Is Semgrep or Sigstore better?

Neither clearly leads. Semgrep starts at Free and Sigstore at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Semgrep or Sigstore?

Semgrep starts at Free and Sigstore at Free.

Does Semgrep or Sigstore run on more platforms?

Semgrep runs on web, api, linux, mac, windows. Sigstore runs on Web, Linux, macOS, Windows, Self-hosted.

Can I use Semgrep for free?

Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.

What is Semgrep best used for?

Semgrep is most often used for scanning code for security vulnerabilities in ci/cd, detecting vulnerable open-source dependencies, finding hardcoded secrets before code ships, enforcing custom code standards with rule sets. Of those, scanning code for security vulnerabilities in ci/cd and detecting vulnerable open-source dependencies are not what Sigstore is typically brought in for.

What can Semgrep do that Sigstore cannot?

Semgrep covers Static code scanning, Supply chain scanning, Secrets detection, Cross-file analysis. Sigstore covers Fulcio, Rekor, Keyless signing, Multi-language clients.

Cybersecurity · head to head

Semgrep vs Sigstore

Semgrep

Cybersecurity

Open-source static analysis tool for finding security bugs and enforcing code standards.

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Sigstore

Cybersecurity

Free public signing and transparency infrastructure for open source artifacts

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: Semgrep free tier caps out at 10 contributors and 10 repositories.; Sigstore the security model depends on somebody watching the log. The documentation states that compromise of an identity provider or of Fulcio itself is detectable only if third parties monitor the transparency log, the monitoring tool is a community-tier rather than core project, and almost no consumer runs one.
They diverge on capability: Semgrep covers Static code scanning, Sigstore covers Fulcio.
Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Semgrep and Sigstore actually diverge.

Attributes where Semgrep and Sigstore differ
Attribute	Semgrep	Sigstore
Pricing model	freemium	Open source, public instance free to use
Platforms	web, api, linux, mac, windows	Web, Linux, macOS, Windows, Self-hosted

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

Static code scanning
Supply chain scanning
Secrets detection
Cross-file analysis
AI-powered triage and remediation
CI/CD integration

Only in Sigstore

Fulcio
Rekor
Keyless signing
Multi-language clients
Timestamp authority
Neutral governance

What people use each for

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

Semgrep

Scanning code for security vulnerabilities in CI/CDnot Sigstore
Detecting vulnerable open-source dependenciesnot Sigstore
Finding hardcoded secrets before code shipsnot Sigstore
Enforcing custom code standards with rule setsnot Sigstore
Prioritizing findings with AI-assisted triagenot Sigstore

Sigstore

Open source projects signing releases without running a certificate authoritynot Semgrep
Organisations meeting a signed-artifact requirement without buying a signing productnot Semgrep
Publishing provenance that a consumer can verify independently of younot Semgrep
Self-hosting the same components where a public log is unacceptablenot Semgrep

Where each one falls short

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

Semgrep

Free tier caps out at 10 contributors and 10 repositories.
Secrets scanning is priced as a separate module ($15/contributor) from Code and Supply Chain.
Self-managed repositories and custom CI/CD require the Enterprise tier.
AI credits are limited per tier and additional usage requires upgrading.

Sigstore

The security model depends on somebody watching the log. The documentation states that compromise of an identity provider or of Fulcio itself is detectable only if third parties monitor the transparency log, the monitoring tool is a community-tier rather than core project, and almost no consumer runs one.
It is a 99.5 percent objective with no service level agreement, which permits several hours of downtime a month and offers no remedy. A pipeline that signs on every build has taken a hard dependency on a free service with no contract behind it.
Log scale is a live engineering problem rather than a theoretical one. The active shard holds billions of entries, the log has already been sharded twice, and sharding version 1 requires stopping traffic, which is why a replacement was built.
Ten-minute certificates make trust depend on log availability. Verifying an older signature relies on the log entry proving it was made inside that window, so a lost or unreachable entry can render a valid artifact unverifiable.
Migration debt is substantial and ongoing. Version 2 of the log is generally available but not the public default, the signing client has an announced breaking release ahead, some official clients lag the new log format, and a post-quantum migration is named as the next break after that.

