Is Checkov worth the price?
Checkov's pricing is very generous, offering a robust open-source tier for free.
The "Prisma Cloud" tier, while contact sales, likely positions it as an enterprise solution. This structure is excellent for individual developers and small teams, scaling up to large organizations.
Pricing Plans
Open Source
Free
- 750+ built-in policies
- CIS, PCI, HIPAA compliance
- Custom policies (Python/YAML)
- CLI and VS Code extension
- CI/CD integration
- Free forever
Prisma Cloud
Contact sales
- All open source features
- Runtime scanning
- Pull request annotations
- Repository badges
- Compliance reports
- Enterprise support
Hidden Costs & Gotchas
Prisma Cloud pricing is opaque, requiring sales contact.
Enterprise support is exclusive to the paid tier.
Advanced features locked behind enterprise tier.
Which Plan Do You Need?
Developers needing free IaC scanning
Teams integrating security into CI/CD
Enterprises requiring advanced cloud security
How Checkov Compares to Competitors
Compared to Snyk, which offers a free tier with limited scans and then paid tiers starting around $25/developer/month, Checkov's free open-source offering is significantly more generous for core IaC scanning.
Bridgecrew (now part of Prisma Cloud) also offers a free tier, but Checkov's standalone open-source project provides more flexibility for self-hosting without immediate vendor lock-in.
Checkov Pricing FAQ
How much does Checkov cost?
Checkov starts at $0/month on the Open Source plan.
Is Checkov free?
Yes, Checkov is free to use.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Checkov?
Yes. Popular alternatives to Checkov include tfsec, ScoutSuite. Free alternatives include tfsec, ScoutSuite. Compare them side-by-side on Toolradar.
Cheaper alternatives to Checkov
Direct competitors with similar features. Many offer free tiers or lower per-seat pricing.
