CMDash vs. CSET (free, CISA)
1 dimension below favor CMDash, 1 favor CSET (free, CISA) — including where CSET (free, CISA) is built to do something CMDash deliberately doesn’t.
| Dimension | CMDash | CSET (free, CISA) |
|---|---|---|
What it is Source, verified 2026-10-07 — https://www.cisa.gov/downloading-and-installing-cset. May have changed since. | CISO Dashboard | The Cyber Security Evaluation Tool, published by CISA: "a systematic, disciplined, and repeatable approach for evaluating an organization’s security posture" against recognized government and industry standards. CISA’s page does not name NIST SP 800-171 or CMMC |
Cost Source, verified 2026-10-07 — https://github.com/cisagov/cset. May have changed since. | $1,788.00/yr (Starter tier) | Vendor advantage: Free — the project README calls it "a free software tool", under MIT and Apache 2.0 licenses |
Hosting & operations Source, verified 2026-10-07 — https://www.cisa.gov/downloading-and-installing-cset. May have changed since. | CMDash advantage: Hosted SaaS — nothing to install, patch, or back up yourself | A desktop software tool you download and install ("CSET is a desktop software tool that guides asset owners and operators through a step-by-step process") |
Figures above are read from CSET (free, CISA)’s own public site (see each row’s source link), or from Vendr’s published transaction data where the vendor lists no price, and verified on the date shown per row. Pricing and product capabilities change — CMDash’s own numbers are enforced in code and will always be current; the competitor figures may not be. Think something here is wrong or out of date? Tell us and we’ll fix it.