20 Best Code Analysis Tools in 2025
10 Best Code Analysis Tools Shortlist
Here's my pick of the 10 best software from the 20 tools reviewed.
Our one-on-one guidance will help you find the perfect fit.
Poor code quality can lead to a host of issues — decreased efficiency, scalability problems, and security vulnerabilities, to name a few. These issues can cause huge problems later in the development stage if they’re left unaddressed.
Code analysis tools, also called static analysis tools, can help you deliver quality code for any software project. Below, I’ve put together a list of the top code analysis tools. I’ll explain why I chose these tools and cover their features, integrations, and pricing.
What Are Code Analysis Tools?
Code analysis tools are software applications that analyze source code for potential coding errors without running it. Developers use them to identify and fix issues like bugs or security risks in the software development process. These solutions typically integrate into DevOps platforms like GitHub to automate code inspections. This gives developers real-time feedback as they work, allowing them to resolve issues and deliver “clean” code.
Behavioral and Organizational Code Analysis
Some tools go beyond just analyzing code for errors. They also look at how code is being written from a behavioral and organizational perspective. This includes tracking technical debt, analyzing team dynamics, and identifying patterns that could impact long-term maintainability. By understanding these behaviors, teams can create more scalable and efficient systems while managing technical debt proactively.
Static Analysis for Safety-Critical Systems
For industries where failure is not an option—like aerospace, automotive, or healthcare—there are tools designed specifically for safety-critical systems. These tools focus on detecting runtime errors that could lead to catastrophic failures and ensuring compliance with strict industry standards. This type of analysis is crucial for systems where even minor errors can have significant consequences.
Historical and Retired Tools
Over the years, certain static analysis tools played a significant role in shaping current methodologies, even though they are no longer actively maintained. These tools served as the foundation for many modern solutions, providing valuable lessons in both the strengths and limitations of code analysis. Understanding the evolution of these tools offers insight into how the field has advanced and how future tools may develop
Best Code Analysis Tools Summary
| Tools | Price | |
|---|---|---|
| Aikido Security | From $314/month (billed annually, up to 10 users) | Website |
| Snyk Code | From $57/user/month | Website |
| Codacy | From $15/user/month (billed annually) | Website |
| Code Climate Quality | From $16.67 per month | Website |
| PVS-Studio | Pricing upon request | Website |
| PMD | Open source project and available for free. | Website |
| CAST Highlight | From $10,000/year | Website |
| Infer | Pricing upon request | Website |
| Synopsys Coverity | Pricing upon request | Website |
| Qodana | From $5/contributer/month (billed annually) | Website |
Compare Software Specs Side by Side
Use our comparison chart to review and evaluate software specs side-by-side.
Compare SoftwareBest Code Analysis Tools Reviews
Let’s look at the best code analysis tools in more detail.
Aikido Security is a DevSecOps platform that provides comprehensive security solutions for both code and cloud environments.
Why I picked Aikido Security: The platform's static application security testing (SAST) scans source code for security vulnerabilities such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and buffer overflows. This feature is crucial for identifying and mitigating security risks early in the development process. Additionally, Aikido's SAST tool leverages open-source scanners like Bandit, Semgrep, and Gosec, along with Aikido's proprietary scanners, ensuring thorough and reliable code analysis.
Aikido Security Standout Features and Integrations:
Features that also make Aikido stand out are its cloud posture management (CSPM) capabilities that detect cloud infrastructure risks across major cloud providers and its secrets detection feature that prevents unauthorized access by checking your code for leaked and exposed API keys, passwords, certificates, and encryption keys.
Integrations include Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure Cloud, Drata, Vanta, AWS Elastic Container Registry, Docker Hub, Jira, Asana, and GitHub.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Offers a comprehensive dashboard and customizable reports
- Provides actionable insights
- User-friendly interface
Cons:
- Only supports English
- Ignores vulnerabilities if no fix is available
Snyk is a developer security platform that offers real-time scanning and analysis for your code. It also offers git repository integration, which allows you to prioritize issues across your projects.
Why I picked Snyk: I put Snyk on this list because it boasts impressive security features. The first is that its DeepCode AI tool pulls up a list of quick fixes as it identifies issues. You can review and implement these fixes from your integrated development environment (IDE). The second is that Snyk gives each issue a risk score, so you can prioritize issues and make your code more secure.
Snyk Standout Features and Integrations:
Features that make Snyk an excellent code analysis tool include container scanning that checks for vulnerabilities in container images and live code tracking that validates your code as you work. I liked that I could even check my code when I was away from my desk when I tested it.
Integrations are available natively for CI/CD tools like Jenkins, Azure Pipelines, and Bitbucket Pipelines. There are also plugins for IDE tools like Eclipse, PhpStorm, and Visual Studio.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- User interface is easy to navigate
- Offers continuous integration, continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipeline integration
- Easy to integrate and setup
Cons:
- Free plan limited to 100 tests per month
- Slower scan times
Codacy is a code analysis tool that automates code reviews. It analyzes your source code and highlights issues as you work, allowing you to develop more efficient software. The platform supports over 40 programming languages and frameworks out of the box.
