Endor Labs vs Chainsaw

Questions and answers

As of 30 October 2026. Endor Labs claims link to Endor’s own docs.

What is Endor Labs Package Firewall?

Endor Labs Package Firewall is a network service that checks each package request before the download reaches a developer machine or CI runner. Endor Labs introduced it in May 2026 as part of its wider application security platform. Package managers or a private registry send install requests to an Endor Labs endpoint, factory.endorlabs.com, authenticated with an Endor Labs API key (direct integration docs). According to Endor Labs, the service checks every package in the tree, including transitive dependencies, against the Endor Labs malware database and an optional policy (Package Firewall docs). A clean package is redirected to the public registry, and the firewall does not store artifact bytes (deployment models). A blocked package returns an error, for example an HTTP 403 when a client connects directly, so the package never lands on disk. Teams roll it out through Google Artifact Registry, JFrog Artifactory, Sonatype Nexus Repository, direct client configuration or MDM.

How do Endor Labs Package Firewall and Chainsaw differ?

Endor Labs Package Firewall and Chainsaw both refuse a package on the install path, so the differences are in deployment, coverage, source and pricing. As of October 2026, Endor Labs Package Firewall is reached at Endor Labs endpoints, and the deployment docs written by Endor Labs don’t describe a self-hosted or air-gapped option. Chainsaw runs as SaaS or as a paid self-hosted, VPC or air-gapped deployment. Endor’s supported-clients table lists six ecosystems: npm, PyPI, Go, Maven, NuGet and RubyGems, plus VS Code extensions through MDM. Chainsaw covers 16 ecosystems through one registry proxy, for example Cargo, Composer and Docker images. Endor’s policy has four checks: malware, vulnerabilities above a CVSS threshold, restricted licenses and minimum package age. Chainsaw evaluates up to 25 supply-chain signals beyond CVE on npm and PyPI, such as typosquat matching and install scripts that fetch remote URLs. The Chainsaw decision engine is open source under Apache-2.0; Endor’s docs don’t describe the firewall as open source.

How is each one priced?

Endor Labs lists Package Firewall as a separate product on its pricing page with no published figure; its FAQ says pricing is seat-based. Chainsaw publishes its prices: the local CLI guard is free with no account, hosted Free covers 3 people, Team is $25 per seat per month, and Enterprise starts at $36,000 per year.

Where is Endor Labs stronger?

Endor Labs is stronger when the firewall is one part of a wider application security program. The same platform runs software composition analysis with function-level reachability, which uses call graphs to show whether your code can reach a vulnerable function. Chainsaw does not do reachability analysis. Package Firewall uses the policy engine built by Endor Labs for scanning, so install-time rules sit next to scan results in one tenant. Its minimum package age is set in hours, finer than Chainsaw’s whole-day cooldownDays. An “allow safe versions only” action strips unsafe versions so the resolver installs a safe one, on every listed ecosystem except Go, Maven and NuGet. VS Code extensions are covered through MDM. Endor’s May 2026 announcement also reports fast detection, for example 7 minutes for the compromised axios release on npm (announcement). If you already buy Endor Labs for SCA, adding its firewall is the shorter path.

When should you choose Chainsaw instead?

Choose Chainsaw when the firewall itself is the purchase and you want to inspect, price and run it on your own terms. A developer can install the Chainsaw CLI guard in one command with no account. The guard hooks npm, pip, cargo, gem and go, and works offline using seeds embedded in the binary. Running chainsaw guard update pulls the full public OpenSSF malicious-packages feed, still with no account. The decision engine, chainsaw-core, is Apache-2.0 on GitHub, so a reviewer can read the code that returns the refusal. Chainsaw also fits when installs span Cargo, Composer, Docker images and other formats beyond Endor’s six listed ecosystems, or when the proxy must run self-hosted, in a VPC or air-gapped. Five seeded rules block from day one, for example CISA KEV entries and packages under 1 day old. Team pricing is published at $25 per seat per month in 2026.

Can you run Endor Labs and Chainsaw side by side?

Yes, and a side-by-side run on your own dependencies is the fairest test of the two. Endor’s policy offers a Warn action, documented by Endor Labs, that logs an event and lets the install continue (policy docs). Chainsaw rules start in monitor mode, which records what each rule would refuse without refusing anything. Route one test project or one CI pipeline through each tool for a week, then compare the two logs: which packages each tool flagged, which rule fired, and how many flags your team would accept as real. Teams that keep Endor Labs for SCA and reachability can also put Chainsaw on the install path for ecosystems Endor’s table does not list, such as Cargo or Docker images. Once the monitor log matches what your team expects, switch rules to enforce one at a time through Chainsaw’s policy settings.

Sources

• Endor Labs, Introducing Package Firewall, May 2026.
• Endor Labs, Package Firewall product page and pricing.
• Endor Labs docs: Package Firewall, policy, deployment models, direct integration, reachability analysis.