StackRadar vs OWASP Dependency-Track
Dependency-Track is the OWASP open-source SBOM analysis platform: you send it CycloneDX SBOMs and it continuously re-evaluates them against vulnerability feeds, with EPSS support and KEV-aware policies.
Facts last checked . Prices and features change — verify with the vendor before deciding.
What OWASP Dependency-Track does well
- Free, open source, and used by tens of thousands of organisations.
- The same core idea as StackRadar: store the SBOM and re-match it as advisories land, rather than rescanning.
- EPSS and KEV are supported in policies; the policy engine is flexible.
- Self-hosted, so nothing leaves your infrastructure.
How OWASP Dependency-Track and StackRadar differ
The differences are about how the two are built and sold, not a feature checklist. Each point below is a structural fact you can verify on the vendor's own documentation.
- It ingests SBOMs; it does not create them. You build and run the pipeline that generates a CycloneDX document per image and keeps it current as pods change — StackRadar’s scanner does exactly that.
- No Kubernetes awareness: a project in Dependency-Track is whatever you name it, with no namespace, workload, Helm release or cluster attached.
- Self-hosting is real operations work: a database, upgrades (v5 requires an offline migration from v4), feed mirrors, backups.
- StackRadar is the hosted, cluster-aware version of the same model, with a published price and the scanner source open.
Side by side
| Axis | StackRadar | OWASP Dependency-Track |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | One Helm chart in the cluster; self-hosted (AGPL-3.0) or reporting to the cloud dashboard | Self-hosted server; you supply the SBOMs |
| Kubernetes runtime inventory | Yes — every running image, with its workload, Helm release and ArgoCD application | None — no agent; projects are whatever you upload |
| SBOM | CycloneDX 1.6 per running image (Syft), stored and re-checked as new advisories land | Ingests CycloneDX; does not generate it |
| Prioritisation | Radar Score — CVSS, EPSS and CISA KEV combined in a published formula | CVSS, EPSS; KEV in policies |
| History and trends | 1 year (Pro), 2 years (Business); 1 year self-hosted | Yes |
| Multi-cluster view | One cloud dashboard across every cluster in the organisation; self-hosted is one cluster | Only if you model it in projects yourself |
| Scanner source | Open source: scanner Apache-2.0, server and dashboard AGPL-3.0; releases signed and version-pinned | Open source (Apache-2.0) |
| Pricing | Free to self-host · Cloud: 14-day free trial, then Pro $59/mo · Business $199/mo at beta price ($99 / $299 standard) | Free; operational cost |
| Data residency | Self-hosted: stays in your cluster. Cloud: EU only, and only the SBOM leaves the cluster | Self-hosted |
Pricing
OWASP Dependency-Track: Dependency-Track is free and open source. The cost is the SBOM pipeline you build to feed it and the operations of running it — database, upgrades, feed mirrors and backups. StackRadar is also free to self-host, with the SBOM generation included, and the cloud takes the operations off your hands.
StackRadar: Free to self-host for one cluster (AGPL-3.0). The cloud starts with a 14-day free trial; then Pro at $59 per month for up to five clusters and one year of history; Business at $199 per month for up to fifteen clusters and two years. Those are beta prices, for the first 10 Pro and 5 Business subscriptions; after that Pro is $99 and Business $299 a month. Every plan scans every image you run. Full details on the pricing page.
Which should you choose?
Choose OWASP Dependency-Track if
- You already produce CycloneDX SBOMs in CI and want a self-hosted place to track them.
- Nothing may leave your infrastructure, and you have the team to run the platform.
- Your SBOMs cover more than containers — firmware, desktop software, vendor deliveries.
Choose StackRadar if
- You want the SBOMs generated for you from what is actually running in each cluster.
- You want cluster, namespace, workload and Helm-release context on every finding.
- You would rather pay a published monthly price than run and upgrade a platform.
Frequently asked questions
Can Dependency-Track scan a Kubernetes cluster?
Not on its own. Dependency-Track analyses SBOMs you upload. To cover a cluster you need something that discovers running images, generates a CycloneDX SBOM per image and keeps uploading as workloads change — which is what the StackRadar scanner does.
Is StackRadar a hosted Dependency-Track?
Conceptually close: both store SBOMs and re-match them as advisories land. StackRadar adds the in-cluster scanner that produces the SBOMs, Kubernetes context on every finding, and a hosted dashboard, and does not require you to run anything but a Helm chart.