Aleph Search Clear vs cnames: 2026 Comparison
Aleph Search Clear is a commercial external attack surface management tool by Aleph Networks. cnames is a free external attack surface management tool. Compare features, ratings, integrations, and community reviews side by side to find the best external attack surface management fit for your security stack.
CST VerdictBased on our analysis of NIST CSF 2.0 coverage, core features, company size fit, deployment model, here is our conclusion:
Mid-market and enterprise security teams managing third-party and supply chain risk need Aleph Search Clear because it finds exposure across both surface and deep web in a single query, then automates the monitoring that actually catches when your vendors get compromised. The tool covers five NIST CSF 2.0 functions from asset discovery through adverse event analysis, and its KYC/KYS alignment with DORA and NIS 2 saves compliance teams weeks of manual mapping work. Skip this if your organization only needs traditional OSINT for incident response; Aleph is built for continuous ecosystem risk oversight, not one-off research.
Security teams managing large subdomain inventories who need to quickly identify third-party service dependencies will find cnames valuable for that single, unglamorous job. The tool does one thing well: bulk CNAME resolution at no cost, which means you can run it repeatedly without justifying recurring spend to procurement. This is a CLI utility, not a platform; it won't replace your external attack surface management tool, but it will save time in the reconnaissance phase before you feed results into one.
