ggshield review
A broad, developer-focused scanner with a free workspace plan and extensive CI coverage.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
ggshield is GitGuardian’s open-source command-line application for finding and preventing hardcoded secrets in developer workflows. It scans local files, repositories, commits, CI/CD content, Docker image layers, build arguments, and Dockerfiles. Developers can run it on Windows, macOS, or Linux, while security teams can connect it to APIs, self-hosted deployments, and supported development workflows. It is a strong fit for teams that want developer-facing secrets scanning with Git hooks and CI coverage rather than a standalone web console.
Its main strength is breadth at the scanning layer. ggshield detects more than 600 types of secrets and supports pre-commit, pre-push, and pre-receive hooks, plus pull request scanning and push protection. JSON output, secret ignoring, and detector or path exclusions support automated workflows. Integration coverage includes GitHub Actions, GitLab pipelines, Azure Pipelines, Bitbucket Pipelines, CircleCI, Drone CI, Jenkins CI, and Travis CI. Hooks are also available for Cursor, Claude Code, and Visual Studio Code with GitHub Copilot, extending checks into developer and AI coding-tool workflows.
The Starter plan is always free at $0 per workspace with annual billing, supports up to 25 developers, includes 10,000 API calls per month, and provides unlimited real-time scanning. A 30-day trial is available for the Business plan. Teams pricing requires contacting sales, while Enterprise offers custom pricing, self-hosted deployment, and custom detectors. Starter is well suited to small or growing teams establishing scanning across repositories and pipelines. Teams needing self-hosting or custom detection should consider Enterprise, while organizations specifically seeking AI features should choose a product that provides them.
ggshield pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Scans more than 600 secret types across code, Docker, and CI/CD
- Supports pre-commit, pre-push, and pre-receive Git hooks
- Works with major CI platforms and Windows, macOS, Linux, and APIs
- Where it doesn't
- Teams pricing requires contacting sales
- Starter includes 10,000 API calls per month
- Does not include AI features
ggshield fact sheet, pricing and score →
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