Developer Tools · head to head
Deno vs Semperis
Deno
Developer Tools
A fast, open-source, fully Node-compatible JS runtime with TypeScript baked right in
- From
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
Semperis
Cybersecurity
Identity threat detection and Active Directory forest recovery for AD, Entra ID and Okta, from a privately held US vendor.
- From
- On request
- Free plan
- No
The short version
- Only Deno has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Deno egress bandwidth overage costs $0.20/GB which can become expensive for high-traffic applications; Semperis scope is limited to Active Directory, Entra ID and Okta, so an organisation whose critical identity lives elsewhere gets little from it, and the recovery value declines in direct proportion to how much has already moved off on-premises AD.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Deno and Semperis actually diverge.
Identical on both: platforms (Web), 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 Deno
Nothing recorded that Semperis does not also cover.
Only in Semperis
- Active Directory Forest Recovery
- Malware-free restore
- Replication-stream monitoring
- Automated rollback
- Attack indicator scoring
- Entra ID and Okta coverage
- Purple Knight
- Forest Druid
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Deno
- Running TypeScript natively without transpilation overheadnot Semperis
- Migrating Node.js applications to secure-by-default runtimenot Semperis
- Deploying edge functions and serverless containers seamlesslynot Semperis
- Consolidating developer tools into single binarynot Semperis
Semperis
- An organisation that cannot answer an auditor or insurer asking how long it would take to rebuild Active Directory after a destructive attacknot Deno
- Post-incident recovery where domain controllers are compromised and restoring from system-state backup would reintroduce the attacker's footholdnot Deno
- Continuous detection of privileged group changes and directory-level tampering that domain controller security logs missnot Deno
- Hybrid estates where AD, Entra ID and Okta all matter and no single tool currently shows changes across the threenot Deno
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Deno
- Egress bandwidth overage costs $0.20/GB which can become expensive for high-traffic applications
- CPU time overage is $0.10/hour on Pro and Builder tiers, adding to costs for compute-intensive workloads
- Enterprise pricing is not disclosed; requires sales contact
Semperis
- Scope is limited to Active Directory, Entra ID and Okta, so an organisation whose critical identity lives elsewhere gets little from it, and the recovery value declines in direct proportion to how much has already moved off on-premises AD.
- The licence buys tooling, not a proven runbook: forest recovery is only worth what your last rehearsal demonstrated, and a plan that has never been executed end to end in a lab is an untested assumption regardless of what was purchased.
- It overlaps with backup and directory management products from Quest, Veeam, Commvault and others, so the buyer must argue internally why a dedicated product is needed alongside a backup contract that already claims to protect Active Directory.
- Running Directory Services Protector well requires someone who understands AD internals, replication metadata and Tier 0 attack paths, and without that person the alerts on privileged changes are either ignored or auto-reverted in ways that break legitimate administration.
- Licensing is driven by identity object counts, so directories carrying years of stale user accounts and service principals pay for objects that should have been deleted, and the cleanup project that would reduce the bill is the one nobody has time for.
Pricing, plan by plan
Deno
Free- FreeFree
- 1 million requests/month
- 20GB egress bandwidth
- 10 apps
- Pro$20/month
- 5 million requests/month
- 200GB egress
- 50 apps
- Builder$200/month
- 25 million requests/month
- 2,000GB egress
- 10,000 apps
- Enterprise$null/month
- Custom limits on all metrics
- 99.95% reliability SLA
- Email support with SLA
Semperis
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Semperis review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Semperis if
- You need active directory forest recovery.
- You also want malware-free restore.
Questions people ask
- Is Deno or Semperis better?
- Neither clearly leads. Deno starts at Free and Semperis at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Deno or Semperis?
- Deno has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Deno and On request for Semperis.
- Does Deno or Semperis run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Deno for free?
- Yes. Deno has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Semperis starts at On request.
- What is Deno best used for?
- Deno is most often used for running typescript natively without transpilation overhead, migrating node.js applications to secure-by-default runtime, deploying edge functions and serverless containers seamlessly, consolidating developer tools into single binary. Of those, running typescript natively without transpilation overhead and migrating node.js applications to secure-by-default runtime are not what Semperis is typically brought in for.
- What can Deno do that Semperis cannot?
- Semperis covers Active Directory Forest Recovery, Malware-free restore, Replication-stream monitoring, Automated rollback.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Deno: How much does Deno Deploy cost?
Deno Deploy offers a free tier at $0/month, Pro at $20/month, and Builder at $200/month. Enterprise has custom pricing. All plans include base request and bandwidth limits, with overage charges for additional usage.
SourceSemperis: Does this replace my backups?
No. It replaces the Active Directory recovery procedure specifically. You still need backups for everything else, and the point of Semperis is that a generic system-state backup of a domain controller is a poor way to recover a forest because it restores the operating system along with whatever compromised it.
Deno: What are Deno Deploy's overage charges?
Egress bandwidth overages cost $0.20 per GB. CPU time overages are $0.10 per hour on Pro and Builder tiers. Memory time and KV database operations also incur charges beyond included limits.
SourceSemperis: Is it useful if we are cloud-only on Entra ID?
Partly. Directory Services Protector covers Entra ID and Okta for change tracking and posture, but the forest recovery product, which is the strongest reason to buy, applies to on-premises Active Directory. A genuinely cloud-only organisation should weigh it against Microsoft's own tooling.
Deno: How many apps can I deploy on Deno's free plan?
The free tier includes 10 apps with up to 1 concurrent build. Pro tier supports 50 apps with 3 concurrent builds, and Builder supports 10,000 apps with 20 concurrent builds.
SourceSemperis: Are Purple Knight and Forest Druid really free?
Yes, both are free downloads with no licence requirement, and they are widely used by organisations that are not Semperis customers. They are also, transparently, the top of the sales funnel.
Deno: How many team members can access Deno Deploy?
The free tier supports up to 3 team members. Pro supports 10 team members. Builder supports 25 team members. Enterprise has custom seat limits.
SourceSemperis: How long does forest recovery actually take?
The honest answer is whatever your rehearsal took. The vendor's case is hours instead of days, and automation genuinely removes most manual steps, but the number that matters for your board is the one from a test in your own environment.
Semperis: Does it require agents on domain controllers?
It collects directory changes from the AD replication stream, which is what lets it see changes that bypass the security log. Deployment details vary by product and version, so confirm the exact architecture against your domain controller change-control rules.
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