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Developer Tools · head to head

Steampipe vs Veracode

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
Veracode logo

Veracode

Cybersecurity

Application risk management platform for finding and fixing software vulnerabilities.

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.; Veracode no public pricing; customers must request a demo and custom quote.
  • They diverge on capability: Steampipe covers SQL over live APIs, Veracode covers Static analysis (SAST).
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Steampipe and Veracode actually diverge.

Attributes where Steampipe and Veracode differ
AttributeSteampipeVeracode
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelOpen source, with paid hosting through Turbot Pipesquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsmacOS, Linux, Windows, Docker, Webweb, api
CategoryDeveloper ToolsCybersecurity

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 Veracode

  • Static analysis (SAST)
  • Dynamic analysis (DAST)
  • Software composition analysis
  • AI-driven code remediation
  • Container security
  • Risk Manager (ASPM)

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 Veracode
  • Compliance evidence gathering where the answer must reflect the account at the moment it is askednot Veracode
  • Inventory and drift questions spanning several cloud providers in one querynot Veracode
  • Engineers who would rather write SQL than learn each provider command line toolnot Veracode

Veracode

  • Scanning applications for vulnerabilities across the SDLCnot Steampipe
  • Automating remediation of flagged security flaws with AInot Steampipe
  • Securing containerized workloads before deploymentnot Steampipe
  • Running penetration tests as a managed servicenot Steampipe
  • Enforcing security policy governance across many applicationsnot 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.

Veracode

  • No public pricing; customers must request a demo and custom quote.
  • Full platform capability spans many modules, which can require significant onboarding.
  • Package Firewall and PTaaS are separate add-ons rather than included by default.
  • Primarily built for enterprise scale, less suited to small individual projects.

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

Veracode

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Veracode review.

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 Veracode if

  • You need static analysis (sast).
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want dynamic analysis (dast).
Veracode review

Questions people ask

Is Steampipe or Veracode better?
Neither clearly leads. Steampipe starts at Free and Veracode at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Steampipe or Veracode?
Steampipe has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Steampipe and On request for Veracode.
Does Steampipe or Veracode run on more platforms?
Steampipe runs on macOS, Linux, Windows, Docker, Web. Veracode runs on web, api.
Can I use Steampipe for free?
Yes. Steampipe has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Veracode 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 Veracode is typically brought in for.
What can Steampipe do that Veracode cannot?
Steampipe covers SQL over live APIs, Wide plugin set, Embedded Postgres, Compliance benchmarks. Veracode covers Static analysis (SAST), Dynamic analysis (DAST), Software composition analysis, AI-driven code remediation.

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.

Veracode: How does Veracode pricing work?

Veracode does not publish pricing on their website. Organizations must request a personalized demo or contact sales to receive quotes tailored to their specific needs and usage volume.

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.

Veracode: Does Veracode offer a free trial or free version?

No information about free trials or free versions is provided on Veracode's public website. Organizations must contact sales to discuss trial options.

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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