux Windows, macOS, Linux
Support Community, Docs Community, Docs
Integrations 22+ integrations 4 integrations
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features TruffleHog 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 GitHub, GitLab, Git, Bitbucket, Gerrit, Azure Repos GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps, Gitea, Bitbucket
Repository limit Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Classifies more than 800 secret types and verifies active credentials
  • Scans history, branches, pull requests, files, containers, and connected sources
  • Supports CI/CD, pre-commit, pre-receive, remediation, and credential tracking
  • 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
  • Enterprise capabilities require a contact-sales process
  • Deployment is focused on Linux and self-hosted environments
  • Permission analysis applies to supported credentials rather than every finding
  • 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

TruffleHog is an open-source secrets-scanning tool for developers and security teams. It searches repositories, version history, files, containers, and connected sources for credentials such as API keys, passwords, and tokens. Its core…

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. TruffleHogSecrets Scanning Software 9.2Free plan
  2. GitleaksSecrets Scanning Software 8.5Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • TruffleHog — where it wins

    • Classifies more than 800 secret types and verifies active credentials
    • Scans history, branches, pull requests, files, containers, and connected sources
    • Supports CI/CD, pre-commit, pre-receive, remediation, and credential tracking

    Where it doesn't

    • Enterprise capabilities require a contact-sales process
    • Deployment is focused on Linux and self-hosted environments
    • Permission analysis applies to supported credentials rather than every finding

  • 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

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