Aleph Search Clear vs Knock: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)
Features, pricing, ratings, and pros & cons — compared head-to-head.
Aleph Search Clear is a commercial external attack surface management tool by Aleph Networks. Knock 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 doing external attack surface reconnaissance on a budget should start with Knock; it's free, it works, and the 4,054 GitHub stars reflect actual adoption rather than marketing hype. The tool excels at the narrow job of subdomain enumeration, which maps NIST Govern and Identify functions by forcing you to know what's actually exposed before you can defend it. Skip Knock if you need continuous monitoring or API integration into your existing ASM stack; this is a point-in-time scanner you run manually, not a platform that feeds ongoing discovery into your risk register.
