Wazuh vs Steampipe + Powerpipe
Both are alternatives to Vanta. Here's how they stack up — verified facts, no spin.
Also searched as Steampipe + Powerpipe vs Wazuh — same comparison, one verdict.
Wazuh and Steampipe + Powerpipe are closely matched on ownership (88 vs 86) — this one comes down to pricing and to which trade-offs below you can live with.
Wazuh
Open-source SIEM and XDR with compliance reporting built in.
Agent-based security monitoring with file integrity checks, vulnerability detection, log analysis and prebuilt compliance reporting for PCI DSS, HIPAA, NIST 800-53 and GDPR. Covers the continuous-monitoring requirement that auditors ask about, on infrastructure you run.
Steampipe + Powerpipe
Query your cloud configuration as SQL, with compliance mods on top.
Steampipe exposes cloud and SaaS configuration as SQL tables; Powerpipe runs benchmark mods against them, including CIS, SOC 2, HIPAA and PCI packs. The most flexible option here — if you can express a control as a query, you can check it continuously.
Side by side
6 points of comparison, every one read from a verified field. Green marks the side that wins a row outright. A dash means we do not hold that fact — never that it is zero.
| Wazuh | Steampipe + Powerpipe | |
|---|---|---|
| Sovereignty ScoreOur transparent 0–100 composite for data ownership and exit cost. | 88 | 86 |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| Local-first data | Yes | Yes |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Pricing | Free / self-host; paid Wazuh Cloud available | Free / self-host; paid Turbot Pipes hosted option |
Wazuh edges it on the Sovereignty Score, but the right pick depends on the trade-offs below.
Wazuh
Strengths
- +Genuine SIEM capability, not just configuration scanning
- +Compliance report templates map findings to named framework controls
- +Large deployed base and active development
Trade-offs
- −Real operational weight — agents, indexers and storage to run and tune
- −Overkill if you only need cloud posture and have no on-host estate
- −Again: monitoring and evidence, never the audit itself
Steampipe + Powerpipe
Strengths
- +SQL over live cloud state is unusually powerful for bespoke controls
- +Large library of community compliance benchmarks
- +Composes well with existing data tooling rather than being another silo
Trade-offs
- −Assumes comfort with SQL and with defining your own controls
- −Split across two tools since the 2024 Powerpipe separation
- −No evidence archive, policy engine or auditor-facing output
Which one fits you
The trade-offs above, turned into a decision. Find the line that describes your team.
Choose Wazuh
if a lower exit cost matters more to you than any single feature, and genuine SIEM capability, not just configuration scanning.
Choose Steampipe + Powerpipe
if sQL over live cloud state is unusually powerful for bespoke controls.
Neither, yet
if both carry a real cost you should weigh first — real operational weight — agents, indexers and storage to run and tune, and assumes comfort with SQL and with defining your own controls. If either of those is a dealbreaker for your team, the shortlist is wrong rather than the choice.
Wazuh vs Steampipe + Powerpipe — common questions
Is Wazuh a better fit than Steampipe + Powerpipe for compliance automation & security posture?
It depends on what you are optimising for, and the honest split is this: Wazuh scores 88 to Steampipe + Powerpipe's 86 on data ownership and exit cost, so it is the safer choice if you care about being able to leave. Steampipe + Powerpipe earns its place on a different axis — sQL over live cloud state is unusually powerful for bespoke controls. Neither is a wrong answer for every team; the table above is the actual comparison.
What happens if we want to switch later?
Wazuh keeps its data local or in open formats, so leaving is an export rather than a negotiation. Steampipe + Powerpipe is still self-hostable, so the files stay on your server either way — but it is not local-first by design, so check what its export produces before you rely on it.
Can I self-host Wazuh or Steampipe + Powerpipe?
Both can be self-hosted. The difference is what it costs you in time rather than whether it is possible — see the setup and maintenance rows above.
Are Wazuh and Steampipe + Powerpipe both alternatives to Vanta?
Yes — both appear in our Vanta comparison, which is why they are worth putting side by side. People usually arrive here already having decided to move off Vanta and now choosing between the two replacements, which is a narrower and much easier question.
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Facts verified 2026-09-01. Licenses and pricing change — spotted something out of date? That's a correction we want.