Softwr

Cybersecurity · head to head

Syft vs Userscripts

Syft logo

Syft

Cybersecurity

Generates a software bill of materials from images, filesystems and archives

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Userscripts logo

Userscripts

Browser Extensions

Open-source userscript manager for Safari on Mac and iOS

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Syft lockfile parsing can drop packages silently. An open issue filed in August 2026 reports the yarn v1 cataloguer returning 118 of 745 packages with no error raised, which means a complete bill of materials and an 84 percent incomplete one look identical to the caller.; Userscripts safari cannot let extensions bypass a site's Content Security Policy, so strict sites produce "Refused to execute a script" errors that the @inject-into workaround does not always fix.
  • They diverge on capability: Syft covers Multi-format output, Userscripts covers Built-in script editor.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 17 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Syft and Userscripts actually diverge.

Attributes where Syft and Userscripts differ
AttributeSyftUserscripts
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feeopen-source
PlatformsmacOS, Linux, Windows, DockerSafari, macOS, iOS
CategoryCybersecurityBrowser Extensions

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 Syft

  • Multi-format output
  • Broad ecosystem coverage
  • Binary classifiers
  • In-toto attestations
  • Library and CLI
  • Pairs with Grype

Only in Userscripts

  • Built-in script editor
  • Standard metadata support
  • GM API
  • Remote script updating
  • iCloud sync
  • Per-page popup

What people use each for

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

Syft

  • Producing a bill of materials for a customer or regulator that requires onenot Userscripts
  • Feeding an inventory into a vulnerability scanner rather than scanning images directlynot Userscripts
  • Recording what shipped in a build so a future disclosure can be answered quicklynot Userscripts
  • Public sector work where an SBOM is a contractual deliverablenot Userscripts

Userscripts

  • Running userscripts on Safari without paying for Tampermonkeynot Syft
  • Running userscripts on an iPhone or iPadnot Syft
  • Writing scripts on a Mac and syncing them to iOSnot Syft
  • Blocking or restyling site elements Safari content blockers cannot reachnot Syft
  • Keeping a script library under an open-source licencenot Syft

Where each one falls short

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

Syft

  • Lockfile parsing can drop packages silently. An open issue filed in August 2026 reports the yarn v1 cataloguer returning 118 of 745 packages with no error raised, which means a complete bill of materials and an 84 percent incomplete one look identical to the caller.
  • Fidelity varies sharply by ecosystem. Conan for C and C++, Haskell and Terraform get cataloguer support with no licence data, no dependency relationships and no file ownership, so a C and C++ shop gets the least from it.
  • Binary classification yields no licence or dependency metadata, and vendored or statically linked code is exactly where supply chain risk hides, so the blind spot and the risk overlap.
  • Incorrect CPE values and CPE collisions are recorded as open issues, and since Grype matches on CPE and PURL, an inventory error becomes a false negative in the security report downstream.
  • An inventory is not a risk assessment. Even a perfect bill of materials says a vulnerable version is present, never that the vulnerable function is called, and the triage burden lands entirely on the reader.

Userscripts

  • Safari cannot let extensions bypass a site's Content Security Policy, so strict sites produce "Refused to execute a script" errors that the @inject-into workaround does not always fix.
  • Apple only. There is no Chrome, Firefox or Edge build, so it cannot be a cross-browser answer.
  • iCloud sync is documented as having delays, which is awkward when editing the same script on two devices.
  • Requires macOS 12 and Safari 14.1, or iOS 15.1, so older Apple hardware is excluded.
  • GPL v3 means a commercial licence is required for non-open-source use, which matters if you are embedding rather than just using it.

Pricing, plan by plan

Syft

Free
  • SyftFree
    • Apache-2.0
    • No usage limits
    • Community support
  • Anchore Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Policy enforcement and reporting
    • Federal and commercial tiers
    • Pricing not published, quoted on request

Userscripts

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Full functionality
    • GPL v3 licensed
    • macOS, iOS and iPadOS

Which should you pick?

Choose Syft if

  • You need multi-format output.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on macOS, Linux, Windows, Docker.
  • You also want broad ecosystem coverage.
Syft review

Choose Userscripts if

  • You need built-in script editor.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Safari, macOS, iOS.
  • You also want standard metadata support.
Userscripts review

Questions people ask

Is Syft or Userscripts better?
Neither clearly leads. Syft starts at Free and Userscripts at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Syft or Userscripts?
Syft starts at Free and Userscripts at Free.
Does Syft or Userscripts run on more platforms?
Syft runs on macOS, Linux, Windows, Docker. Userscripts runs on Safari, macOS, iOS.
Can I use Syft for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Syft best used for?
Syft is most often used for producing a bill of materials for a customer or regulator that requires one, feeding an inventory into a vulnerability scanner rather than scanning images directly, recording what shipped in a build so a future disclosure can be answered quickly, public sector work where an sbom is a contractual deliverable. Of those, producing a bill of materials for a customer or regulator that requires one and feeding an inventory into a vulnerability scanner rather than scanning images directly are not what Userscripts is typically brought in for.
What can Syft do that Userscripts cannot?
Syft covers Multi-format output, Broad ecosystem coverage, Binary classifiers, In-toto attestations. Userscripts covers Built-in script editor, Standard metadata support, GM API, Remote script updating.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Syft: Does Syft find vulnerabilities?

No. It produces an inventory. Grype, from the same company, matches that inventory against vulnerability feeds. They are separate tools and the distinction is frequently lost.

Userscripts: Is Userscripts for Safari free?

Yes, free on the App Store and licensed under GPL v3. A commercial licence is required for use in something that is not itself open source.

Source
Syft: Does anything in the Anchore stack do reachability analysis?

No. Neither Syft, Grype nor the commercial Anchore platform performs call graph or reachability analysis, so none of them tells you whether a vulnerable code path is actually invoked.

Userscripts: Does it work on iPhone?

Yes, on iOS and iPadOS 15.1 or later, which makes it one of the few ways to run userscripts on an iPhone.

Source
Syft: Is it a CNCF or OpenSSF project?

No. It is single-vendor open source owned by Anchore, with no foundation governance. That is a different licence risk profile from Sigstore.

Userscripts: Why do I get "Refused to execute a script" errors?

Safari does not let extensions bypass a site's Content Security Policy the way other browsers do. The documented workaround is changing the script's @inject-into setting, though it does not resolve every case.

Source
Syft: What does Anchore Enterprise cost?

Not published. The pricing page is contact-sales only, with named but unpriced commercial and federal tiers.

Userscripts: Do my scripts sync between Mac and iPhone?

Yes, over iCloud, though the project notes the sync can be delayed rather than immediate.

Source
Syft: How do I know my SBOM is complete?

You largely cannot, which is the honest answer. Silent partial parsing is a known open defect, so a bill of materials used for compliance should be spot-checked against a known dependency list.

Userscripts: What are the system requirements?

macOS 12 or later with Safari 14.1 or later, or iOS and iPadOS 15.1 or later.

Source
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