Snyk is the default answer for dependency security, but it comes with trade-offs: cloud dependency, pricing complexity, and your code being analyzed on external servers. If you're looking for alternatives — especially ones that run locally — here's what's available in 2026.
The Landscape
| Tool | Local? | Price | Languages | SBOM | License Audit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snyk | No | $25+/dev/mo | Many | ✓ | ✓ |
| Socket | No | $20+/dev/mo | JS, Python | ✓ | ✓ |
| DepGuard | Yes | Free / $19/dev/mo | 10 pkg managers | ✓ | ✓ |
| npm audit | Yes | Free | JS only | ✗ | ✗ |
| pip-audit | Yes | Free | Python only | ✗ | ✗ |
| cargo audit | Yes | Free | Rust only | ✗ | ✗ |
| Trivy | Yes | Free | Containers | ✓ | ✓ |
Why Local Matters
Cloud-based tools like Snyk require your dependency manifests (and sometimes source code) to be sent to external servers. For many teams — especially in regulated industries — this is a non-starter.
Tools that run locally analyze your code on your machine and never phone home.
DepGuard: The All-in-One Local Option
DepGuard is interesting because it wraps native audit tools (npm audit, pip-audit, cargo audit, govulncheck) into a single interface and adds license compliance on top.
What it does:
- Vulnerability scanning using the audit tools your package managers already trust
- License detection categorizing every dependency as permissive, copyleft, or unknown
- Git hook enforcement blocking commits that introduce vulnerable dependencies
- SBOM generation in CycloneDX format
- Policy enforcement blocking specific licenses (e.g., GPL in proprietary projects)
Free tier covers vulnerability scanning and license detection. Pro ($19/user/mo) adds git hooks and auto-fix. Team ($39/user/mo) adds SBOM and compliance reports.
clawhub install depguard
depguard scan
The DIY Approach
You can also build your own pipeline with individual tools:
# JavaScript
npm audit --json
# Python
pip-audit
# Rust
cargo audit
# Go
govulncheck ./...
The downside: you need to maintain scripts for each language, there's no unified reporting, and you're on your own for license compliance.
Recommendation
- Snyk if you need the deepest vulnerability database and don't mind cloud
- DepGuard if you want local-only, multi-language scanning with license compliance
- Individual audit tools if you only use one language and don't need license checks
DepGuard — dependency audit & license compliance. Install: clawhub install depguard
Top comments (0)