The best Terraform security scanners in 2026
Last reviewed: 2026-05-27 · 15 min read
5+ years AWS engineering · Open-source contributor
Last reviewed: 2026-05-27
For CI scanning, the top free picks are Checkov (broadest Terraform rule library) and Trivy (best if you also scan containers). For teams already on a commercial platform, Snyk IaC is the strongest commercial option. “Best” ultimately depends on whether you need CI blocking, a hosted compliance dashboard, or a consultant-deliverable report — these are different products answering different questions.
How we compared these tools
Each tool was evaluated across six dimensions: pricing (public, verifiable), coverage (Terraform-native or multi-IaC), output format, AWS Well-Architected Framework pillar coverage, CI integration capability, and maintenance status as of May 2026. All scores are sourced from each tool’s public documentation and GitHub repository.
Disclosure: The author of this guide works on ArchGuard, which is tool #7 on this list. ArchGuard is not at #1. Its positioning reflects its genuinely narrow use case (consultant-deliverable WAF reviews) relative to tools that cover the broader CI-scanning use case better. All competitor descriptions were reviewed before publication.
The comparison at a glance
| Tool | Type | WAF | CI | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Checkov | Config linter | No | Yes | Free (OSS) |
| 2. tfsec | Config linter (deprecated → Trivy) | No | Yes | Free (OSS, maintenance only) |
| 3. Trivy | Multi-scanner | No | Yes | Free (OSS) |
| 4. Snyk IaC | Config linter | No | Yes | $25+ / dev / mo |
| 5. KICS | Multi-IaC linter | No | Yes | Free (OSS) |
| 6. Prowler | CSPM + IaC hybrid | Partial — CIS + NIST + WAF-adjacent checks | Yes | Free (OSS) + Prowler Pro SaaS |
| 7. ArchGuard | Architecture review | Yes — All 4 active pillars | Partial | $49 – $399 / mo |
1. Checkov — best open-source rule-based scanner
Config linter · Apache 2.0 · Free
What it does
Checkov is the most widely adopted static analysis tool for Terraform. Developed by Bridgecrew (now Prisma Cloud), it parses Terraform HCL and evaluates each resource configuration against a library of deterministic rules — over 1,000 AWS-specific rules as of 2026. Rules are evaluated per resource in isolation: no cross-resource or workload-context analysis.
Pricing
Free for commercial use (Apache 2.0). Prisma Cloud offers a commercial wrapper with dashboards and policy management.
Coverage
Terraform, CloudFormation, Kubernetes, Dockerfile, Azure ARM, Google Cloud Deployment Manager. The Terraform-specific rule library is the broadest of any scanner. Evaluates IAM, encryption, networking, logging, and compute configuration.
Output format
CLI, JSON, JUnit XML, SARIF, GitHub Annotations. First-class GitHub Actions support via the bridgecrewio/checkov-action.
Best for
Every Terraform repository. Checkov is a foundational CI gate — fast (seconds), free, and broad enough to catch the most common resource misconfigurations on every pull request. See how Checkov compares to ArchGuard for the complementary use case.
Where to find it
github.com/bridgecrewio/checkov
# Installpip install checkov# Scan a Terraform directorycheckov -d ./infra# CI gate: fail on HIGH/CRITICAL, output JUnit XMLcheckov -d ./infra \ --framework terraform \ --check-threshold HIGH \ --output junitxml \ --output-file-path results/checkov.xml2. tfsec — best lightweight static analysis (now part of Trivy)
Deprecated — migrate to Trivy
What it does
tfsec was a lightweight, fast Terraform-native static analysis tool. In 2023, Aqua Security deprecated it and absorbed its rules and functionality into Trivy. As of 2026, tfsec is in maintenance mode only — it receives security fixes but no new rules. New security findings discovered after the deprecation date are only in Trivy.
Pricing
Free (OSS, maintenance mode).
Coverage
Terraform only. The rule library covers AWS, Azure, and GCP but is frozen at the deprecation point.
Best for
Migrating off. The migration is a single command change: tfsec ./infra becomes trivy config ./infra. Nearly all tfsec severity flags and ignore annotations transfer directly to Trivy.
Where to find it
github.com/aquasecurity/tfsec (archived)
3. Trivy — best multi-purpose scanner (containers + IaC + secrets)
Multi-scanner · Apache 2.0 · Free
What it does
Trivy is an open-source security scanner maintained by Aqua Security. In IaC mode (trivy config), it evaluates Terraform, CloudFormation, Kubernetes manifests, Dockerfile, and Helm charts. For teams that scan containers and OS packages alongside IaC, Trivy consolidates all of that into one tool and one output format.
Pricing
Free (Apache 2.0). Aqua Security offers a commercial platform built on Trivy.
Coverage
Terraform, CloudFormation, Kubernetes, Dockerfile, Helm, Bicep. Also scans container images, OS packages, language-specific packages, and embedded secrets. The Terraform rule library was inherited from tfsec and is actively maintained.
Best for
Teams already using Trivy for container scanning who want to add IaC scanning without a new tool. Teams migrating from tfsec. Teams that need SARIF output for GitHub Advanced Security code scanning integration.
Where to find it
4. Snyk IaC — best for dev-first commercial scanning
Config linter · Commercial · $25+ / dev / mo
What it does
Snyk IaC is the infrastructure-as-code component of Snyk’s developer security platform. It performs static analysis against a rule library and integrates with source control (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket) to show findings inline in pull requests. At the organisation level, security engineers can define custom policies and severity overrides across all repositories.
Pricing
$25+ per developer per month for the Team plan. Free tier covers limited projects.
