Bomly CLI vs Grype
Bomly CLI
bomly.devGrype
github.comSide by side
| Figure | Bomly CLI | Grype |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Spec score · Software Composition Analysis Software | 8.2 (#11) | 8.7 (#4) |
| Extensibility | Separate Go binaries can extend detection, matching, auditing, and analysis through Bomly's gRPC contract. | The public Go codebase exposes library packages, including database read/write utilities used by the Grype DB command. |
| Intended users | Bomly describes itself as built for developers and the AI agents they work with. | The project documentation describes individual package scanning as useful for lightweight vulnerability checks and compliance scanning of specific dependencies. |
| Purpose | Bomly scans source trees, SBOMs, Git refs, and container images to build dependency graphs and explain why packages are present. | Grype scans container images, filesystems, and SBOMs for known vulnerabilities. |
| SBOM formats | It reads SPDX and CycloneDX SBOMs and can generate SPDX and CycloneDX output. | Grype accepts Syft JSON, SPDX JSON/XML/tag-value and CycloneDX JSON/XML SBOMs. |
| Support | The project directs users to GitHub issues for bugs, discussions for questions and feedback, and its repository security policy for security reports. | Commercial support is offered through Anchore, while community help is routed through issues, contribution documentation and community meetings. |
Plans
In their own words
Grype
Grype is a free, Apache-2.0-licensed scanner for known vulnerabilities in container images, filesystems, and software bills of materials (SBOMs). It can also scan directories, individual files, archives, and packages identified by PURL or CPE. Coverage includes major operating-system package ecosystems and language packages such as Ruby, Java, JavaScript, Python, .NET, Go, PHP, and Rust; supported image formats include Docker, OCI, and Singularity. Grype uses EPSS, KEV, and risk scoring to help prioritize findings. OpenVEX can filter results or add context. Reports can be emitted as a table, JSON, SARIF, or a custom Go template. The project supports SBOM generation and runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, or in a self-hosted setup. Installation options include a Docker image and community packages such as Homebrew, MacPorts, Winget, Scoop, and Snapcraft. Individual package scanning is described as useful for lightweight vulnerability checks and compliance scanning of specific dependencies. Security updates are applied only to the most recent release, and vulnerability-report support is described as best effort.