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Operating Systems · head to head

Pop!_OS vs Steampipe

Pop!_OS logo

Pop!_OS

Operating Systems

Ubuntu-based Linux distribution tuned for developers and GPU work

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Steampipe logo

Steampipe

Developer Tools

Query cloud APIs, SaaS tools and code with SQL, with no extract or load step

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Pop!_OS built primarily around System76 hardware, so other machines get less attention; 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: Pop!_OS covers NVIDIA ISO, Steampipe covers SQL over live APIs.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Pop!_OS and Steampipe actually diverge.

Attributes where Pop!_OS and Steampipe differ
AttributePop!_OSSteampipe
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feeOpen source, with paid hosting through Turbot Pipes
PlatformsLinux, DesktopmacOS, Linux, Windows, Docker, Web
CategoryOperating SystemsDeveloper 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 Pop!_OS

  • NVIDIA ISO
  • Auto-tiling
  • Pop!_Shop
  • Ubuntu base

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.

Pop!_OS

  • Machine learning and graphics work needing NVIDIA drivers that work on first bootnot Steampipe
  • Developers who want tiling without configuring a window managernot Steampipe
  • System76 hardware, which it is built aroundnot Steampipe

Steampipe

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

Where each one falls short

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

Pop!_OS

  • Built primarily around System76 hardware, so other machines get less attention
  • Based on Ubuntu LTS, so packages lag current upstream
  • A smaller team than Ubuntu or Fedora, and releases have sometimes slipped well behind the Ubuntu base
  • The COSMIC desktop rewrite has been a long transition with the older GNOME-based version in maintenance

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

Pop!_OS

Free
  • Pop!_OSFree
    • Full functionality
    • Commercial use permitted
    • Community support

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 Pop!_OS if

  • You need nvidia iso.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Desktop.
  • You also want auto-tiling.
Pop!_OS 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 Pop!_OS or Steampipe better?
Neither clearly leads. Pop!_OS 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, Pop!_OS or Steampipe?
Pop!_OS starts at Free and Steampipe at Free.
Does Pop!_OS or Steampipe run on more platforms?
Pop!_OS runs on Linux, Desktop. Steampipe runs on macOS, Linux, Windows, Docker, Web.
Can I use Pop!_OS for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Pop!_OS best used for?
Pop!_OS is most often used for machine learning and graphics work needing nvidia drivers that work on first boot, developers who want tiling without configuring a window manager, system76 hardware, which it is built around. Of those, machine learning and graphics work needing nvidia drivers that work on first boot and developers who want tiling without configuring a window manager are not what Steampipe is typically brought in for.
What can Pop!_OS do that Steampipe cannot?
Pop!_OS covers NVIDIA ISO, Auto-tiling, Pop!_Shop, Ubuntu base. Steampipe covers SQL over live APIs, Wide plugin set, Embedded Postgres, Compliance benchmarks.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Pop!_OS: Is Pop!_OS free?

Yes, free and open source. System76 funds it through hardware sales.

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.

Pop!_OS: Why is there a separate NVIDIA download?

It ships with the proprietary GPU drivers already installed and working, which removes the most common first-day failure on Linux for GPU work.

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.

Pop!_OS: Is it just Ubuntu?

It is based on Ubuntu LTS and uses its repositories, with a different desktop, tiling, an NVIDIA image and System76 tuning on top.

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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