Side by side
CIS-CAT Pro Assessor vs Steampipe
Both stand on security configuration management software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan APILinuxMac+2
Choose CIS-CAT Pro Assessor if your organization needs agentless CIS Benchmark assessments and CIS Controls mapping for internal systems. Look elsewhere if you need automated remediation or Microsoft 365 assessment beyond Commercial Cloud tenants.
Visit CIS-CAT Pro Assessor Free plan APILinuxMac+2
Steampipe offers several ways to query or export live service data, with SQL at the center of its CLI. Resource access depends on having the relevant plugin, while Turbot Pipes provides a hosted alternative.
Visit SteampipeThe facts
| CIS-CAT Pro Assessor | Steampipe | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | No | Not published |
| Runs on | API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Windows | API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | CIS SecureSuite End User (up to 99 employees): $2,400 a year | Not published |
| Plans published | 12 | None |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | cisecurity.org | steampipe.io |
| On security configuration management software | #5 of 29 | #9 of 29 |
CIS-CAT Pro Assessor: what it does well
- Assesses local and remote targets in cloud or on-premises environments.
- Reports map results to CIS Controls and three Implementation Groups.
- Benchmark content can be customized through CIS WorkBench.
- Agentless assessments cover cloud infrastructure.
- Windows and Linux bundles are provided; one Linux bundle supports macOS.
What to know first
- Use requires CIS SecureSuite membership.
- End User membership does not permit client or commercial use.
- No automated remediation is provided.
- Microsoft 365 assessment is limited to Commercial Cloud tenants.
Steampipe: what it does well
- Free and open source.
- Queries live data with SQL.
- Joins cloud configuration data with other datasets.
- Available as CLI, PostgreSQL FDWs, SQLite extensions, and export CLIs.
- Downloads for Linux, macOS, and Windows.
What to know first
- A plugin is required for each resource queried.
- Hosted Turbot Pipes is a separate option.
Alternatives to CIS-CAT Pro Assessor Alternatives to Steampipe The whole list