Best for
Engineering organisations already on the Snyk platform for code and container security, where consolidating IaC findings into the same dashboard has real operational value. Not a strong choice for teams where Checkov or Trivy cover the same analytical ground for free.
Where to find it
snyk.io/product/infrastructure-as-code-security
5. KICS — best multi-IaC-platform open-source scanner
Multi-IaC linter · Apache 2.0 · Free
What it does
KICS (Keeping Infrastructure as Code Secure) is an open-source IaC scanner by Checkmarx. It supports Terraform, CloudFormation, Kubernetes, Ansible, Dockerfile, Helm, and Azure Resource Manager in a single tool. KICS uses OPA/Rego-based query definitions, which makes it extensible for custom rules across all supported platforms simultaneously.
Pricing
Free (Apache 2.0). Checkmarx offers a commercial platform (Checkmarx One) that includes KICS alongside SAST and SCA.
Coverage
Terraform, CloudFormation, Kubernetes, Ansible, Dockerfile, Helm, Bicep, Azure ARM, Google Deployment Manager. The Terraform rule library is smaller than Checkov’s but the multi-platform breadth is KICS’s distinctive advantage.
Best for
Platform engineering teams managing Terraform alongside CloudFormation, Kubernetes, and Ansible who want consistent policy enforcement across all IaC platforms from a single tool and rule language. Teams already using Checkmarx for SAST who want a unified platform.
Where to find it
6. Prowler — best CSPM + IaC hybrid
CSPM + IaC hybrid · Apache 2.0 · Free (Prowler Pro available)
What it does
Prowler is an open-source cloud security tool that operates across both the live AWS account state (CSPM) and static IaC files. It supports AWS, Azure, and GCP. Its checks map to CIS Benchmarks, NIST 800-53, SOC 2, ISO 27001, ENS (Spain), and GDPR. For organisations that need compliance framework coverage beyond AWS WAF, Prowler provides the broadest coverage of any open-source tool on this list.
Pricing
Free (Apache 2.0). Prowler Pro is a commercial SaaS layer. prowler.com/pricing
Best for
Teams that need CIS Benchmark or compliance-framework posture management across the live account, combined with IaC scanning, from a single tool. Prowler’s live-account scanning complements Checkov or Trivy in CI — it catches drift between the deployed state and the Terraform-defined state that static analysis alone cannot see.
Where to find it
github.com/prowler-cloud/prowler
7. ArchGuard — best for consultant-deliverable Well-Architected Reviews
Architecture review · Commercial · $49–$399 / mo · Disclosure: this is our product
What it does
ArchGuard operates at a different layer from the config linters above. Where Checkov, Trivy, Snyk IaC, KICS, and Prowler ask “is this resource configured correctly?”, ArchGuard asks “is this architecture sound for this workload?” — against the AWS Well-Architected Framework across Security, Reliability, Cost Optimization, and Operational Excellence. It evaluates cross-resource patterns that individual resource checks cannot catch.
Pricing
Solo $49/mo, Team $149/mo, Agency $399/mo, Credit Packs $199 (3 reviews) / $499 (10 reviews). Full pricing details.
Output format
Branded PDF report — designed for CTOs, engineering managers, and compliance reviewers, not just CI pipelines. The WAF pillar structure maps directly to what the AWS Well-Architected Tool produces.
Best for
Consultant and fractional CTO workflows where a client-deliverable PDF is required. Pre-DD infrastructure preparation. Compliance documentation for SOC 2 or ISO 27001 readiness. ArchGuard complements Checkov and Trivy — it is not a replacement for CI-based config linting.
Where to find it
Which Terraform security scanner should you use?
Frequently asked questions
Is Checkov free for commercial use?↓
Yes. Checkov is open source under the Apache 2.0 license and free for commercial use. Bridgecrew/Prisma Cloud offers a commercial SaaS wrapper (Prisma Cloud) with dashboards and policy management, but the core Checkov CLI is free and unrestricted.
What is the difference between tfsec and Checkov now that tfsec joined the Trivy project?↓
tfsec was deprecated by Aqua Security in 2023 and its rules and functionality were absorbed into Trivy. As of 2026, tfsec receives no new rules. For Terraform-only teams, Checkov has the broader rule library (1,000+ AWS-specific rules). For teams that also scan containers and OS packages, Trivy is the better choice because it covers all of those from a single tool. New teams should not adopt tfsec.
Do any Terraform security scanners catch architectural issues — not just resource-level rules?↓
Checkov, Trivy, Snyk IaC, KICS, and Prowler all evaluate individual resource configurations against deterministic rules. None of them evaluate cross-resource patterns, blast radius, or workload context. ArchGuard is designed for that layer — it evaluates the combination of resources against the AWS Well-Architected Framework, identifying architectural patterns that pass all linter rules but carry workload-level risk.
Which scanner should run in CI?↓
Checkov or Trivy are the most common CI choices — both are free, fast (seconds on typical repos), and have first-class GitHub Actions support. Snyk IaC is the best commercial option if your team is already on the Snyk platform. KICS is the right choice if your CI needs to cover Terraform, CloudFormation, Kubernetes, and Ansible in a single scan.
Do I need more than one scanner?↓
It depends on what coverage gaps you have. If you are running Checkov in CI and want container scanning too, adding Trivy makes sense. If you want WAF-aligned architectural findings in addition to config-level linting, adding ArchGuard fills a gap the linters leave. Running two config linters that overlap significantly (e.g. both Checkov and KICS on a Terraform-only codebase) adds noise without adding coverage.
Updates and corrections
Last reviewed: 2026-05-27. Next scheduled review: 2026-11-27. Tool pricing, maintenance status, and feature sets change frequently. If you spot an outdated detail, email hello@archguard.io and we’ll correct it.
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