aws-inventory vs AWS List Resources: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)
Features, pricing, ratings, and pros & cons — compared head-to-head.
aws-inventory is a free cyber asset attack surface management tool. AWS List Resources is a free cyber asset attack surface management tool. Compare features, ratings, integrations, and community reviews side by side to find the best cyber asset attack surface management fit for your security stack.
CST VerdictBased on our analysis of available product data, here is our conclusion:
Security teams and cloud architects auditing AWS accounts for the first time should start with aws-inventory; it maps your actual resource footprint without the sales pitch or subscription lock-in that comes with commercial CSPM tools. Running it once typically surfaces forgotten EC2 instances, orphaned storage, and untagged resources that balloon costs and expand your attack surface, which is why 169 GitHub stars cluster around teams doing manual cloud hygiene. Skip this if you need continuous compliance monitoring or real-time drift detection; aws-inventory is a one-time inventory sweep, not a managed control plane.
Teams doing AWS inventory work on a budget or running lightweight asset discovery should start here; AWS List Resources gives you JSON-enumerated resources across accounts and regions without licensing friction, and the 176 GitHub stars suggest real adoption among engineers who just need the catalog, not a commercial CASPM. The Python-based approach means you control the execution environment and can integrate output directly into your existing pipelines without vendor lock-in. Skip this if you need prioritization, risk scoring, or attack surface analysis layered on top of inventory; this tool stops at enumeration and leaves the hard work to you.
