Application Security: 9 Tools compared
Application security testing tools for finding and fixing vulnerabilities in code, dependencies, and containers. Compare SCA, SAST, and open-source application security solutions.
Quick comparison
All application security tools side by side, alphabetical.
| Tool | Deployment | Pricing model | Open source | Standards / certs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Duck | Cloud + Self-hosted | Enterprise license (project-based) | — | — |
| Checkmarx | Cloud + Self-hosted | Enterprise license (project/user-based) | — | — |
| GitHub Advanced Security | Cloud + Self-hosted | Per-active-committer (monthly) | — | — |
| Mend.io | Cloud + Self-hosted | Enterprise license (project-based) | — | ISO 27001SOC 2 Type II |
| Semgrep | Cloud + Self-hosted | Per-developer (monthly) | Yes | SOC 2 Type II |
| Snyk | Cloud | Per-developer (monthly) | — | SOC 2 Type IIISO 27001ISO 27017 |
| SonarQube | Cloud + Self-hosted | Per-instance (lines of code) | Yes | ISO 27001SOC 2 Type II |
| Trivy | Self-hosted | Open source with commercial Aqua Platform | Yes | — |
| Veracode | Cloud | Enterprise license (application-based) | — | — |
Black Duck
Software Composition AnalysisEnterprises needing the deepest open-source detection including undeclared components, M&A due diligence, and regulatory compliance for software supply chain
Black Duck (a Synopsys product) is an enterprise-grade software composition analysis platform that provides deep visibility into open-source risks, license compliance, and code origin analysis. Black Duck's multi-factor open-source detection uses package managers, file-level analysis, and code snippet matching to identify open-source components even when they are not declared in manifests, making it the most thorough SCA tool for auditing software acquisitions, M&A due diligence, and regulatory compliance. Black Duck is part of Synopsys's broader application security portfolio alongside Coverity (SAST) and Polaris.
Checkmarx
Enterprise Application SecurityLarge enterprises that need comprehensive, compliance-driven application security testing with deep SAST accuracy and centralized security governance
Checkmarx is an enterprise application security platform that provides comprehensive SAST, SCA, DAST, API security testing, and supply chain security in a unified solution called Checkmarx One. With nearly two decades of SAST expertise, Checkmarx offers deep, accurate static analysis across a wide range of languages and frameworks, making it the go-to choice for large enterprises with complex codebases and strict compliance requirements. Checkmarx integrates into development workflows but is traditionally oriented toward security teams rather than individual developers.
GitHub Advanced Security
Developer SecurityDevelopment teams already using GitHub that want native, zero-friction security scanning integrated directly into their pull request workflow
GitHub Advanced Security (GHAS) is a native security suite built into the GitHub platform that provides code scanning (SAST via CodeQL), secret scanning, dependency review, and Dependabot for automated dependency updates. By embedding security directly into the GitHub pull request workflow, GHAS provides a seamless experience for teams already using GitHub as their source code management platform. GHAS is included free for public repositories and available as a paid add-on for GitHub Enterprise customers.
Mend.io
Software Composition AnalysisOrganizations that need deep open-source license compliance alongside vulnerability scanning, especially in regulated industries with strict license obligations
Mend.io (formerly WhiteSource) is a software composition analysis platform that specializes in open-source security, license compliance, and software supply chain management. With one of the largest open-source vulnerability databases in the industry, Mend.io provides comprehensive visibility into open-source risks across dependencies, including transitive dependencies, license conflicts, and operational risk scoring. Mend.io also offers SAST capabilities through Mend SAST and automated remediation features.
Semgrep
Static AnalysisSecurity-conscious development teams that want fast, customizable static analysis with the ability to write organization-specific security rules
Semgrep is a fast, open-source static analysis engine that enables developers and security teams to write custom rules for finding bugs, enforcing coding standards, and detecting security vulnerabilities. Its pattern-matching syntax is designed to be intuitive for developers, reading like the code it matches. Semgrep's commercial platform (Semgrep AppSec Platform) adds managed rules, a web dashboard, SCA capabilities, and secrets detection, making it a comprehensive alternative for teams that value rule customizability and fast scan performance.
Snyk
Application SecurityDeveloper-first application security platform for finding and fixing vulnerabilities in code, dependencies, containers, and IaC
Snyk is a developer-first application security platform that helps software teams find and fix vulnerabilities in their code, open-source dependencies, container images, and infrastructure-as-code configurations. By integrating directly into developer workflows through IDE plugins, CLI tools, Git repository scanning, and CI/CD pipeline checks, Snyk shifts security left and enables developers to address security issues as they code rather than after deployment. Snyk's comprehensive platform covers static application security testing (SAST), software composition analysis (SCA), container security, and IaC security in a unified experience.
SonarQube
Code Quality & SecurityDevelopment teams that want combined code quality and security analysis with quality gate enforcement in CI/CD pipelines
SonarQube is an open-source platform for continuous code quality and security analysis that inspects code for bugs, vulnerabilities, and code smells across 30+ programming languages. It provides a centralized dashboard for tracking code health over time, enforcing quality gates in CI/CD pipelines, and ensuring that new code meets security and maintainability standards. SonarQube's strength lies in its combined code quality and security analysis, making it a natural fit for teams that want both disciplines in a single tool.
Trivy
Open Source Security ScannerDevOps and platform engineering teams that need a fast, open-source vulnerability scanner for containers and Kubernetes environments with zero configuration overhead
Trivy is an open-source, comprehensive vulnerability scanner developed by Aqua Security that covers container images, file systems, Git repositories, Kubernetes clusters, and infrastructure-as-code configurations. Trivy stands out for its simplicity, speed, and breadth of scanning targets, requiring zero configuration to get started. It has become a widely adopted open-source scanner for container images in CI/CD pipelines and is widely adopted in Kubernetes-native environments for runtime vulnerability assessment.
Veracode
Enterprise Application SecuritySecurity teams managing application security across large application portfolios, especially when binary analysis of third-party or legacy applications is needed
Veracode is an established application security testing platform that offers SAST, SCA, DAST, and penetration testing through a cloud-based service. Founded in 2006, Veracode pioneered the binary-level SAST approach that analyzes compiled code without requiring access to source code, making it suitable for testing third-party and legacy applications. Veracode provides a centralized platform for managing application security risk across large portfolios, with strong reporting for security program management and compliance.
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Application Security tools, listed alphabetically and compared on public information. How we work →