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Cybersecurity · head to head

iDenfy vs Steampipe

iDenfy logo

iDenfy

Cybersecurity

Identity verification and AML screening bundled into a single per-verification price

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: iDenfy rates are quoted rather than published on an accessible page, so despite the marketing emphasis on transparency you still need a sales conversation to get a number.; 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: iDenfy covers Document verification, Steampipe covers SQL over live APIs.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which iDenfy and Steampipe actually diverge.

Attributes where iDenfy and Steampipe differ
AttributeiDenfySteampipe
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelPer verificationOpen source, with paid hosting through Turbot Pipes
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, 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 iDenfy

  • Document verification
  • Human review on all cases
  • AML screening
  • Business verification
  • Proof of address
  • NFC chip reading

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.

iDenfy

  • A European fintech that needs KYC and AML screening and wants one price rather than four line itemsnot Steampipe
  • A gambling operator in a regulated EU market needing age and identity assurance with EU data processingnot Steampipe
  • A crypto platform with modest volume that cannot meet the minimum commitments larger vendors requirenot Steampipe
  • A marketplace wanting NFC passport chip reading for higher assurance without an enterprise contractnot Steampipe

Steampipe

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

Where each one falls short

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

iDenfy

  • Rates are quoted rather than published on an accessible page, so despite the marketing emphasis on transparency you still need a sales conversation to get a number.
  • It is a smaller vendor than the market leaders, which makes it a harder sell through enterprise vendor-risk review even when the product performs well.
  • Human review on every case caps throughput in a way fully automated competitors are not constrained by, which shows up as latency during volume spikes.
  • Coverage and accuracy are strongest on European documents; performance on some Asian, African and Latin American document types trails specialists in those regions.
  • The bundled AML screening uses its chosen data sources, so institutions mandated to use a specific list provider such as Dow Jones cannot substitute it and end up paying twice.

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

iDenfy

On request
  • iDenfy Verification$undefined/verification
    • Volume-tiered per-verification rates quoted on request
    • AML screening bundled rather than charged per check
    • No monthly minimum advertised

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 iDenfy if

  • You need document verification.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, API.
  • You also want human review on all cases.
iDenfy 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 iDenfy or Steampipe better?
Neither clearly leads. iDenfy 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, iDenfy or Steampipe?
Steampipe has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for iDenfy and Free for Steampipe.
Does iDenfy or Steampipe run on more platforms?
iDenfy runs on Web, iOS, Android, 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. iDenfy starts at On request.
What is iDenfy best used for?
iDenfy is most often used for a european fintech that needs kyc and aml screening and wants one price rather than four line items, a gambling operator in a regulated eu market needing age and identity assurance with eu data processing, a crypto platform with modest volume that cannot meet the minimum commitments larger vendors require, a marketplace wanting nfc passport chip reading for higher assurance without an enterprise contract. Of those, a european fintech that needs kyc and aml screening and wants one price rather than four line items and a gambling operator in a regulated eu market needing age and identity assurance with eu data processing are not what Steampipe is typically brought in for.
What can iDenfy do that Steampipe cannot?
iDenfy covers Document verification, Human review on all cases, AML screening, Business verification. Steampipe covers SQL over live APIs, Wide plugin set, Embedded Postgres, Compliance benchmarks.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

iDenfy: Is AML screening included in the verification price?

That is the pitch, screening bundled rather than sold as a per-check add-on. Confirm which sanctions and PEP data sources are behind it before you rely on it.

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.

iDenfy: Is there a monthly minimum?

iDenfy markets itself as having no monthly minimum, in contrast to competitors charging $49 to $299 a month. Get that in writing in the contract.

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.

iDenfy: Where is data processed?

iDenfy is established in Lithuania and processes in the EU, which simplifies GDPR transfer assessments compared with United States-headquartered vendors.

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.

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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