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Cybersecurity · head to head

Check Point Software vs Steampipe

Check Point Software logo

Check Point Software

Cybersecurity

AI Transforms the Network. We Transform the Firewall.

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Steampipe logo

Steampipe

Developer Tools

Query cloud APIs, SaaS tools and code with SQL, with no extract or load step

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Steampipe has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Check Point Software no pricing published; directed to contact sales or find a partner; Steampipe aGPL-3.0 across all four engines is a procurement blocker at organisations that ban the licence outright, and the network clause reaches any internal portal or service that puts a web interface in front of it.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Check Point Software and Steampipe actually diverge.

Attributes where Check Point Software and Steampipe differ
AttributeCheck Point SoftwareSteampipe
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteOpen source, with paid hosting through Turbot Pipes
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebmacOS, Linux, Windows, Docker, Web
CategoryCybersecurityDeveloper Tools

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Check Point Software

Nothing recorded that Steampipe does not also cover.

Only in Steampipe

  • SQL over live APIs
  • Wide plugin set
  • Embedded Postgres
  • Compliance benchmarks
  • Joins across providers
  • Hosted option

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Check Point Software

  • Protecting hybrid cloud from ransomwarenot Steampipe
  • Implementing zero trust on endpointsnot Steampipe
  • Securing AI deployments from threatsnot Steampipe
  • Detecting advanced threats across networksnot Steampipe

Steampipe

  • Security teams answering posture questions against live cloud accounts rather than a nightly exportnot Check Point Software
  • Compliance evidence gathering where the answer must reflect the account at the moment it is askednot Check Point Software
  • Inventory and drift questions spanning several cloud providers in one querynot Check Point Software
  • Engineers who would rather write SQL than learn each provider command line toolnot Check Point Software

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Check Point Software

  • No pricing published; directed to contact sales or find a partner
  • Cybersecurity enterprise software typically sold on quote-only basis
  • No transparent pricing for any product suite

Steampipe

  • AGPL-3.0 across all four engines is a procurement blocker at organisations that ban the licence outright, and the network clause reaches any internal portal or service that puts a web interface in front of it.
  • Dashboards, benchmarks and mods were removed from Steampipe entirely at version 1.0 in October 2024 and now live in a separate product, so pre-2024 documentation and tutorials describe commands that no longer exist.
  • Live querying is bound by cloud provider API rate limits and keeps no persistent store by default, which is why a separate DuckDB-backed product exists for log volumes and why large accounts return slowly.
  • The company is fifteen people and bootstrapped, maintaining four command line tools plus a hosted service plus two further products, and the newer tools have thin community traction relative to that surface area.
  • Hosted tiers include only three users regardless of tier, with additional Enterprise users charged separately, so a team of thirty costs an order of magnitude more than the headline figure before compute and storage are counted.

Pricing, plan by plan

Check Point Software

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Check Point Software review.

Steampipe

Free
  • Steampipe CLIFree
    • AGPL-3.0
    • All plugins
    • No user or query limits
  • Pipes DeveloperFree
    • One user
    • 400 compute minutes
    • 3GB storage
  • Pipes Team$49/month
    • Three users
    • 2,000 compute minutes
    • 20GB storage
  • Pipes Enterprise$249/month
    • Three users
    • 10,000 compute minutes
    • 100GB storage

Which should you pick?

Choose Check Point Software if

Nothing in the data separates Check Point Software from Steampipe on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Check Point Software review

Choose Steampipe if

  • You need sql over live apis.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on macOS, Linux, Windows, Docker, Web.
  • You also want wide plugin set.
Steampipe review

Questions people ask

Is Check Point Software or Steampipe better?
Neither clearly leads. Check Point Software starts at On request and Steampipe at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Check Point Software or Steampipe?
Steampipe has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Check Point Software and Free for Steampipe.
Does Check Point Software or Steampipe run on more platforms?
Check Point Software runs on Web. Steampipe runs on macOS, Linux, Windows, Docker, Web.
Can I use Steampipe for free?
Yes. Steampipe has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Check Point Software starts at On request.
What is Check Point Software best used for?
Check Point Software is most often used for protecting hybrid cloud from ransomware, implementing zero trust on endpoints, securing ai deployments from threats, detecting advanced threats across networks. Of those, protecting hybrid cloud from ransomware and implementing zero trust on endpoints are not what Steampipe is typically brought in for.
What can Check Point Software do that Steampipe cannot?
Steampipe covers SQL over live APIs, Wide plugin set, Embedded Postgres, Compliance benchmarks.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Check Point Software: How much does Check Point Software cost?

Check Point Software does not publish pricing. The vendor directs customers to contact sales or find a partner. Pricing is quote-based and customized per deployment.

Source
Steampipe: When did Steampipe become AGPL?

May 2021, about four months after the project went public. It is a settled licence rather than a recent change, and predates the Business Source Licence wave it is often confused with.

Check Point Software: Does Check Point Software offer a free trial or demo?

No pricing or free tier information is published on the Check Point website. Contact their sales team or find an authorized partner to request a demo.

Source
Steampipe: Where did the dashboards and benchmarks go?

Into Powerpipe. They were deprecated in March 2024 and removed from Steampipe at version 1.0 in October 2024, so the check, dashboard, mod and variable commands are gone.

Steampipe: Is it fast on a large cloud estate?

Not always. Queries call provider APIs at request time, so rate limits rather than query planning set the pace, and there is no persistent store by default.

Steampipe: Does the AGPL affect internal use?

Running it internally for your own analysis is fine. Putting a web interface in front of it that other people use is where the network clause becomes a question for your legal team.

Steampipe: Is a bootstrapped vendor a risk?

It cuts both ways. There is no investor pressure toward a licence change or an exit, and there are also fifteen people supporting a large product surface.

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