Cybersecurity · head to head
Cosign vs IDnow
Cosign
Cybersecurity
Signs and verifies container images and artifacts, with or without managing keys
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
IDnow
Cybersecurity
Identity verification and qualified electronic signature for regulated European markets
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Cosign has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- 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.; IDnow agent-led video identification costs several times an automated check and depends on agent availability, so peak-time queues push abandonment up at exactly the moment conversion matters.
- They diverge on capability: Cosign covers Keyless signing, IDnow covers VideoIdent.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Cosign and IDnow actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Cybersecurity).
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 IDnow
- VideoIdent
- AutoIdent
- eSign
- eID and NFC
- Bank identification
- EU data processing
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 IDnow
- Attaching a signed bill of materials to a release so consumers can verify its provenancenot IDnow
- Meeting a customer or regulatory requirement for signed artifactsnot IDnow
- Verifying third-party images before they enter an internal registrynot IDnow
IDnow
- A German bank opening regulated accounts where BaFin requires a recognised identification methodnot Cosign
- An insurer needing a qualified electronic signature that will survive challenge in a European courtnot Cosign
- A telecom operator meeting national SIM registration identity rules across several EU statesnot Cosign
- A lender wanting automated checks for low-risk applicants and video identification only for high-value casesnot 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.
IDnow
- Agent-led video identification costs several times an automated check and depends on agent availability, so peak-time queues push abandonment up at exactly the moment conversion matters.
- Pricing is quoted with an annual volume commitment, so the accreditation advantage comes with a floor you pay whether or not you use it.
- The product is optimised for European regulatory regimes, so buyers verifying users in North America, Asia or Africa will find coverage and cost less competitive than global specialists.
- Qualified electronic signature is a separate licence from identity verification, which surprises buyers who assumed the accredited identity check made the signature capability included.
- Integration for the regulated flows is heavier than a simple SDK drop-in because the compliant journey, including consent and recording requirements, constrains the user experience you can build.
Pricing, plan by plan
Cosign
Free- CosignFree
- Apache-2.0
- Public Sigstore infrastructure free to use
- No usage limits published
IDnow
On request- IDnow Platform$undefined/year
- Per-identification pricing that differs sharply between automated and agent-led methods
- Annual volume commitment typically required
- Qualified electronic signature licensed separately
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.
Choose IDnow if
- You need videoident.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android, API.
- You also want autoident.
Questions people ask
- Is Cosign or IDnow better?
- Neither clearly leads. Cosign starts at Free and IDnow at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Cosign or IDnow?
- Cosign has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Cosign and On request for IDnow.
- Does Cosign or IDnow run on more platforms?
- Cosign runs on macOS, Linux, Windows, Docker. IDnow runs on Web, iOS, Android, API.
- Can I use Cosign for free?
- Yes. Cosign has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. IDnow starts at On request.
- 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 IDnow is typically brought in for.
- What can Cosign do that IDnow cannot?
- Cosign covers Keyless signing, Key and KMS signing, Registry-native storage, In-toto attestations. IDnow covers VideoIdent, AutoIdent, eSign, eID and NFC.
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.
IDnow: Why choose it over a cheaper automated vendor?
Because in some European regimes the cheaper vendor is not legally permitted for the transaction. This is an eligibility question, not a quality one.
Cosign: Is signing alone enough?
No. Verification is a command somebody runs. Without an admission controller enforcing it, an unsigned image still runs.
IDnow: Is the electronic signature included?
No. Qualified electronic signature under eIDAS is licensed separately from identity verification.
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.
IDnow: Where is the data processed?
In European data centres, which is a requirement rather than a preference for many of its regulated customers.
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.
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.
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