Is CKAN or Semgrep better?

Neither clearly leads. CKAN starts at Free and Semgrep at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, CKAN or Semgrep?

CKAN starts at Free and Semgrep at Free.

Does CKAN or Semgrep run on more platforms?

CKAN runs on Web. Semgrep runs on web, api, linux, mac, windows.

Can I use CKAN for free?

Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.

What is CKAN best used for?

CKAN is most often used for publishing open government datasets in a searchable public data portal, self-hosting a data catalogue with harvesting and an api. Of those, publishing open government datasets in a searchable public data portal and self-hosting a data catalogue with harvesting and an api are not what Semgrep is typically brought in for.

What can CKAN do that Semgrep cannot?

CKAN covers Dataset Management, Data Harvesting, API Access, Visualization. Semgrep covers Static code scanning, Supply chain scanning, Secrets detection, Cross-file analysis.

Government · head to head

CKAN vs Semgrep

CKAN

Government

Open Source Data Portal Platform

From: Free
Free plan: Yes

Full review Website

Semgrep

Cybersecurity

Open-source static analysis tool for finding security bugs and enforcing code standards.

From: Free
Free plan: Yes

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: CKAN the package install path requires Ubuntu 20.04 or 22.04 64-bit specifically; other operating systems must use the source install; Semgrep free tier caps out at 10 contributors and 10 repositories.
They diverge on capability: CKAN covers Dataset Management, Semgrep covers Static code scanning.
Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CKAN and Semgrep actually diverge.

Attributes where CKAN and Semgrep differ
Attribute	CKAN	Semgrep
Pricing model	free	freemium
Platforms	Web	web, api, linux, mac, windows
Category	Government	Cybersecurity
Founded	2006	Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 CKAN

Dataset Management
Data Harvesting
API Access
Visualization
Extensions
DataPusher
Harvester
Third-party Tools

Only in Semgrep

Static code scanning
Supply chain scanning
Secrets detection
Cross-file analysis
AI-powered triage and remediation
CI/CD integration

What people use each for

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

CKAN

Publishing open government datasets in a searchable public data portalnot Semgrep
Self-hosting a data catalogue with harvesting and an APInot Semgrep

Semgrep

Scanning code for security vulnerabilities in CI/CDnot CKAN
Detecting vulnerable open-source dependenciesnot CKAN
Finding hardcoded secrets before code shipsnot CKAN
Enforcing custom code standards with rule setsnot CKAN
Prioritizing findings with AI-assisted triagenot CKAN

Where each one falls short

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

CKAN

The package install path requires Ubuntu 20.04 or 22.04 64-bit specifically; other operating systems must use the source install
Only Solr 9 and Solr 8 are supported, and from CKAN 2.10 they are the only Solr versions supported at all
A working deployment requires PostgreSQL, Solr, Redis, nginx, supervisor and uWSGI to be installed and maintained separately
Python 3.10 or later is required

Semgrep

Free tier caps out at 10 contributors and 10 repositories.
Secrets scanning is priced as a separate module ($15/contributor) from Code and Supply Chain.
Self-managed repositories and custom CI/CD require the Enterprise tier.
AI credits are limited per tier and additional usage requires upgrading.

Pricing, plan by plan

CKAN

Free

Open SourceFree
- Data Management
- API Access
- Visualization

Semgrep

Free

FreeFree
- Up to 10 contributors
- Code and Supply Chain scanning
- 60 AI credits total
Teams$30/month
- Code, Supply Chain, or Secrets scanning per contributor
- Pro rules
- AI-powered triage and remediation
Enterprise$undefined/month
- On-prem support
- Custom CI/CD
- 50 AI credits per developer/month

Which should you pick?

Choose CKAN if

You need dataset management.
You want to start without paying.
You also want data harvesting.

CKAN review

Choose Semgrep if

You need static code scanning.
You want to start without paying.
You work on web, api, linux, mac, windows.
You also want supply chain scanning.

Semgrep review

Questions people ask

Is CKAN or Semgrep better?: Neither clearly leads. CKAN starts at Free and Semgrep at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CKAN or Semgrep?: CKAN starts at Free and Semgrep at Free.
Does CKAN or Semgrep run on more platforms?: CKAN runs on Web. Semgrep runs on web, api, linux, mac, windows.
Can I use CKAN for free?: Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is CKAN best used for?: CKAN is most often used for publishing open government datasets in a searchable public data portal, self-hosting a data catalogue with harvesting and an api. Of those, publishing open government datasets in a searchable public data portal and self-hosting a data catalogue with harvesting and an api are not what Semgrep is typically brought in for.
What can CKAN do that Semgrep cannot?: CKAN covers Dataset Management, Data Harvesting, API Access, Visualization. Semgrep covers Static code scanning, Supply chain scanning, Secrets detection, Cross-file analysis.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

CKAN: Is CKAN open-source and what license is it available under?

Yes, CKAN is an open-source data management system built on Python and available on GitHub. The license terms are available on their GitHub repository.

Source

Semgrep: What does Semgrep cost?

The Free edition covers up to 10 contributors; Teams starts at $30/contributor/month for Code scanning (Supply Chain also $30, Secrets $15); Enterprise is custom-priced.

Source

CKAN: Does CKAN offer commercial support for organizations?

Yes, CKAN offers commercial support through certified providers including Link Digital and Datopian. Support includes advisory services, application development, integration, managed hosting, and web development.

Source

Semgrep: Is there a free plan, and what are its limits?

Yes, the Free edition supports up to 10 contributors and 10 repositories with Code and Supply Chain scanning plus 60 AI credits total.

Source

CKAN: Who is responsible for hosting costs when running CKAN?

Organizations deploying CKAN are responsible for their own hosting infrastructure. Commercial providers like Datopian and Link Digital offer managed hosting services if organizations prefer not to self-host.

Source

Semgrep: How is usage metered?

Pricing is per contributor, defined as someone who made at least one commit to a scanned private repository in the past 90 days.

Source

Semgrep: Is there special pricing for startups?

Yes, Semgrep offers special startup pricing upon request for early-stage companies.

Source

CKAN vs Semgrep

CKAN

Semgrep

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in CKAN

Only in Semgrep

What people use each for

CKAN

Semgrep

Where each one falls short

CKAN

Semgrep

Pricing, plan by plan

CKAN

Semgrep

Which should you pick?

Choose CKAN if

Choose Semgrep if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on CKAN

More on Semgrep

Keep looking

Other head to heads