Developer Tools · head to head
JFrog Artifactory vs Steampipe
Steampipe
Developer Tools
Query cloud APIs, SaaS tools and code with SQL, with no extract or load step
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: JFrog Artifactory pro tier limited-time pricing at $50/month (regular rate $150/month); overages charged per GB at tiered rates; 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.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which JFrog Artifactory and Steampipe actually diverge.
| Attribute | JFrog Artifactory | Steampipe |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | usage-based | Open source, with paid hosting through Turbot Pipes |
| Platforms | Web | macOS, Linux, Windows, Docker, Web |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Developer Tools).
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 JFrog Artifactory
Nothing recorded that Steampipe does not also cover.
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.
JFrog Artifactory
- Governing AI models and agents in single source of truthnot Steampipe
- Syncing artifacts across federated repositories in multiple sitesnot Steampipe
- Blocking risky and non-compliant open-source packages proactivelynot Steampipe
- Automating source code vulnerability remediation in real-timenot Steampipe
- Collecting compliance evidence throughout software lifecyclenot Steampipe
Steampipe
- Security teams answering posture questions against live cloud accounts rather than a nightly exportnot JFrog Artifactory
- Compliance evidence gathering where the answer must reflect the account at the moment it is askednot JFrog Artifactory
- Inventory and drift questions spanning several cloud providers in one querynot JFrog Artifactory
- Engineers who would rather write SQL than learn each provider command line toolnot JFrog Artifactory
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
JFrog Artifactory
- Pro tier limited-time pricing at $50/month (regular rate $150/month); overages charged per GB at tiered rates
- Enterprise+ plan requires custom quote; specific pricing not published
- Consumption-based model adds unpredictability to monthly costs for variable storage needs
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
JFrog Artifactory
Free- Pro$50/month
- Limited-time offer pricing (regularly $150/month)
- 25 GB storage included monthly
- Tiered overage pricing: $1.25 per GB at 25-1,204 GB usage
- Enterprise X$950/month
- 125 GB storage included
- High availability and artifact federation
- SSO and advanced security scanning included
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 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.
Questions people ask
- Is JFrog Artifactory or Steampipe better?
- Neither clearly leads. JFrog Artifactory starts at Free and Steampipe at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, JFrog Artifactory or Steampipe?
- JFrog Artifactory starts at Free and Steampipe at Free.
- Does JFrog Artifactory or Steampipe run on more platforms?
- JFrog Artifactory runs on Web. Steampipe runs on macOS, Linux, Windows, Docker, Web.
- Can I use JFrog Artifactory for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is JFrog Artifactory best used for?
- JFrog Artifactory is most often used for governing ai models and agents in single source of truth, syncing artifacts across federated repositories in multiple sites, blocking risky and non-compliant open-source packages proactively, automating source code vulnerability remediation in real-time. Of those, governing ai models and agents in single source of truth and syncing artifacts across federated repositories in multiple sites are not what Steampipe is typically brought in for.
- What can JFrog Artifactory do that Steampipe cannot?
- Steampipe covers SQL over live APIs, Wide plugin set, Embedded Postgres, Compliance benchmarks.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
JFrog Artifactory: How much does JFrog Artifactory cost?
JFrog Artifactory Pro is currently $50 per month (limited-time rate; regular $150/month) with 25 GB included and $1.25 per GB for overages. Enterprise X starts at $950 per month with 125 GB included. Enterprise+ plans use custom pricing available through sales.
SourceSteampipe: 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.
JFrog Artifactory: What are JFrog's data storage limits?
JFrog Artifactory charges based on consumption: Pro includes 25 GB monthly with tiered overage costs ($1.25/GB at 25-1,204 GB, $1.00/GB at 1,204-2,024 GB, $0.75/GB above 2,024 GB). Enterprise X includes 125 GB with similar tiered overages for additional storage.
SourceSteampipe: 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.
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.
Related pages
More on JFrog Artifactory
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