Is Grype or KnowBe4 better?

Neither clearly leads. Grype starts at Free and KnowBe4 at $1/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Grype or KnowBe4?

Grype has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Grype and $1/month for KnowBe4.

Does Grype or KnowBe4 run on more platforms?

Grype runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, Docker. KnowBe4 runs on Web, Mobile, Email.

Can I use Grype for free?

Yes. Grype has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. KnowBe4 starts at $1/month.

What is Grype best used for?

Grype is most often used for re-scanning stored sboms as new cves are published, without rebuilding images, failing ci when a build introduces a known vulnerability, auditing what is actually installed inside a third-party image. Of those, re-scanning stored sboms as new cves are published, without rebuilding images and failing ci when a build introduces a known vulnerability are not what KnowBe4 is typically brought in for.

What can Grype do that KnowBe4 cannot?

Grype covers Image and filesystem scanning, SBOM-driven, Wide ecosystem coverage, Pipeline friendly. KnowBe4 covers Security awareness training, Phishing simulation, Risk assessments, Compliance training.

Cybersecurity · head to head

Grype vs KnowBe4

Grype

Cybersecurity

Vulnerability scanner for container images and filesystems

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

KnowBe4

Cybersecurity

World's largest security awareness training platform

From: $1/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Grype has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: Grype depends on public vulnerability databases, so coverage and false positives vary by ecosystem; KnowBe4 published prices assume a three year term, so the quoted per seat rate depends on a long commitment
They diverge on capability: Grype covers Image and filesystem scanning, KnowBe4 covers Security awareness training.
Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Grype and KnowBe4 actually diverge.

Attributes where Grype and KnowBe4 differ
Attribute	Grype	KnowBe4
Starting price	Free	$1/month
Pricing model	Open source, no licence fee	subscription
Free tier	Yes	No
Platforms	Linux, macOS, Windows, Docker	Web, Mobile, Email
Founded	Unknown	2010

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 Grype

Image and filesystem scanning
SBOM-driven
Wide ecosystem coverage
Pipeline friendly

Only in KnowBe4

Security awareness training
Phishing simulation
Risk assessments
Compliance training
Incident reporting
API access
Custom policies
Behavior analytics

What people use each for

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

Grype

Re-scanning stored SBOMs as new CVEs are published, without rebuilding imagesnot KnowBe4
Failing CI when a build introduces a known vulnerabilitynot KnowBe4
Auditing what is actually installed inside a third-party imagenot KnowBe4

KnowBe4

Security awareness training and simulated phishing for staffnot Grype
Tracking employee susceptibility to phishing over timenot Grype

Where each one falls short

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

Grype

Depends on public vulnerability databases, so coverage and false positives vary by ecosystem
No triage, exception tracking or reporting UI — that is Anchore’s commercial product
Overlaps heavily with Trivy, and most teams pick one rather than running both

KnowBe4

Published prices assume a three year term, so the quoted per seat rate depends on a long commitment
Pricing is banded by seat count, and the lowest band of 25 to 50 seats pays the highest rate
Accounts above 1,000 seats have no published price and require a custom quote
Third party integrations, Compliance Plus and PhishER Plus are all separately priced per seat add ons
The Foundation tier carries 200 training modules against more than 1,000 on Advanced, so content volume is the main gate

Pricing, plan by plan

Grype

Free

GrypeFree
- Full functionality
- No usage limits
- Community support

KnowBe4

$1/month

Basic$1/month
- Per user
- Training modules
- Phishing templates
Advanced$2/month
- All Basic features
- Advanced phishing
- Risk assessments
Pro$3/month
- All Advanced features
- API access
- Custom content

Which should you pick?

Choose Grype if

You need image and filesystem scanning.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Linux, macOS, Windows, Docker.
You also want sbom-driven.

Grype review

Choose KnowBe4 if

You need security awareness training.
You work on Web, Mobile, Email.
You also want phishing simulation.

KnowBe4 review

Questions people ask

Is Grype or KnowBe4 better?: Neither clearly leads. Grype starts at Free and KnowBe4 at $1/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Grype or KnowBe4?: Grype has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Grype and $1/month for KnowBe4.
Does Grype or KnowBe4 run on more platforms?: Grype runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, Docker. KnowBe4 runs on Web, Mobile, Email.
Can I use Grype for free?: Yes. Grype has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. KnowBe4 starts at $1/month.
What is Grype best used for?: Grype is most often used for re-scanning stored sboms as new cves are published, without rebuilding images, failing ci when a build introduces a known vulnerability, auditing what is actually installed inside a third-party image. Of those, re-scanning stored sboms as new cves are published, without rebuilding images and failing ci when a build introduces a known vulnerability are not what KnowBe4 is typically brought in for.
What can Grype do that KnowBe4 cannot?: Grype covers Image and filesystem scanning, SBOM-driven, Wide ecosystem coverage, Pipeline friendly. KnowBe4 covers Security awareness training, Phishing simulation, Risk assessments, Compliance training.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Grype: Is Grype free?

Yes, open source from Anchore. Anchore Enterprise is the paid platform around it.

KnowBe4: What does KnowBe4 cost per employee?

KnowBe4 charges per seat per month on a subscription basis. For 51-100 employees, SAT Foundation costs $2.13/month per seat and SAT Advanced costs $3.40/month per seat. Prices decrease with larger employee counts.

Source

Grype: What is the difference between Grype and Syft?

Syft generates the software bill of materials; Grype matches that inventory against vulnerability data. They are designed to be used together.

KnowBe4: Does KnowBe4 offer a free trial?

KnowBe4 does not offer a full free version, but free tools are available separately including assessments and simulators.

Source

Grype: Grype or Trivy?

They cover similar ground. Trivy is broader out of the box, including misconfiguration and secret scanning; Grype pairs more cleanly with an SBOM-first workflow.

KnowBe4: Are there add-on costs beyond the base plan?

Yes, optional add-ons include Third-Party Integrations ($1.10-$1.20/seat/month), Compliance Plus ($0.82-$0.93/seat/month), PhishER Plus ($1.15-$1.50/seat/month), and Student Edition ($0.17/seat/month).

Source

KnowBe4: What currencies does KnowBe4 accept?

KnowBe4 accepts pricing in USD, AUD, BRL, CAD, EUR, GBP, SGD, and ZAR.

Source

Grype vs KnowBe4

Grype

KnowBe4

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Grype

Only in KnowBe4

What people use each for

Grype

KnowBe4

Where each one falls short

Grype

KnowBe4

Pricing, plan by plan

Grype

KnowBe4

Which should you pick?

Choose Grype if

Choose KnowBe4 if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Grype

More on KnowBe4

Keep looking

Other head to heads