Side by side
OWASP Dependency-Track vs Updatecli
Both stand on dependency management software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Choose Dependency-Track if you want a free, self-hosted platform to inventory SBOM components, identify vulnerabilities, and apply policies across projects. Its integrations, access controls, and policy engine support automated supply-chain workflows. Teams moving from version 4.x should plan for an offline migration and maintenance window, and version 5 requires PostgreSQL.
Visit OWASP Dependency-Track
Updatecli provides a manifest-driven update workflow with condition checks, repository discovery, and broad plugin coverage. Teams using its GitHub SCM plugin should account for the separate pull-request action, and treat Udash as experimental.
Visit UpdatecliThe facts
| OWASP Dependency-Track | Updatecli | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | API, Self-hosted, Web | Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | dependencytrack.org | updatecli.io |
| On dependency management software | #11 of 27 | #15 of 27 |
OWASP Dependency-Track: what it does well
- Free and open source under the Apache 2.0 license.
- Consumes, analyzes, and produces several CycloneDX document types.
- Matches components against multiple vulnerability information sources.
- EPSS support helps prioritize vulnerability mitigation.
- Policy failures can break builds.
What to know first
- Deployment is self-hosted.
- Version 5 requires PostgreSQL; H2, MySQL, and SQL Server are unsupported.
- Version 5 cannot upgrade in place from 4.x.
- Migration requires an offline one-time process and planned maintenance window.
Updatecli: what it does well
- Free Apache-2.0 open-source plan.
- Runs without a runtime dependency, server, or database.
- Autodiscovery supports Dockerfiles, Helm, Terraform, npm, and Go.
- Manifest policies can be reused as OCI artifacts.
What to know first
- Opening GitHub pull requests requires a separate action.
- Udash reporting is experimental and requires the --experimental flag.
- Udash may change without the usual deprecation cycle.
Alternatives to OWASP Dependency-Track Alternatives to Updatecli The whole list