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Cybersecurity · head to head

NordPass vs Steampipe

NordPass logo

NordPass

Cybersecurity

Securely store, manage and autofill passwords

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
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

  • Each has a real cost: NordPass business plan pricing is rendered client-side per user per month rather than published as a static figure on the page; 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 NordPass and Steampipe actually diverge.

Attributes where NordPass and Steampipe differ
AttributeNordPassSteampipe
Pricing modelfreemiumOpen source, with paid hosting through Turbot Pipes
PlatformsWebmacOS, Linux, Windows, Docker, Web
CategoryCybersecurityDeveloper Tools

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 NordPass

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.

NordPass

  • Securely storing and managing employee passwords and passkeysnot Steampipe
  • Streamlining employee onboarding with instant account accessnot Steampipe
  • Monitoring credential breaches on the dark webnot Steampipe
  • Enforcing company-wide password security standardsnot Steampipe
  • Tracking user access and supporting audit compliancenot Steampipe

Steampipe

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

Where each one falls short

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

NordPass

  • Business plan pricing is rendered client-side per user per month rather than published as a static figure on the page
  • Breach monitoring and full credential oversight features are marketed specifically toward business plans rather than confirmed as included in the free individual tier

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

NordPass

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the NordPass review.

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 NordPass if

  • You want to start without paying.
NordPass 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 NordPass or Steampipe better?
Neither clearly leads. NordPass 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, NordPass or Steampipe?
NordPass starts at Free and Steampipe at Free.
Does NordPass or Steampipe run on more platforms?
NordPass runs on Web. Steampipe runs on macOS, Linux, Windows, Docker, Web.
Can I use NordPass for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is NordPass best used for?
NordPass is most often used for securely storing and managing employee passwords and passkeys, streamlining employee onboarding with instant account access, monitoring credential breaches on the dark web, enforcing company-wide password security standards. Of those, securely storing and managing employee passwords and passkeys and streamlining employee onboarding with instant account access are not what Steampipe is typically brought in for.
What can NordPass do that Steampipe cannot?
Steampipe covers SQL over live APIs, Wide plugin set, Embedded Postgres, Compliance benchmarks.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

NordPass: Will I be charged when signing up for the free trial?

No credit card is required to start the trial. Payment details are only needed when you purchase a plan, and NordPass will only charge you once your payment process is completed.

Source
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.

NordPass: What is the refund policy for NordPass?

NordPass offers refunds within 14 calendar days of your initial purchase if you are unsatisfied with the service.

Source
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.

NordPass: Can I upgrade or downgrade between NordPass plans?

Yes, you can switch between Teams and Business plans at any time. The system charges the difference between the plans based on the number of users and the remaining duration.

Source
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.

NordPass: Why do different NordPass plans cost different amounts?

NordPass provides tiered pricing so customers only pay for the features they need, and can upgrade at any time as their needs change.

Source
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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