Canonical vs Mend
Canonical vs Mend, compared side by side on 20 data points: what each one does, how big it is, what it has raised, the tech running each site, and what users report. We score both out of 100 on traction, team and visibility: Canonical is on 61/100 and Mend on 61/100.
Where each one leads
Canonical
- headcount: 1,200 against 257
Mend
- agent readiness: 54/100 against 21/100
- funding raised: $122M against $348K
At a glance
| Measure | Canonical | Mend |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Canonical develops and supports Ubuntu, a leading open-source operating system for cloud, servers, and edge devices. | Mend.io provides application security and open-source software management solutions to help organizations reduce risk and accelerate development. |
| Category | Open Source, Operating System, Cloud Computing, Enterprise Software | Open Source, Cybersecurity, Enterprise, Development |
| Sells toBusiness model | B2B | B2B |
| Offering | Software | Software |
| Founded | 2004 | 2011 |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom | Tel Aviv, Israel |
| Status | Active | Active |
Size, funding and growth
| Measure | Canonical | Mend |
|---|---|---|
| Employees | 1,200 | 257 |
| Headcount growthLast 12 months | Not published | -8.7% |
| Total funding | $348K | $122M |
| Latest round | Grant (prize money) | Funding Round |
| LinkedIn followers | Not published | 34,019 |
StartupHub scores
Our own 0-100 ratings. They measure company strength and site quality, not which product suits you.
| Measure | Canonical | Mend |
|---|---|---|
| StartupHub scoreOur 0-100 rating | 61/100 | 61/100 |
| Traction | 48/100 | 60/100 |
| Team | 40/100 | 60/100 |
| Search visibility | 31/100 | 38/100 |
| Quality | 78/100 | 65/100 |
| Agent readinessHow well an AI agent can read and act on the site | F (21/100) | D (54/100) |
| Domain ratingLink authority, 0-100 | 85/100 | 77/100 |
Technology
Detected on each public site, so it reflects the marketing stack as well as the product.
| Measure | Canonical | Mend |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Self Managed | AWS |
| CDN | Not detected | CloudFront |
| CMS | Not detected | WordPress |
| Frameworks | Not detected | Jquery |
| Analytics | Not detected | Google Tag Manager |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
Canonical vs Mend: common questions
Which is better, Canonical or Mend?
Both score the same on our 0-100 rating, so the choice comes down to the 20 data points in the tables above rather than overall company strength.
How do Canonical and Mend compare on the numbers?
Canonical leads on headcount (1,200 against 257). Mend leads on agent readiness (54/100 against 21/100), funding raised ($122M against $348K).
Read the full Canonical review and pricing or the Mend review and pricing. You can also browse other Canonical alternatives we track.

