Best SAST Tools in 2026
Nine static application security testing tools compared on free tiers, pricing model and what 25 developers pay in a year, with prices read on vendor pages in October 2026.
Semgrep is the best SAST tool for most teams in 2026: free for up to 10 contributors and 10 repositories, then $30 per contributor a month for Semgrep Code. Snyk suits small teams that want SAST, dependency and container scanning in one free account, and GitHub Code Security is the natural add-on for teams already on GitHub, billed per active committer.
On a tight budget, SonarQube is free for private code up to 50k lines and Codacy starts at $18 per developer a month billed yearly. Checkmarx One and Veracode sell enterprise programs on a custom quote.
Key facts9 tools compared: Semgrep, Snyk, GitHub Code Security, SonarQube, Aikido Security, Codacy…
- 9 tools compared: Semgrep, Snyk, GitHub Code Security, SonarQube, Aikido Security, Codacy, DeepSource, Checkmarx One, Veracode
- Snyk (best for: Small development teams that want SAST, dependency, IaC and container scanning under one free account): Free (100 SAST tests/mo); Team from $25/mo billed monthly, up to 10 developers; Enterprise quote.
- GitHub Code Security (best for: Teams whose code already lives on GitHub and who want scanning inside pull requests with no new vendor): $30/active committer/mo add-on; CodeQL and Copilot Autofix free on public repos.
- SonarQube (best for: Teams under 50 developers that want code quality and security checks priced by codebase size, not seats): Free up to 50k private LOC; Team from $34/mo for up to 100k LOC; Enterprise custom.
A SAST tool reads your code without running it and flags injection flaws, unsafe deserialization, hardcoded secrets and other bugs before anything ships. The engines have converged on the basics, so the decision now turns on three things: how much noise the tool produces, how its fixes reach developers, and how the bill grows as your team and codebase grow.
Pricing models differ more than features do. Semgrep and GitHub charge per contributor or committer, Codacy and DeepSource per developer seat, Aikido in bundles of users, SonarQube by lines of code, and Checkmarx and Veracode by quote. The same 25-person team can pay very different amounts depending on which unit a vendor counts.
Toolradar data: Snyk is listed as an alternative to 51 other tools on its Toolradar profile, first among 115 CI/CD tools, and SonarQube to 41, third among the 84 code review tools Toolradar tracks, as of October 2026. Toolradar is the software directory we run, and those counts show which scanners buyers measure the rest against.
Top Picks
Based on features, real-world fit, and value for money.
A rule-based code scanner with cross-file analysis, AI triage and products sold separately for code, dependencies and secrets.
Free up to 10 contributors and 10 repos; Teams Code $30/contributor/mo; Enterprise custom.
Security and platform teams that want fast, customizable SAST rules with a generous free tier.
The developer-first security platform, with Snyk Code for SAST plus open source, IaC and container scanning.
Free (100 SAST tests/mo); Team from $25/mo billed monthly, up to 10 developers; Enterprise quote.
Small development teams that want SAST, dependency, IaC and container scanning under one free account.
GitHub's CodeQL semantic analysis and Copilot Autofix, sold as an add-on for private repositories.
$30/active committer/mo add-on; CodeQL and Copilot Autofix free on public repos.
Teams whose code already lives on GitHub and who want scanning inside pull requests with no new vendor.
| Tool | Pricing | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Semgrep | Free up to 10 contributors and 10 repos; Teams Code $30/contributor/mo; Enterprise custom. | Security and platform teams that want fast, customizable SAST rules with a generous free tier. |
| Snyk | Free (100 SAST tests/mo); Team from $25/mo billed monthly, up to 10 developers; Enterprise quote. | Small development teams that want SAST, dependency, IaC and container scanning under one free account. |
| GitHub Code Security | $30/active committer/mo add-on; CodeQL and Copilot Autofix free on public repos. | Teams whose code already lives on GitHub and who want scanning inside pull requests with no new vendor. |
| SonarQube | Free up to 50k private LOC; Team from $34/mo for up to 100k LOC; Enterprise custom. | Teams under 50 developers that want code quality and security checks priced by codebase size, not seats. |
| Aikido Security | Free for 2 users and 10 repos; Basic $350/mo incl. 10 users, billed monthly; 10% off annual. | Startups and scale-ups that want SAST, SCA, secrets and cloud scanning in one tool without a security team. |
| Codacy | Free IDE plugin; Team $18/dev/mo billed yearly ($21 monthly), up to 30 devs; Business custom. | Small and mid-size teams that want SAST, secrets and SCA scans on pull requests at a low per-developer price. |
| DeepSource | Team $24/user/mo billed yearly; 14-day trial; Enterprise custom with self-hosting. | Teams that want static analysis and AI code review with autofix on every pull request. |
| Checkmarx One | Custom quote on Essentials, Professional and Enterprise packages; no list price. | Enterprises running a formal AppSec program that need SAST, SCA, API security and ASPM in one platform. |
| Veracode | Quote through a demo; Veracode publishes no list price. | Large enterprises with legacy, mobile and cloud-native code that need binary analysis and policy reporting. |
Pricing read from each vendor's own pricing page, checked Oct 2026. 2 of 9 sell by quote only and publish no price; those entries say so rather than estimating. 5 of 9 publish prices for some plans and quote the rest.
