Greenbone and Syft both sit in the vulnerability and software-supply-chain security space but serve very different jobs: Greenbone is a German vulnerability…
| Greenbone | Syft | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary category | Security | Security |
| Rating | Not documented | Not documented |
| Pricing model | Open source plus commercial appliances and subscriptions (quote-based) | Free |
| Starting price | Free (OpenVAS/GVM open source); paid appliances via quote, free 14-day trial available | Not documented |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Not documented |
| Platforms | Web | Not documented |
| Team collaboration | Not documented | Not documented |
| AI features | Not documented | Not documented |
| Public API | Yes | Not documented |
Primary Function
Greenbone: Greenbone's core feature is Automated vulnerability scanning of networks and IT infrastructure, backed by a Daily-updated test database of 100,000+ tests.
Syft: Syft's core function is SBOM generation, creating a bill of materials from container images, filesystems, and archives rather than scanning for vulnerabilities directly.
Vulnerability scanning identifies exploitable weaknesses, while SBOM generation documents software composition — the two answer different security questions.
Pricing Model
Greenbone: Greenbone offers a free OPENVAS FREE tier alongside paid BASIC, SCAN, and SECURITY INTELLIGENCE tiers, all priced on a 'Contact for pricing' basis with no published numbers.
Syft: Syft is entirely free and open source under Apache-2.0, with a single Open Source plan and no paid tier at all.
Whether a tool has any paid tier at all — and whether that pricing is public — shapes procurement timelines and total cost.
Deployment Options
Greenbone: Greenbone is available as hardware appliances, virtual machines, or cloud-based deployments, giving buyers flexibility in how they run it.
Syft: Syft installs via Homebrew, Docker, Scoop, Chocolatey, and Nix as a command-line tool, with no hardware appliance or hosted service option documented.
Deployment flexibility matters for organizations with specific infrastructure constraints, such as air-gapped networks needing a hardware appliance.
Certifications & Compliance Posture
Greenbone: Greenbone holds ISO 9001, ISO 27001, and ISO 14001 certifications and states its operations are GDPR-compliant.
Syft: Syft's documented facts do not mention formal certifications; its compliance value comes from generating audit-ready SBOMs rather than the vendor's own certification status.
Vendor-level certifications can matter for procurement in regulated industries, separate from what the tool itself produces.
Output Format
Greenbone: Greenbone's output is vulnerability scan results from its 100,000+ test database rather than a structured software inventory document.
Syft: Syft outputs structured SBOMs in CycloneDX, SPDX, or Syft's own JSON format, plus signed attestations using the in-toto specification.
Structured, standardized SBOM output is required for many supply-chain compliance frameworks, distinct from vulnerability scan reports.
| Feature | Greenbone | Syft |
|---|---|---|
| Network vulnerability scanning | Available | Unavailable |
| SBOM generation | Unavailable | Available |
| Daily-updated vulnerability test database | Available | Unavailable |
| Feature | Greenbone | Syft |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Available | Available |
| Hardware appliance option | Available | Unavailable |
| CLI/package-manager installation | Not documented | Available |
| Feature | Greenbone | Syft |
|---|---|---|
| ISO certification | Available | Not documented |
| GDPR-compliant operations stated | Available | Not documented |
| Standards-based SBOM output (CycloneDX/SPDX) | Unavailable | Available |
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
Pros
Cons
Pros
Cons
No. Greenbone is a network and infrastructure vulnerability scanner, while Syft is an SBOM generator that inventories software components inside container images and filesystems. They address different parts of a security program.
Yes, Syft is entirely free and open source under Apache-2.0. Greenbone offers a free OPENVAS FREE tier but also sells paid BASIC, SCAN, and SECURITY INTELLIGENCE tiers priced on a contact-for-pricing basis.
Greenbone is headquartered in Germany and holds ISO 9001, ISO 27001, and ISO 14001 certifications, with operations stated to be GDPR-compliant.
No, Syft only generates SBOMs; it is designed to pair with Grype for vulnerability scanning. Greenbone performs vulnerability scanning directly using a daily-updated test database of 100,000+ tests.
Greenbone's paid products are subscription-based and scaled by scanning scope, such as the number of IPs or assets covered, though exact prices are not published and require contacting sales.
Syft can output SBOMs in CycloneDX, SPDX, and its own Syft JSON format, and can convert between these formats plus create signed attestations using the in-toto specification.