# BFG Repo-Cleaner vs Whispers

| Attribute | BFG Repo-Cleaner | Whispers |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 29.3 (63% (medium)) | 47.6 (28% (low)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 0 | - |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 60 | 0 |
| adoption.github_stars | 12,201 | 505 |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"A command-line tool that removes large blobs and sensitive data from Git repositories. Distributed as free and open source software under the GNU General Public License. It is indexed under Secrets Scanning.","source":"https://rtyley.github.io/bfg-repo-cleaner","question":"What is BFG Repo-Cleaner?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"BFG Repo-Cleaner is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the GPL-3.0 licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://rtyley.github.io/bfg-repo-cleaner","question":"Is BFG Repo-Cleaner free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"BFG Repo-Cleaner supports a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://rtyley.github.io/bfg-repo-cleaner","question":"What platforms does BFG Repo-Cleaner support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. BFG Repo-Cleaner can be deployed self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://rtyley.github.io/bfg-repo-cleaner","question":"Can BFG Repo-Cleaner be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. BFG Repo-Cleaner is published under the GPL-3.0 licence, a copyleft licence, so check its terms before embedding it in a closed-source product. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/rtyley/bfg-repo-cleaner","question":"Is BFG Repo-Cleaner open source?","confidence":0.95}]` | `[{"answer":"A security-focused command-line tool that scans various file formats (YAML, shell scripts, Python, configuration files) to identify embedded passwords, API tokens, AWS keys, and other hardcoded secrets. It can be run independently or integrated into CI/CD pipelines. It is indexed under Secrets Scanning.","source":"https://github.com/pricing","question":"What is Whispers?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Whispers is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the Apache-2.0 licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://github.com/pricing","question":"Is Whispers free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Whispers supports a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://github.com/pricing","question":"What platforms does Whispers support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Whispers can be deployed cloud / SaaS and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://github.com/pricing","question":"Can Whispers be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Whispers is published under the Apache-2.0 licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/Skyscanner/whispers","question":"Is Whispers open source?","confidence":0.95},{"answer":"Whispers is available worldwide. The vendor is headquartered in the United Kingdom.","source":"https://github.com/pricing","question":"Where is Whispers available?","confidence":0.75}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"self_hosted":true}` | `{"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | A Scala-based utility that removes large or problematic files from Git repository history more efficiently than the standard git-filter-branch command. | Whispers analyzes code and common configuration formats to identify hardcoded credentials, authentication tokens, and sensitive information. It runs as a CLI tool or integrates into CI/CD pipelines with support for custom detection rules. |
| features.capabilities | `{"pricing_model":"open_source","deployment_model":"local_cli_only","git_repository_historical_scanning":true}` | `{"pricing_model":"open_source","deployment_model":"local_cli_only","custom_regex_rules_support":true,"active_token_validation_engine":true}` |
| language.primary | Scala | Python |
| license.spdx | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| market.availability | - | `{"hqCountry":"GB","primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true}` | `{"cli":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://rtyley.github.io/bfg-repo-cleaner","retrievedAt":"2026-10-15T20:24:15.655Z"}` | `{"type":"open_source","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Open Source","summary":"Free, open source","features":["CLI usage","CI/CD pipeline integration","Detects passwords, API tokens, AWS keys, sensitive files","Supports YAML, conf/ini, Dockercfg, shell scripts, Python3","Configurable rules and filters","Custom rule support"],"contactSales":false}],"summary":"Free, open source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://github.com/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-08-19T21:37:31.942Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | open_source |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| pricing.transparent | - | yes |