Semgrep
A rule-based code scanner with cross-file analysis, AI triage and products sold separately for code, dependencies and secrets.
- Pricing
- Free up to 10 contributors and 10 repos; Teams Code $30/contributor/mo; Enterprise custom.
Best for: Security and platform teams that want fast, customizable SAST rules with a generous free tier.
Pros
- The free edition includes cross-file analysis with Pro rules, AI detection and triage, and 60 AI credits.
- Teams adds SSO and 20 AI credits per developer a month, and you buy only the products you need.
- Secrets detection costs $15 per contributor a month, half the price of Code.
Cons
- Contributors are anyone who committed to a scanned private repo in 90 days, so occasional committers count.
- Code plus Supply Chain on Teams doubles the per-contributor bill to $60 a month.
Snyk
The developer-first security platform, with Snyk Code for SAST plus open source, IaC and container scanning.
- Pricing
- Free (100 SAST tests/mo); Team from $25/mo billed monthly, up to 10 developers; Enterprise quote.
Best for: Small development teams that want SAST, dependency, IaC and container scanning under one free account.
Pros
- The free plan covers SCA, SAST, IaC and container scanning with IDE, CLI and source control integrations.
- Team raises Snyk Code to 1,000 tests a month and projects from 5 to 100, and adds Jira integration.
- Enterprise uses credits at $1 each, so usage across products draws from one balance.
Cons
- Team stops at 10 developers, so a larger team moves straight to an Enterprise quote.
- Snyk's newer Evo capabilities, such as AI pentesting, need the Enterprise subscription.
GitHub Code Security
GitHub's CodeQL semantic analysis and Copilot Autofix, sold as an add-on for private repositories.
- Pricing
- $30/active committer/mo add-on; CodeQL and Copilot Autofix free on public repos.
Best for: Teams whose code already lives on GitHub and who want scanning inside pull requests with no new vendor.
Pros
- Copilot Autofix generates fixes for 90% of alert types in JavaScript, TypeScript, Java and Python.
- Open source projects get CodeQL and Autofix on public repositories at no charge.
- Security campaigns help burn down an existing backlog of alerts across repositories.
Cons
- It works only for code hosted on GitHub, so mixed GitLab or Bitbucket estates need another tool.
- Secret scanning is a separate Secret Protection add-on at $19 per active committer a month.
SonarQube
Code quality and security analysis across 30+ languages on every pull request, priced by lines of code.
- Pricing
- Free up to 50k private LOC; Team from $34/mo for up to 100k LOC; Enterprise custom.
Best for: Teams under 50 developers that want code quality and security checks priced by codebase size, not seats.
Pros
- Pricing counts lines of code in the largest branch, not developers or scan frequency.
- The free tier never expires and covers private projects up to 50k lines of code.
- Public open source repositories get SonarQube for OSS with the paid plan's features.
Cons
- A big codebase pushes you up LOC increments regardless of team size.
- Commercial support on Team is a separate purchase; Enterprise includes it from 5M LOC.
Aikido Security
An all-in-one platform covering code, cloud and runtime, with AI-based false positive reduction and SAST autofix.
- Pricing
- Free for 2 users and 10 repos; Basic $350/mo incl. 10 users, billed monthly; 10% off annual.
Best for: Startups and scale-ups that want SAST, SCA, secrets and cloud scanning in one tool without a security team.
Pros
- The free plan includes AI-based SAST autofixes, custom rules and AI false positive reduction.
- Bundled pricing includes 10 users on Basic, Pro and Advanced, with repositories rising from 100 to 200.
- Annual billing takes 10% off, bringing Basic for 10 users to $3,780 a year.
Cons
- Bundles price in steps of users, so 11 users pay for the next bundle.
- Pro costs $700 a month for 10 users on monthly billing, steep for a team that needs only SAST.
Codacy
Cloud code quality and security scanning for GitHub, GitLab and Bitbucket, plus a free IDE plugin.
- Pricing
- Free IDE plugin; Team $18/dev/mo billed yearly ($21 monthly), up to 30 devs; Business custom.
