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Frameworks, core principles and top case studies for SaaS pricing, learnt and refined over 28+ years of SaaS-monetization experience.
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In today's cloud-native environments, container security has become a non-negotiable aspect of modern application development. Yet, as organizations scale their containerized applications, many are confronted with an uncomfortable reality: the pricing models of their security tools can lead to unpredictable and sometimes exorbitant costs. Understanding whether your container security tool charges by image or by scan is crucial for budgeting and getting the most value from your security investment.
The Container Security Pricing Landscape
Container security tools typically employ one of two primary pricing models:
Per-Image Pricing: A flat rate charged for each container image in your registry, regardless of how often you scan it.
Per-Scan Pricing: A charge applied each time you scan an image, regardless of whether it's the same image being scanned repeatedly.
According to a 2022 study by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), organizations using container technology deploy an average of 250 new container images monthly. With per-scan pricing, this can quickly translate into thousands of billable events.
The Hidden Costs of Per-Scan Pricing Models
Many security vendors market their tools with seemingly affordable entry points, but organizations often discover too late that per-scan pricing creates several challenges:
Unpredictable Budgeting
When security costs are tied to development activity, budgeting becomes difficult. A sudden increase in deployment frequency or CI/CD pipeline runs can trigger unexpected security expenses.
According to Gartner, "By 2025, over 60% of organizations will encounter budget overruns in their cloud security tools due to misaligned pricing models."
Disincentivized Security Practices
Per-scan pricing creates a perverse incentive: the more thoroughly you check your security posture, the more you pay. This may inadvertently encourage security shortcuts.
As one CISO from a Fortune 500 company noted, "We found ourselves making decisions about when to scan based on cost rather than risk, which is the opposite of good security practice."
CI/CD Integration Penalties
Modern DevOps practices encourage frequent testing and deployment. Per-scan pricing effectively penalizes organizations for following best practices in continuous integration.
Image-Based Pricing: A More Predictable Approach
Image-based pricing offers several advantages for organizations scaling their container deployments:
Predictable Costs
With per-image pricing, costs remain stable regardless of how frequently you scan the same image. This creates budget predictability even as development velocity increases.
Alignment with Security Best Practices
Image-based pricing encourages more frequent scanning without financial penalty. Organizations can implement vulnerability detection at multiple stages of their pipeline without cost concerns.
A study by DevSecOps platform provider Snyk found that organizations using image-based pricing performed 3x more security scans than those with per-scan models, resulting in 47% fewer vulnerabilities in production.
Support for Shift-Left Security
Per-image pricing models better support early vulnerability detection in the development lifecycle, allowing developers to scan code during development rather than only in production.
Key Questions to Ask Your Security Vendor
Before committing to a container security solution, consider asking:
- Is pricing based on the number of unique images or the number of scans performed?
- Are there additional charges for rescanning the same image after updates?
- How does the pricing model scale with CI/CD integration and automated testing?
- Are there volume discounts for organizations with large image repositories?
- How does the pricing model accommodate development, staging, and production environments?
Real-World Impact: Case Study
A mid-sized financial technology company with 200 developers initially selected a container security tool with per-scan pricing at $0.60 per scan. Within six months, their monthly security costs increased from $5,000 to $27,000 as they improved their CI/CD practices.
After switching to a provider with image-based pricing, their costs stabilized at $8,500 monthly while their scan frequency increased by 300%. More importantly, their mean time to remediation for critical vulnerabilities decreased from 9.6 days to 3.2 days due to more frequent scanning.
Making the Right Choice for Your Organization
The ideal pricing model depends on your specific development patterns and security requirements:
Per-image pricing may be better if:
- You have a stable number of container images
- You need to perform frequent scans (especially in CI/CD pipelines)
- Budget predictability is important
Per-scan pricing may work if:
- You have very few images that rarely change
- Your scanning needs are minimal and predictable
- You're in early adoption phases of containerization
Conclusion
As container adoption continues to accelerate, the pricing model of your security tools becomes increasingly consequential. Organizations should carefully evaluate whether per-image or per-scan pricing aligns better with their security goals, development practices, and budget requirements.
The most effective container security strategy isn't just about finding the right technical capabilities—it's about ensuring the economics of your security tools encourage rather than discourage thorough security practices. By understanding these pricing models, you can make more informed decisions that protect both your applications and your budget.