Softwr

Cybersecurity · head to head

Cosign vs Deep Code

Cosign logo

Cosign

Cybersecurity

Signs and verifies container images and artifacts, with or without managing keys

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Deep Code logo

Deep Code

Developer Tools

Desktop AI coding assistant that runs on DeepSeek models

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Cosign keyless signing inherits every weakness of the identity provider behind it. Sigstore’s own threat model states that if an identity provider is compromised, Sigstore will issue certificates to those identities, so a compromised account produces perfectly valid signatures.; Deep Code model choice is narrow. Bring your own key covers DeepSeek-V4-Pro and Flash plus the GLM and Mimo coding plans, and no frontier model from OpenAI, Anthropic or Google.
  • They diverge on capability: Cosign covers Keyless signing, Deep Code covers DeepSeek-backed agent.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 15 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cosign and Deep Code actually diverge.

Attributes where Cosign and Deep Code differ
AttributeCosignDeep Code
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feefreemium
PlatformsmacOS, Linux, Windows, DockerWindows, macOS, Linux
CategoryCybersecurityDeveloper Tools

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 Cosign

  • Keyless signing
  • Key and KMS signing
  • Registry-native storage
  • In-toto attestations
  • Offline verification
  • Trusted root and signing config

Only in Deep Code

  • DeepSeek-backed agent
  • Session management
  • File explorer
  • Snippets panel
  • Voice input
  • Bring your own key

What people use each for

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

Cosign

  • Signing container images in a build pipeline without managing long-lived private keysnot Deep Code
  • Attaching a signed bill of materials to a release so consumers can verify its provenancenot Deep Code
  • Meeting a customer or regulatory requirement for signed artifactsnot Deep Code
  • Verifying third-party images before they enter an internal registrynot Deep Code

Deep Code

  • AI-assisted coding on a budgetnot Cosign
  • Debugging and bug fixingnot Cosign
  • Refactoring existing codenot Cosign
  • Reusing prompt templates across projectsnot Cosign
  • Using an existing DeepSeek API key without proxy setupnot Cosign

Where each one falls short

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

Cosign

  • Keyless signing inherits every weakness of the identity provider behind it. Sigstore’s own threat model states that if an identity provider is compromised, Sigstore will issue certificates to those identities, so a compromised account produces perfectly valid signatures.
  • A signature proves who signed, never whether they should have. The documentation is explicit that Sigstore cannot determine authorisation, so every consumer must write and maintain their own identity and issuer policy or verification means nothing.
  • Nothing is enforced without an admission controller. Signing changes what you can prove, not what runs, and the official policy controller has a small maintainer base for a component sitting in a cluster admission path.
  • Upgrades break pipelines. Version 3 changed defaults, version 4 is announced as removing legacy functionality and roughly half the command line flags, and two official client libraries still lacked support for the new log format as of mid 2026.
  • Signatures do not expire. An artifact signed before a maintainer account was compromised and one signed after are indistinguishable unless somebody is actively monitoring the transparency log, and almost nobody is.

Deep Code

  • Model choice is narrow. Bring your own key covers DeepSeek-V4-Pro and Flash plus the GLM and Mimo coding plans, and no frontier model from OpenAI, Anthropic or Google.
  • The Pro tier caps included usage at 100 Pro Credits per day rather than offering an unmetered plan.
  • Bring your own key is a paid feature, so the free tier cannot be pointed at your own DeepSeek account.
  • Desktop only, with no editor extension, web version or team seat management as of September 2026.
  • A small, young vendor with no independent review coverage yet, so there is nothing outside the vendor's own site to corroborate the cost claim.

Pricing, plan by plan

Cosign

Free
  • CosignFree
    • Apache-2.0
    • Public Sigstore infrastructure free to use
    • No usage limits published

Deep Code

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Session management
    • File explorer and snippets panel
    • Voice input
  • Pro$5/month
    • All Free features
    • 100 daily Pro Credits
    • BYOK across DeepSeek-V4-Pro, DeepSeek-V4-Flash, GLM Coding Plan and Mimo Coding Plan

Which should you pick?

Choose Cosign if

  • You need keyless signing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on macOS, Linux, Windows, Docker.
  • You also want key and kms signing.
Cosign review

Choose Deep Code if

  • You need deepseek-backed agent.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want session management.
Deep Code review

Questions people ask

Is Cosign or Deep Code better?
Neither clearly leads. Cosign starts at Free and Deep Code at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cosign or Deep Code?
Cosign starts at Free and Deep Code at Free.
Does Cosign or Deep Code run on more platforms?
Cosign runs on macOS, Linux, Windows, Docker. Deep Code runs on Windows, macOS, Linux.
Can I use Cosign for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Cosign best used for?
Cosign is most often used for signing container images in a build pipeline without managing long-lived private keys, attaching a signed bill of materials to a release so consumers can verify its provenance, meeting a customer or regulatory requirement for signed artifacts, verifying third-party images before they enter an internal registry. Of those, signing container images in a build pipeline without managing long-lived private keys and attaching a signed bill of materials to a release so consumers can verify its provenance are not what Deep Code is typically brought in for.
What can Cosign do that Deep Code cannot?
Cosign covers Keyless signing, Key and KMS signing, Registry-native storage, In-toto attestations. Deep Code covers DeepSeek-backed agent, Session management, File explorer, Snippets panel.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Cosign: Does Cosign tell me if an image is vulnerable?

No. It has no vulnerability knowledge whatsoever. It can carry an SBOM as a signed attestation but never reads it. Pair it with a scanner.

Deep Code: Which models does Deep Code run on?

DeepSeek V4 family models, with the vendor's headline built around DeepSeek V4.1. The free tier's included credits run on DeepSeek-V4-Flash. Paid users bringing their own key can also use DeepSeek-V4-Pro, the GLM Coding Plan and the Mimo Coding Plan.

Source
Cosign: Is signing alone enough?

No. Verification is a command somebody runs. Without an admission controller enforcing it, an unsigned image still runs.

Deep Code: What does Deep Code cost?

There are two tiers. Free is $0 per month and includes session management, the file explorer, snippets, voice input and weekly free credits on DeepSeek-V4-Flash. Pro is $5 per month and adds 100 daily Pro Credits plus bring-your-own-key support for multiple models.

Source
Cosign: What does a bare cosign verify actually prove?

Very little. Without a pinned certificate identity and OIDC issuer, it accepts a valid signature from any identity at all.

Deep Code: Do I need my own API key to use it?

No. The free tier includes weekly credits and needs no credit card, so the app works without a key. Bring your own key is available on the $5 per month Pro tier and covers DeepSeek-V4-Pro, DeepSeek-V4-Flash, the GLM Coding Plan and the Mimo Coding Plan.

Source
Cosign: What is the risk of keyless signing?

Your OIDC provider becomes the root of trust. Compromise of that account yields genuine, verifiable signatures, so account security is the control that matters.

Deep Code: Which operating systems does it run on?

Windows, macOS and Linux. It is a desktop application rather than an editor extension, so it runs alongside whatever editor you already use.

Source
Cosign: Should we expect breaking changes?

Yes. Version 4 is announced to remove roughly half the flags, and a post-quantum migration is named as a further breaking change after that.

Deep Code: Is the 95 percent cheaper claim independently verified?

No. It is the vendor's own figure, based on DeepSeek token pricing against frontier model pricing. Actual savings depend on which model you compare against and how much of your usage falls inside the included credits.

Source
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