KICS
KICS: A broad, free IaC scanner for security, compliance, secrets, and misconfigurations. Ranked #1 of 22 in Infrastructure as Code Security Software by our editors (9.4/10); pricing: Free plan; best for broad, free IaC security coverage.
At a glance
- Editor score9.4 / 10
- PricingFree plan
- Best forBroad, free IaC security coverage
- Free planYes
- Paid fromFree
- Custom policiesYes
- Founded2006 · Ramat Gan, Israel
- Facts checked20 Sep 2026
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
Our verdict on KICS
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 product also supports Docker, Ansible, and Helm, and can run as a command-line tool or Docker image. Its platform support includes Windows, macOS, and Linux, making it suitable for development and delivery environments that use those operating systems.
The pricing model is straightforward: KICS is presented as free and open source. There are no paid plan distinctions to compare, so its value centers on the breadth of checks and integrations available without a subscription structure. Security teams can use customizable and extensible queries, while development teams can connect scanning to Azure Pipelines, Bamboo, Bitbucket Pipelines, CircleCI, Codefresh, GitLab CI, Jenkins, TeamCity, Travis CI, AWS CodeBuild, and other listed tools. GitHub Actions adds pull-request comments and annotations for review workflows.
KICS stands out for combining broad IaC coverage with secrets detection, custom policies, pre-commit hooks, Terraform Cloud connectivity, and a Visual Studio Code extension with auto-scanning. That breadth makes it a practical fit for organizations managing several infrastructure formats or standardizing checks across CI/CD systems. It is less suitable for teams looking for a general application-security product rather than infrastructure-focused analysis, or for teams that do not want to manage query customization and integration configuration. Choose KICS when broad, free IaC coverage matters; consider a narrower tool when your needs center on a single platform or a different code-security scope.
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KICS pricing
KICS fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Free |
| Terraform analysis | Yes |
| Kubernetes analysis | Yes |
| CloudFormation analysis | Yes |
| Custom policies | Yes |
| Secrets detection | Yes |
| Pull request scanning | Yes |
| IDE integration | Yes |
| Deployment | Self-hosted |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Support | Email, Community, Docs |
| Built for | Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise (editorial estimate) |
| Integrations | 16 integrations: Azure Pipelines, Bamboo, Bitbucket Pipelines, CircleCI, Codefresh, GitHub Actions … |
| Pricing | Free plan |
| Website | checkmarx.com |
| Facts checked | 20 Sep 2026 |
KICS integrations
KICS lists 16 integrations on its own site.
- Azure Pipelines
- Bamboo
- Bitbucket Pipelines
- CircleCI
- Codefresh
- GitHub Actions
- GitLab CI
- Jenkins
- TeamCity
- Travis CI
- Pre-commit hooks
- Terraform Cloud
- Terraformer
- AWS CodeBuild
- Visual Studio Code
- AWS CDK
Alternatives to KICS
- CheckovA free, multi-framework IaC scanner with custom policies, graph analysis, and CI/CD support.9.3
- Snyk IaCA broad IaC security layer for teams that need scanning, governance, and drift management.9.1
- Safeguard IaC SecurityFeature-rich IaC security with a free plan and $9 monthly entry tier.9.0
KICS vs the competition
- KICS vs Checkov
- KICS vs Snyk IaC
- KICS vs Safeguard IaC Security
- KICS vs Aikido Security
- KICS vs DryRun Security IaC Security
- KICS vs audytx
Compare KICS with any tool side by side →
Also Ranked In
KICS is ranked in 2 of our directories.
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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