Pricing, plan by plan

Semgrep

Free

FreeFree
- Up to 10 contributors
- Code and Supply Chain scanning
- 60 AI credits total
Teams$30/month
- Code, Supply Chain, or Secrets scanning per contributor
- Pro rules
- AI-powered triage and remediation
Enterprise$undefined/month
- On-prem support
- Custom CI/CD
- 50 AI credits per developer/month

Sigstore

Free

Public good instanceFree
- Free to everyone with no contract
- 99.5 percent availability objective, not an agreement
- 100KB cap per attestation upload
Self-hostedFree
- Apache-2.0
- Run your own Fulcio and Rekor
- Rekor v2 available for self-hosters

Which should you pick?

Choose Semgrep if

You need static code scanning.
You want to start without paying.
You work on web, api, linux, mac, windows.
You also want supply chain scanning.

Semgrep review

Choose Sigstore if

You need fulcio.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Web, Linux, macOS, Windows, Self-hosted.
You also want rekor.

Sigstore review

Questions people ask

Is Semgrep or Sigstore better?: Neither clearly leads. Semgrep starts at Free and Sigstore at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Semgrep or Sigstore?: Semgrep starts at Free and Sigstore at Free.
Does Semgrep or Sigstore run on more platforms?: Semgrep runs on web, api, linux, mac, windows. Sigstore runs on Web, Linux, macOS, Windows, Self-hosted.
Can I use Semgrep for free?: Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Semgrep best used for?: Semgrep is most often used for scanning code for security vulnerabilities in ci/cd, detecting vulnerable open-source dependencies, finding hardcoded secrets before code ships, enforcing custom code standards with rule sets. Of those, scanning code for security vulnerabilities in ci/cd and detecting vulnerable open-source dependencies are not what Sigstore is typically brought in for.
What can Semgrep do that Sigstore cannot?: Semgrep covers Static code scanning, Supply chain scanning, Secrets detection, Cross-file analysis. Sigstore covers Fulcio, Rekor, Keyless signing, Multi-language clients.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Semgrep: What does Semgrep cost?

The Free edition covers up to 10 contributors; Teams starts at $30/contributor/month for Code scanning (Supply Chain also $30, Secrets $15); Enterprise is custom-priced.

Source

Sigstore: Is the public instance really free?

Yes, with no contract and no paid tier. That is also the weakness: a 99.5 percent objective with no agreement, no remedy and support through Slack.

Semgrep: Is there a free plan, and what are its limits?

Yes, the Free edition supports up to 10 contributors and 10 repositories with Code and Supply Chain scanning plus 60 AI credits total.

Source

Sigstore: Has the public log moved to Rekor v2?

No. Version 2 reached general availability in October 2025 and self-hosters can use it, but the public instance still defaults to version 1 and the project has said it will for the foreseeable future.

Semgrep: How is usage metered?

Pricing is per contributor, defined as someone who made at least one commit to a scanned private repository in the past 90 days.

Source

Sigstore: Does Sigstore make my dependencies safe?

No, and this is a category error worth avoiding. It tells you who published something. It has no knowledge of what the artifact contains or whether it is vulnerable.

Semgrep: Is there special pricing for startups?

Yes, Semgrep offers special startup pricing upon request for early-stage companies.

Source

Sigstore: What are the rate limits?

Not published. Only the 100KB cap per attestation upload is documented, so do not design a high-volume pipeline around assumed throughput.

Sigstore: Should we self-host it?

If a public record of every signature is unacceptable, or if a free service with no agreement cannot sit in your build path, then yes. Otherwise the public instance is what most projects use.

Semgrep vs Sigstore

Semgrep

Sigstore

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Semgrep

Only in Sigstore

What people use each for

Semgrep

Sigstore

Where each one falls short

Semgrep

Sigstore

Pricing, plan by plan

Semgrep

Sigstore

Which should you pick?

Choose Semgrep if

Choose Sigstore if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Semgrep

More on Sigstore

Keep looking

Other head to heads