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Cybersecurity · head to head

DataGrail vs Steampipe

DataGrail logo

DataGrail

Cybersecurity

Privacy platform that finds shadow data systems and automates data subject requests across them

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: DataGrail no pricing is published, and while benchmarking suggests it undercuts OneTrust for comparable scope, cost still scales with request volume and connected systems, which grow with the business.; 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.
  • They diverge on capability: DataGrail covers Live data discovery, Steampipe covers SQL over live APIs.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which DataGrail and Steampipe actually diverge.

Attributes where DataGrail and Steampipe differ
AttributeDataGrailSteampipe
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteOpen source, with paid hosting through Turbot Pipes
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, APImacOS, 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 DataGrail

  • Live data discovery
  • Request automation
  • Audit trail
  • Consent management
  • Integration catalogue
  • Risk monitoring
  • Consumer request portal
  • Reporting

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.

DataGrail

  • A consumer brand whose deletion requests keep missing data in marketing tools the privacy team did not know existednot Steampipe
  • A company processing hundreds of CCPA requests a month where manual fulfilment has become a full-time jobnot Steampipe
  • A privacy team leaving OneTrust because the platform tracked requests but staff still completed them by handnot Steampipe
  • An organisation needing evidence for a regulator that deletion actually occurred in every system, not that a ticket was closednot Steampipe

Steampipe

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

Where each one falls short

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

DataGrail

  • No pricing is published, and while benchmarking suggests it undercuts OneTrust for comparable scope, cost still scales with request volume and connected systems, which grow with the business.
  • Automated fulfilment only works for systems with a supported connector, so homegrown applications and legacy databases still need manual handling, and those are usually where the awkward data lives.
  • Discovery works by observing integrations and traffic patterns, so genuinely isolated systems, offline data and files on employee machines remain invisible and outside the data map.
  • It is narrower than the enterprise privacy suites, lacking the assessment, third-party risk and wider GRC modules a large regulated organisation will also need, so it may be one of two platforms rather than the only one.
  • Deletion automation is irreversible and mistakes are unrecoverable, so teams need real confidence in identity verification before enabling it, and that caution often keeps deletion semi-manual for months after purchase.

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

DataGrail

On request
  • DataGrail Platform$undefined/year
    • Data discovery and mapping
    • Data subject request automation
    • Consent management

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 DataGrail if

  • You need live data discovery.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want request automation.
DataGrail 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 DataGrail or Steampipe better?
Neither clearly leads. DataGrail 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, DataGrail or Steampipe?
Steampipe has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for DataGrail and Free for Steampipe.
Does DataGrail or Steampipe run on more platforms?
DataGrail runs on Web, API. 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. DataGrail starts at On request.
What is DataGrail best used for?
DataGrail is most often used for a consumer brand whose deletion requests keep missing data in marketing tools the privacy team did not know existed, a company processing hundreds of ccpa requests a month where manual fulfilment has become a full-time job, a privacy team leaving onetrust because the platform tracked requests but staff still completed them by hand, an organisation needing evidence for a regulator that deletion actually occurred in every system, not that a ticket was closed. Of those, a consumer brand whose deletion requests keep missing data in marketing tools the privacy team did not know existed and a company processing hundreds of ccpa requests a month where manual fulfilment has become a full-time job are not what Steampipe is typically brought in for.
What can DataGrail do that Steampipe cannot?
DataGrail covers Live data discovery, Request automation, Audit trail, Consent management. Steampipe covers SQL over live APIs, Wide plugin set, Embedded Postgres, Compliance benchmarks.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

DataGrail: How is DataGrail different from OneTrust?

OneTrust orchestrates the workflow; DataGrail focuses on connecting to systems and completing the request, and benchmark data suggests it prices materially below OneTrust for comparable scope.

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.

DataGrail: Does it find systems we do not know about?

Yes. Continuous discovery of unsanctioned tools processing personal data is its main technical claim.

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.

DataGrail: What does it cost?

Not published. Pricing is quoted by request volume and connected systems, with multi-year commitments typically discounted.

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.

DataGrail: Does it cover consent as well as requests?

Yes, it includes consent management, though publishers needing certified advertising consent usually use a specialist CMP.

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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