| release.cadence_days | 118 | 6 |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/rtyley/bfg-repo-cleaner/releases/tag/v1.15.0","date":"2025-01-18T21:34:32Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.15.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/rtyley/bfg-repo-cleaner/releases/tag/v1.14.0","date":"2021-02-27T16:46:21Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.14.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/rtyley/bfg-repo-cleaner/releases/tag/v1.13.0","date":"2018-01-31T09:26:15Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.13.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/rtyley/bfg-repo-cleaner/releases/tag/v1.12.5","date":"2015-10-01T22:41:36Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.12.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/rtyley/bfg-repo-cleaner/releases/tag/v1.12.4","date":"2015-08-06T08:58:16Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.12.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/rtyley/bfg-repo-cleaner/releases/tag/git-lfs-alpha","date":"2015-04-09T10:11:24Z","type":"prerelease","version":"git-lfs-alpha"},{"url":"https://github.com/rtyley/bfg-repo-cleaner/releases/tag/v1.12.0","date":"2015-01-01T20:14:58Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.12.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/rtyley/bfg-repo-cleaner/releases/tag/v1.11.5","date":"2014-04-20T14:20:59Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.11.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/rtyley/bfg-repo-cleaner/releases/tag/v1.11.2","date":"2014-03-25T09:49:27Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.11.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/rtyley/bfg-repo-cleaner/releases/tag/v1.11.1","date":"2014-02-01T17:33:31Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.11.1"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/Skyscanner/whispers/releases/tag/1.5.3","date":"2021-08-25T20:08:40Z","type":"stable","version":"1.5.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/Skyscanner/whispers/releases/tag/1.5.2","date":"2021-08-25T18:33:23Z","type":"stable","version":"1.5.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/Skyscanner/whispers/releases/tag/1.5.1","date":"2021-08-18T22:56:45Z","type":"stable","version":"1.5.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/Skyscanner/whispers/releases/tag/1.5.0","date":"2021-08-18T21:33:41Z","type":"stable","version":"1.5.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/Skyscanner/whispers/releases/tag/1.4.9","date":"2021-05-31T20:32:26Z","type":"stable","version":"1.4.9"},{"url":"https://github.com/Skyscanner/whispers/releases/tag/1.4.8","date":"2021-04-19T16:09:58Z","type":"stable","version":"1.4.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/Skyscanner/whispers/releases/tag/1.4.7","date":"2021-03-23T20:48:34Z","type":"stable","version":"1.4.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/Skyscanner/whispers/releases/tag/1.4.6","date":"2021-03-22T12:05:27Z","type":"stable","version":"1.4.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/Skyscanner/whispers/releases/tag/1.4.5","date":"2021-03-18T18:08:22Z","type":"stable","version":"1.4.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/Skyscanner/whispers/releases/tag/1.4.4","date":"2021-03-06T00:06:32Z","type":"stable","version":"1.4.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/Skyscanner/whispers/releases/tag/1.4.3","date":"2021-03-01T11:22:24Z","type":"stable","version":"1.4.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/Skyscanner/whispers/releases/tag/1.4.2","date":"2021-02-16T12:06:51Z","type":"stable","version":"1.4.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/Skyscanner/whispers/releases/tag/1.4.1","date":"2021-02-02T18:38:41Z","type":"stable","version":"1.4.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/Skyscanner/whispers/releases/tag/1.4.0","date":"2021-01-27T17:28:53Z","type":"stable","version":"1.4.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/Skyscanner/whispers/releases/tag/1.3.12","date":"2021-01-21T17:19:15Z","type":"stable","version":"1.3.12"},{"url":"https://github.com/Skyscanner/whispers/releases/tag/1.3.11","date":"2021-01-20T15:44:53Z","type":"stable","version":"1.3.11"},{"url":"https://github.com/Skyscanner/whispers/releases/tag/1.3.10","date":"2021-01-19T20:39:31Z","type":"stable","version":"1.3.10"},{"url":"https://github.com/Skyscanner/whispers/releases/tag/1.3.9","date":"2021-01-08T17:42:58Z","type":"stable","version":"1.3.9"},{"url":"https://github.com/Skyscanner/whispers/releases/tag/1.3.8","date":"2020-12-16T19:49:24Z","type":"stable","version":"1.3.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/Skyscanner/whispers/releases/tag/1.3.7","date":"2020-12-01T01:20:33Z","type":"stable","version":"1.3.7"}]` |
| security.scorecard | 2.8 | - |
| security.trust_center | - | https://github.com/security |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=homebrew&package_name=bfg&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=nixpkgs&package_name=whispers&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (Secrets Scanning)

| Capability | BFG Repo-Cleaner | Whispers |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Capabilities** |  |  |
| Deployment model | Local CLI only | Local CLI only |
| Git repository historical scanning | ✓ | - |
| Pre commit developer hooks | - | - |
| Active token validation engine | - | ✓ |
| High entropy regex detection | - | - |
| Slack teams jira scanning | - | - |
| Automated key revocation apis | - | - |
| Custom regex rules support | - | ✓ |
| Ci cd pipeline build blocking | - | - |
| Compliance audit reporting | - | - |
| SOC2 type ii | - | - |
| ISO 27001 | - | - |
| Pricing model | Open source | Open source |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T21:33:48.505Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*