No. 10 of 25 ·Security Configuration Management Software

Steampipe

Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API

Freedom report

Two barsScore 5.6

Free tierNo free tier on record
Open codeNo open-source code on record
Runs widely3 of 6 device platforms
DocumentedPlans, terms and facts published

Steampipe is ranked #10 of 25 in security configuration management software on Freedom251. It runs on API, Linux, macOS, Self-hosted, Windows.

Compared on security configuration management software

Free plan: Yes
Deployment model: agentless
CIS benchmarks: Yes
Cloud infrastructure: Yes
Policy as code: Yes

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The record

What it does: Steampipe provides zero-ETL tools for fetching data directly from APIs and services.
SQL queries: The Steampipe CLI exposes APIs and services as a relational database for SQL queries over dynamic data.
Use cases: The site lists compliance, security, operations, and cost as Steampipe use cases.
Data joins: Steampipe can join live cloud configuration data with internal or external datasets.
Plugins: Plugins implement interfaces to cloud services, files, and other resources, and the Hub lists 158 plugins.
PostgreSQL: Steampipe is available as PostgreSQL Foreign Data Wrappers that can be installed in supported PostgreSQL versions.
SQLite: Steampipe SQLite Extensions provide virtual tables that translate queries into API calls.
Export: Steampipe Export CLIs are standalone binaries for extracting information from cloud services and APIs without a database.
Hosted option: Turbot Pipes provides hosted Steampipe database instances, shared dashboards, and snapshots.
Open source: The Steampipe site describes the product as open source and requiring no database for its CLI offering.
Support: The site links to a Slack community of more than 3,200 practitioners.
Security reports: Turbot says SOC 2 reports are available on request under NDA and that its annual SOC examinations take place each April.
Maker: Turbot says it was founded in 2014 and is 100% bootstrapped.
Query engine: The Steampipe CLI exposes APIs and services as a relational database and includes its own PostgreSQL database.

Where it ranks on Freedom251

Best Security Configuration Management Software in 2026#10 of 25

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Sources

steampipe.io/docs· checked 2 Oct 2026
steampipe.io· checked 2 Oct 2026
hub.steampipe.io· checked 2 Oct 2026
turbot.com/security· checked 2 Oct 2026
turbot.com/about· checked 2 Oct 2026
steampipe.io/downloads· checked 3 Oct 2026
steampipe.io/changelog· checked 3 Oct 2026