Chainguard Zero-CVE Images vs Dagda: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)
Features, pricing, ratings, and pros & cons — compared head-to-head.
Chainguard Zero-CVE Images is a commercial container security tool by Chainguard. Dagda is a free container security tool. Compare features, ratings, integrations, and community reviews side by side to find the best container security 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:
Teams shipping containers at scale who need CVEs eliminated before they reach production should start with Chainguard Zero-CVE Images. Daily rebuilds and a 7-day SLA for critical patches mean vulnerabilities don't sit in your supply chain waiting for your next manual rebuild cycle; the 1,800-plus pre-built images and SBOM generation cover most common bases without custom hardening work. Skip this if you're standardized on a single base image and patch infrequently, or if you need runtime detection alongside image provenance,Chainguard addresses supply chain risk and asset inventory (NIST GV.SC and ID.AM), not what happens after containers start.
DevOps teams operating on zero budget will find real value in Dagda for pre-deployment container scanning; it catches known vulnerabilities in images before they reach production without licensing friction. The tool scans against multiple vulnerability databases and runs entirely open-source, making it practical for resource-constrained shops that can't justify commercial CNAPP licensing. Skip Dagda if you need runtime threat detection on live containers or compliance reporting; this is strictly a static analysis tool that stops at the registry gate.