Best for: Small and mid-size teams that want SAST, secrets and SCA scans on pull requests at a low per-developer price.
Pros
- Team is the cheapest per-developer SAST plan on this list on yearly billing.
- It integrates with GitHub, Bitbucket and GitLab, unlike GitHub's own add-on.
- Open source projects are free forever, and a 14-day trial needs no credit card.
Cons
- Team stops at 30 developers, after which Business is quote only.
- The free tier is an IDE plugin for individuals, not a team scanning plan.
DeepSource
Static analysis plus AI Review and Autofix, with unlimited repositories and pull request reviews on Team.
- Pricing
- Team $24/user/mo billed yearly; 14-day trial; Enterprise custom with self-hosting.
Best for: Teams that want static analysis and AI code review with autofix on every pull request.
Pros
- Team includes unlimited repositories, unlimited pull request reviews, audit logs and an API.
- Each user gets a $100 annual AI Review credit before metered pricing starts.
- Enterprise offers self-hosted deployment and bring-your-own LLM keys.
Cons
- AI Review beyond the credit costs $8 per 10K processed lines on Standard, so heavy use adds up.
- There is no free plan for private code, only a 14-day trial.
Checkmarx One
An enterprise AppSec platform with SAST at its core and DAST, container, IaC and secrets in higher packages.
- Pricing
- Custom quote on Essentials, Professional and Enterprise packages; no list price.
Best for: Enterprises running a formal AppSec program that need SAST, SCA, API security and ASPM in one platform.
Pros
- Essentials already bundles SAST, SCA, API security and ASPM.
- A Start with SAST package suits existing on-premises customers.
- Professional adds DAST, container security and malicious package protection.
Cons
- Checkmarx publishes no list price, so budgeting needs a sales cycle.
- IaC and secrets detection are add-ons below the Enterprise package.
Veracode
Binary static analysis covering 100+ languages and frameworks, with IDE and CI/CD integrations.
- Pricing
- Quote through a demo; Veracode publishes no list price.
Best for: Large enterprises with legacy, mobile and cloud-native code that need binary analysis and policy reporting.
Pros
- Coverage spans 100+ languages and frameworks, including legacy and mobile stacks.
- Scans run in the IDE and in CI/CD builds to stop policy-violating flaws.
- Veracode describes flexible scan configurations aimed at low-noise results.
Cons
- There is no self-serve plan or published price.
- It is built for enterprise programs, more than a small team needs.
What it is
Static application security testing (SAST) analyzes code without running it to find security flaws early, usually on every pull request or build. It differs from SCA, which checks third-party dependencies for known CVEs, and from DAST, which attacks a running application. Most tools below bundle SAST with SCA and secrets detection, and the ranking weighs the SAST part.
We ranked nine tools on four criteria read from each vendor's own pages in October 2026: whether a free tier covers real private code, how the price scales, what 25 developers pay in a year, and how fixes reach developers (pull request comments, IDE plugins, AI autofix). Directory profiles for Semgrep, Aikido Security, Codacy and DeepSource sit on Toolradar too. This is a read of vendor pages, not a scan benchmark: Cyberpresso runs no test lab.
Why it matters
The unit a vendor counts decides your bill more than its list price. Semgrep counts anyone who committed to a scanned private repository in the past 90 days, so contractors and occasional contributors become paid seats. GitHub bills per active committer. Before you compare prices, count your contributors over the last quarter, not your headcount.
The second trap is the free tier's real limit. Snyk Free allows 100 SAST tests a month, Semgrep Free stops at 10 repositories, SonarQube Free at 50k lines of private code and Aikido's free plan at 2 users. Each binds a different kind of team first.
Cyberpresso data: this newsletter reaches 28,000+ security professionals with a 31% open rate, per the audience file dated November 1, 2026, and AppSec tooling sits alongside the exploited-flaw coverage those readers act on.
Key features to look for
Pricing
Methodology: every price was read on the vendor's own pages on 19 October 2026, in USD: Semgrep, Snyk, GitHub, SonarQube, Aikido, Codacy, DeepSource, Checkmarx and Veracode.
What 25 developers pay for a year, our arithmetic on those printed prices: Codacy Team $5,400 on yearly billing, DeepSource Team $7,200 on yearly billing, Semgrep Code $9,000 and GitHub Code Security $9,000 at 12 times the monthly per-contributor rate, and Aikido Pro $18,900 on annual billing. Snyk Team stops at 10 developers, SonarQube prices by lines of code rather than people, and Checkmarx and Veracode quote, so none of them has a comparable 25-developer figure.
