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Developer Tools · head to head

Steampipe vs Tanium

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
Tanium logo

Tanium

Cybersecurity

Unified platform for real-time endpoint management, security and compliance

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Steampipe has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Tanium no public pricing is published, requiring a sales engagement to get a quote.
  • They diverge on capability: Steampipe covers SQL over live APIs, Tanium covers Real-time endpoint queries.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Steampipe and Tanium actually diverge.

Attributes where Steampipe and Tanium differ
AttributeSteampipeTanium
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelOpen source, with paid hosting through Turbot Pipesquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsmacOS, Linux, Windows, Docker, Webweb, windows, mac, linux, api
CategoryDeveloper ToolsCybersecurity
FoundedUnknown2007

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 Steampipe

  • SQL over live APIs
  • Wide plugin set
  • Embedded Postgres
  • Compliance benchmarks
  • Joins across providers
  • Hosted option

Only in Tanium

  • Real-time endpoint queries
  • Single lightweight agent
  • Linear Chain Architecture
  • Vulnerability management
  • AI-driven remediation
  • Threat hunting

What people use each for

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

Steampipe

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

Tanium

  • Getting real-time visibility into all endpoints across a large enterprisenot Steampipe
  • Patching operating systems and software at scale quicklynot Steampipe
  • Continuous vulnerability scanning and risk scoringnot Steampipe
  • Hunting for and remediating active threats across a fleetnot Steampipe

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Tanium

  • No public pricing is published, requiring a sales engagement to get a quote.
  • Aimed at large enterprises, making it impractical for small teams or budgets.
  • Deployment and configuration of the agent-based architecture requires significant IT expertise.
  • Full value depends on adopting multiple Tanium modules, which can increase cost and complexity versus point solutions.

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Tanium

On request
  • Enterprise$undefined/mo
    • Custom endpoint volume pricing
    • Full platform modules
    • Dedicated support

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.
Steampipe review

Choose Tanium if

  • You need real-time endpoint queries.
  • You work on web, windows, mac, linux, api.
  • You also want single lightweight agent.
Tanium review

Questions people ask

Is Steampipe or Tanium better?
Neither clearly leads. Steampipe starts at Free and Tanium at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Steampipe or Tanium?
Steampipe has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Steampipe and On request for Tanium.
Does Steampipe or Tanium run on more platforms?
Steampipe runs on macOS, Linux, Windows, Docker, Web. Tanium runs on web, windows, mac, linux, api.
Can I use Steampipe for free?
Yes. Steampipe has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Tanium starts at On request.
What is Steampipe best used for?
Steampipe is most often used for security teams answering posture questions against live cloud accounts rather than a nightly export, compliance evidence gathering where the answer must reflect the account at the moment it is asked, inventory and drift questions spanning several cloud providers in one query, engineers who would rather write sql than learn each provider command line tool. Of those, security teams answering posture questions against live cloud accounts rather than a nightly export and compliance evidence gathering where the answer must reflect the account at the moment it is asked are not what Tanium is typically brought in for.
What can Steampipe do that Tanium cannot?
Steampipe covers SQL over live APIs, Wide plugin set, Embedded Postgres, Compliance benchmarks. Tanium covers Real-time endpoint queries, Single lightweight agent, Linear Chain Architecture, Vulnerability management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Tanium: What is Tanium's pricing model?

Tanium does not publish pricing on its website. Interested customers must contact the company or request a demo to discuss pricing and capabilities.

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.

Tanium: Is there a Tanium free trial?

Tanium does not clearly advertise a free trial on its main website, directing customers to schedule a demo or contact sales for more information.

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.

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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