Is Socket worth the price?
Socket uses proactive malware and supply-chain detection that goes beyond traditional CVE scanning, it catches intentionally malicious packages, not just known vulnerabilities.
Free at $0/developer gets 3 members and 1,000 scans/month, which covers small open-source projects. Team at $25/developer/month adds reachability analysis that eliminates 60% of false-positive CVEs, a genuine differentiator.
Business at $50/developer/month unlocks unlimited everything plus compliance and SSO. The per-developer pricing scales linearly, so a 20-person team on Business pays $1,000/month ($12,000/year), comparable to Snyk Team but with a fundamentally different detection approach focused on supply-chain attacks rather than just vulnerability databases.
Pricing Plans
Free TrialFree
Free
Open source
- Public repos
- Basic scanning
- Community support
- npm/PyPI
Team
$25/per user/month
Teams
- Private repos
- CI/CD integration
- Slack alerts
- Priority support
Enterprise
null
Large scale
- SSO/SAML
- Custom rules
- SLA
- Dedicated support
Hidden Costs & Gotchas
Per-developer pricing with no volume discount on published tiers, 50 developers on Business = $2,500/month ($30,000/year) with no obvious way to negotiate down without Enterprise
Free tier limited to 3 members, adding a 4th developer forces an upgrade to Team at $25/dev/month minimum
1,000 scans/month on Free depletes fast in CI/CD, each pull request scan counts, so a busy repo with 20 PRs/week uses 80+ scans/month per repo
Team tier caps at 10 members and 5,000 scans, growing teams hit both limits and must jump to Business (2x the price)
Enterprise pricing is opaque, custom quotes mean unpredictable costs for budget planning
GitLab, Bitbucket, and Azure DevOps support requires Enterprise, GitHub-only on Free, Team, and Business
AI model scanning (for ML supply chain risks) is Business-tier only, not available on cheaper plans
How Socket Compares
10-developer team securing 15 repositories with CI/CD scanning for 12 months
Which Plan Do You Need?
Socket offers free Team accounts to open-source projects, apply directly for full features at zero cost
1,000 scans/month and 70+ risk types detection is enough for small teams with a handful of repositories
Precomputed reachability analysis cuts 60% of CVE false positives, the biggest pain point with traditional SCA tools
Unlimited scans, SBOM import/export, SSO/SAML, and compliance integrations check enterprise procurement boxes
Our Recommendation
Worth it if...
You ship to production frequently and worry about malicious packages in your dependency tree, Socket catches threats that Snyk and Dependabot miss by design. The reachability analysis on Team tier alone saves security teams hours of triage per week on false-positive CVEs.
Skip if...
Your primary concern is known CVE tracking rather than supply-chain attacks, Snyk or Dependabot handles that better and cheaper. Also skip if your team uses GitLab or Bitbucket exclusively, since non-GitHub support requires Enterprise (custom pricing).
Negotiation tips
Annual billing saves 20% on Team and Business. Open-source projects get free Team accounts, apply if eligible. Start with Free to evaluate detection quality on your actual repos before committing. For 25+ developers, push for Enterprise with a per-seat discount below $50, the published Business price is the ceiling, not the floor.
Socket Pricing FAQ
How much does Socket cost?
Socket starts at $25/user/month on the Team plan. A free plan is also available with limited features.
Does Socket have a free plan?
Yes. Socket offers a free plan called "Free". It includes: Public repos, Basic scanning, Community support.
Does Socket offer a free trial?
Yes, Socket offers a free trial. No credit card is typically required to start the trial, though this may vary.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Socket?
Yes. Popular alternatives to Socket include Dependabot, Snyk, Mend, Renovate. Free alternatives include Dependabot, Snyk, Renovate. Compare them side-by-side on Toolradar.
How much does Socket cost for a team of 10?
For a team of 10 users on the Team plan, Socket costs about $250/month, or $3,000/year. Larger teams may qualify for volume discounts on annual billing.
Cheaper alternatives to Socket
4 of 5 direct competitors below offer a free plan. Per-seat pricing varies up to 60% across this set.
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