The pattern: per-seat SAST for 25 developers ranges from about $5,000 to $9,000 a year, and all-in-one platforms like Aikido cost more because they bundle cloud and runtime scanning. GitHub's figure excludes the GitHub Team or Enterprise seats you already pay for.
| Plan | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Semgrep Teams, Code | $30/contributor/mo | SAST with cross-file Pro rules, AI triage, SSO and 20 AI credits per developer a month. |
| Semgrep Teams, Secrets | $15/contributor/mo | Secrets detection, sold separately from Code and Supply Chain. |
| Snyk Team | From $25/mo, billed monthly | Up to 10 developers, 1,000 Snyk Code tests a month, 100 projects, Jira integration. |
| GitHub Code Security | $30/active committer/mo | CodeQL, Copilot Autofix and security campaigns on private repositories. |
| GitHub Secret Protection | $19/active committer/mo | Push protection, secret scanning, validity checks and Copilot secret scanning. |
| SonarQube Team | From $34/mo | Up to 100k lines of private code, under 50 developers, billed monthly by card. |
| Aikido Basic, 10 users | $350/mo, billed monthly | 100 repositories and all free features, including AI SAST autofix. |
| Aikido Pro, 10 users | $700/mo, billed monthly | 200 repositories and everything in Basic. |
| Codacy Team | $18/dev/mo, billed yearly | Pull request scans for SAST, secrets and SCA across GitHub, GitLab and Bitbucket, up to 30 developers. |
| DeepSource Team | $24/user/mo, billed yearly | Unlimited repositories and PR reviews, AI Review with a $100 annual credit per user. |
| Checkmarx One | Custom quote | Essentials bundles SAST, SCA, API security and ASPM. |
| Veracode | Contact sales | Binary static analysis for 100+ languages and frameworks. |
The bottom line
Start with Semgrep if you want the best balance of free coverage and paid flexibility, and Snyk if you are a team of 10 or fewer that wants dependency and container scanning too. Pick GitHub Code Security if your code lives on GitHub, SonarQube or Codacy when budget leads, DeepSource for AI review on every PR, Aikido for one tool across code and cloud, and Checkmarx One or Veracode for an enterprise program with a quote.
SAST is one layer. Pair it with the tools in our best secrets management tools and best API security tools guides, scan running systems with the best vulnerability scanners or the free vulnerability scanners, and see the best open source security tools for self-hosted options. Prioritization is covered in AI for vulnerability management, testing in the penetration testing tools guide, and AI-specific risks in our AI security tools list.
Cite this: Cyberpresso, "Best SAST Tools 2026", October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best SAST tool in 2026?
Semgrep is the best SAST tool for most teams: free for up to 10 contributors and 10 repositories, then a per-contributor monthly price for Semgrep Code on Teams, as read on its pricing page in October 2026. Snyk suits teams of up to 10 developers, and GitHub Code Security suits teams already on GitHub.
Is there a free SAST tool?
Yes. Semgrep is free for up to 10 contributors and 10 repositories, Snyk Free allows 100 SAST tests a month, SonarQube is free for private code up to 50k lines, Aikido is free for 2 users and 10 repositories, and GitHub runs CodeQL free on public repositories.
How much does SAST cost for 25 developers?
By our arithmetic on vendor prices read on 19 October 2026, about $5,400 a year on Codacy Team, $7,200 on DeepSource Team, $9,000 on Semgrep Code or GitHub Code Security, and $18,900 on Aikido Pro with annual billing. Checkmarx and Veracode quote, and SonarQube prices by lines of code.
What is the difference between SAST and SCA?
SAST scans the code your team writes for flaws such as injection or unsafe input handling. SCA scans the open source packages you depend on for known vulnerabilities and license issues. Snyk, Aikido and Checkmarx bundle both; Semgrep sells them as separate products.
Does GitHub have built-in SAST?
Yes, through CodeQL code scanning. It is free on public repositories; private repositories need the paid GitHub Code Security add-on, billed per active committer, which also includes Copilot Autofix and security campaigns.
Are Checkmarx and Veracode worth it over Semgrep or Snyk?
For large enterprises with compliance reporting, legacy languages or a central AppSec team, often yes: Checkmarx One bundles SAST, SCA, API security and ASPM, and Veracode analyzes binaries across 100+ languages and frameworks. Both price by quote, so smaller teams usually get more for their budget from the self-serve tools.
Sources
Prices and plan details come from each vendor's own pricing page, re-checked by the Toolradar pricing tracker.
- Snyk pricingchecked Sep 2026
- Aikido Security pricing
- Codacy pricingchecked Sep 2026
Some offers on this page may be paid placements or contain affiliate links.
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