# Juliet vs Snyk

> Canonical: https://juliet.sh/compare/juliet-vs-snyk
> Last reviewed: 2026-03-21

## Short answer

Snyk is a developer-first application security platform. It scans source code, open-source dependencies, IaC, and container images, mostly at build and PR time. Juliet is a runtime Kubernetes security platform: posture, attack paths, admission, compliance, runtime detection, all applied to the cluster as it is running. Many teams use both: Snyk in CI, Juliet in the cluster.

## What each product does

**Juliet.** Kubernetes-first runtime security. Graph-based posture, attack paths, admission, compliance, eBPF runtime. Focus is on what is deployed right now.

**Snyk.** Developer-first AppSec. SAST, SCA, container scanning, IaC scanning, wired into PRs and IDEs. Strong shift-left story. Less coverage of runtime and cluster-level context.

## Feature comparison

| Capability | Juliet | Snyk |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kubernetes posture (KSPM) | Yes | Limited |
| Graph-based attack paths | Yes | No |
| Container image CVE scanning (build time) | Yes (runtime-focused) | Yes (CI-focused) |
| Runtime vulnerability prioritization | Yes (graph-based) | Yes (function-level reachability) |
| SAST (code scanning) | No | Yes |
| SCA (dependency scanning) | Yes (via SBOM) | Yes |
| IaC scanning (Terraform, Helm) | No | Yes |
| PR / IDE integrations | No | Yes |
| Admission control | Yes | No |
| Runtime detection (eBPF) | Yes | Limited |
| Compliance frameworks | Yes | Limited |
| Free tier | Yes (1 cluster) | Yes (limited scans) |

## Choose Juliet when

- You need to secure running Kubernetes clusters, not just CI/CD.
- You want attack paths, admission control, and runtime detection.
- You need compliance frameworks for audit.
- You are prioritizing what is actually exposed, not just what is in the codebase.

## Choose Snyk when

- You need developer-first shift-left (IDE plugins, PR checks).
- SAST and full SCA matter more than runtime posture today.
- You are securing application code more than infrastructure.
- Your risk is primarily in what gets built, not what gets deployed.

## Frequently asked

### Do I need both Snyk and Juliet?

Many teams do. Snyk covers the build pipeline: SAST, dependency management, IaC linting. Juliet covers the runtime cluster: posture, attack paths, admission, runtime threats. They meet on container image scanning (both do it) and diverge elsewhere. The overlap is small enough to justify both.

### Does Snyk have runtime detection?

Limited. Snyk's runtime features focus on reachability analysis (is this vulnerable function actually called?) rather than kernel-level threat detection. For active attack detection, a dedicated runtime tool (Juliet, Falco, or Tetragon) fills the gap.

### Does Juliet shift-left?

Juliet's focus is runtime. For PR-time scanning we recommend pairing with a dedicated CI scanner (Snyk, Trivy, Grype). Juliet's API is available for CI integration if you want the same scanner on both sides.

### Is Snyk cheaper than Juliet?

It depends on team size. Snyk prices per developer after the free tier. Juliet prices per Kubernetes node. A team with many developers and few nodes will pay less for Juliet. A team with few developers and many nodes will pay less for Snyk. Most teams end up needing both for different reasons.