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Semgrep

Fast open-source SAST with custom rules

open sourceupdated Aug 16, 2026

Semgrep is an AppSec platform with a widely used open-source engine for readable code rules plus commercial SAST, supply-chain and secrets workflows. Current product positioning emphasizes AI-assisted detection, triage and remediation, CI/pull-request integration and managed governance for security teams.

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A detailed review by the aicoolies team — click to read

Semgrep helps teams find insecure code patterns, dependency risk and leaked secrets close to developer workflows. Its readable rule model remains the core advantage: AppSec and platform teams can encode policies that look like code, run them locally or in CI, and tune findings without treating static analysis as a black box.

Current Semgrep positioning is broader than an older static-analysis-only description. The product surface includes Semgrep Code for SAST, Semgrep Supply Chain for dependency risk, Semgrep Secrets, Guardian, AI-assisted triage and remediation, managed scanning and governance for teams that need platform-level AppSec workflows.

The open-source engine should be described with license nuance rather than old star-count or MIT shorthand. GitHub currently reports semgrep/semgrep with LGPL-2.1 metadata and more than fifteen thousand stars, while the commercial platform adds hosted workflows, support and enterprise controls. Buyers should test rule quality, CI performance and finding noise on their own repositories.

Pricing

Free tier includes AI credits with limits up to 10 repos and 10 contributors; Teams modules are Code $30/contributor/mo, Supply Chain $30/contributor/mo and Secrets $15/contributor/mo; Enterprise custom.

Platforms

CLI, Semgrep AppSec Platform, GitHub/GitLab workflows, CI/CD, pull requests, SAST, SCA, secrets scanning, Guardian, AI-assisted triage and remediation.

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Comparisons

Semgrep vs SonarQube: Policy-as-Code SAST or Unified Quality Platform?

Semgrep is the stronger default for developer-first AppSec teams that want fast custom rules, security automation close to pull requests, AI-assisted triage, and security policy as code. SonarQube is the better fit when one enterprise quality platform must standardize code quality, security gates, and governance across a large portfolio.

SemgrepSonarQube

Semgrep vs SonarCloud — AST-Level Rule Authoring vs Hosted Quality Gate Breadth

Semgrep and SonarCloud both catch security and quality issues in source code, but they approach the problem from opposite ends. Semgrep is a rule-based static analysis engine built for security engineers who want AST-level pattern precision and a community rule registry to extend. SonarCloud is a hosted code quality platform that bundles Quality Gates, PR decoration, technical debt tracking, and broad language coverage into one workflow. Picking between them depends on whether your primary concern is AppSec rule precision or developer-facing quality feedback at organizational scale.

SemgrepSonarCloud

prodlint vs Semgrep — AI Code Quality Linter vs Universal Static Analysis Platform

prodlint targets the specific bugs that AI coding tools produce with 52 rules for vibe-coded applications. Semgrep provides a comprehensive static analysis platform with thousands of rules covering security, correctness, and best practices across dozens of languages. Semgrep wins on breadth and maturity while prodlint wins on AI-specific code quality patterns.

prodlintSemgrep

Corgea vs Snyk vs Semgrep — AI-Powered SAST & Application Security Auto-Remediation Compared

Application security teams are drowning in scanner findings while fix backlogs grow longer every quarter. The latest generation of AI-powered SAST tools promises to close this gap by not just finding vulnerabilities but automatically generating fixes. This comparison examines three platforms taking different approaches to the problem: Corgea as an AI-native scanner built around auto-remediation, Snyk as a developer-first security platform with AI-augmented detection, and Semgrep as a rule-based engine enhanced by an AI assistant.

CorgeaSnykSemgrep

Aikido Security vs Snyk vs Semgrep — Developer Security Tools Comparison

Application security tooling for developers has consolidated around three distinct philosophies in 2026. Snyk pioneered developer-first SCA and expanded into SAST, container, and IaC scanning with the deepest vulnerability database in the market. Semgrep built a fast, customizable SAST engine with rule-based pattern matching that security engineers love to extend. Aikido Security took a different path entirely, bundling 15-plus scanning types into a single platform with AI-powered noise reduction. This comparison evaluates their coverage, accuracy, pricing, and ideal team profiles.

FAQ

What is Semgrep?

Semgrep is an AppSec platform with a widely used open-source engine for readable code rules plus commercial SAST, supply-chain and secrets workflows. Current product positioning emphasizes AI-assisted detection, triage and remediation, CI/pull-request integration and managed governance for security teams.

Is Semgrep free?

Yes — Semgrep is open source and free to use. Free tier includes AI credits with limits up to 10 repos and 10 contributors; Teams modules are Code $30/contributor/mo, Supply Chain $30/contributor/mo and Secrets $15/contributor/mo; Enterprise custom.

Is Semgrep open source?

Yes — Semgrep is open source.

What are the best Semgrep alternatives?

The top editor-verified Semgrep alternatives are Agentic Security, reviewdog.

How does Semgrep score in our review?

Our hands-on review scores Semgrep 87/100 overall, based on speed, privacy, and developer-experience testing.