Why I picked Codacy: I selected Codacy because it integrates well with CI workflows—a DevOps practice of merging code changes into a repository. Integrating Codacy with GitHub allowed me to get instant feedback on my code, so I could quickly fix any issues. Another reason I picked Codacy is that it helps standardize code quality by automatically blocking pull requests that don’t meet certain standards.
Codacy Standout Features and Integrations:
Features that I liked about Codacy are the ability to set custom rule sets. Codacy has hundreds of rules available, but you can also upload your own configuration file. This makes it easy to apply specific conditions to a code base and maintain code quality across all teams.
Integrations are available natively with GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket. Native integrations are also available for Jira and Slack.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Adheres to SOC2 security standards
- Simple to integrate into coding workflows
- Provides helpful code quality reports
Cons:
- Not able to export code patterns
- Doesn’t integrate with Lombok, a Java library that reduces boilerplate code
Code Climate Quality is a code analysis tool that helps development teams ship better code. It provides static analysis for languages like PHP, Java, JavaScript, Python, and Ruby.
Why I picked Code Climate Quality: I chose Code Climate Quality because of its native integration with GitHub. Not only does it provide instant feedback on my code, but it also summarizes any issues with a pull request before integrating it into the main repository. The GitHub browser extension is also helpful for displaying line-by-line test coverage data.
Code Climate Quality Standout Features and Integrations:
Features that distinguish Code Climate Quality, in my opinion, include its 10-point technical debt assessment, which assigns a grade from A to F to your code based on its maintainability and test coverage. It also estimates how long it would take to resolve an issue. These metrics have helped me better prioritize my efforts on files that have maintainability issues or inadequate coverage.
Integrations are available natively with GitHub and GitLab. The tool also integrates natively with ticket and messaging systems like Asana, Trello, and Slack.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Automatically enforces coding styles and standards
- Offers two-factor authentication with GitHub OAuth
- Provides visual progress reports with a simple grading system
Cons:
- Free plan has limited functionality
- May generate false positives
PVS-Studio is a code analyzer that can detect bugs and security flaws in source code written in C, C++, C#, and Java. The platform is compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems.
Why I picked PVS-Studio: I selected this platform because it offers direct integrations with Unity and Unreal Engine — two popular game engines. This makes it a solution for game developers, as it can automatically run code analysis when developing gaming projects and detect game-breaking bugs.
PVS-Studio Standout Features and Integrations:
Features that set PVS-Studio apart to me include its ability to detect hard-to-find issues that affect code quality, including null pointer dereferences, incorrect function calls, and synchronization problems. The tool can also detect non-compliance with coding standards like MISRA C to ensure developers adhere to best practices.
Integrations are available natively for over 30 platforms, including Visual Studio, Maven, Jenkins, Docker, and Azure DevOps.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Works on multiple operating systems, like Windows, macOS, and Linux
- Offers extensive documentation
- Integrates with bug tracking systems like GitHub Issue
Cons:
- Can use up a lot of resources for large code bases
- Only supports a small number of programming languages
PMD is an open-source tool that provides static analysis for programming languages like JavaScript, Apex, and XML. It’s available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Why I picked PMD: Most code analysis tools require a paid license or offer limited functionality on their free plans. But the reason I picked PMD is because it’s open-source software, which makes it a cost-effective alternative to paid options.
PMD Standout Features and Integrations:
Features that I liked when working with PMD include its built-in checks that allow you to configure rules for different languages to enforce coding standards. The tool also includes Copy/Paste Detector (CPD), which helps you identify duplicate code in your code base.
Integrations are available with popular IDEs like Eclipse, JDeveloper, and Gradle via plugins.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Free and open-source
- Able to deal with false positives well
- Can detect duplicate code in various programming languages
Cons:
- Coding feedback isn’t provided in real-time
- Configuring PMDs analysis rules can be complicated
CAST Highlight is a software intelligence platform that can analyze the source code for hundreds of applications. It generates helpful color-coded dashboards that provide at-a-glance insights across your applications.
Why I picked CAST Highlight: CAST Highlight deserves a spot on this list because it does one thing better than other tools I’ve tested — assessing software at scale. It can automatically scan hundreds of applications and identify security risks. The tool performs local code scans and never uploads your code to the cloud.
CAST Highlight Standout Features and Integrations:
Features that make CAST Highlight a great choice for me include cloud readiness tools and migration roadmaps, which are helpful if your company is looking to migrate to the cloud. The tool also offers priority recommendations to reduce security risks and identifies opportunities to optimize costs across your portfolio.
Integrations are available natively for GitHub, Bitbucket, and Azure DevOps. You can also use CAST Highlight’s public REST API to extract and integrate key metrics into other systems.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Lets you track the cloud readiness and safety of your portfolio over time
- Supports over 40 programming languages
- Offers cloud migration suggestions
Cons:
- Steep learning curve
- Costly plans
Infer is a static code analyzer from Facebook that supports Java, C, and Objective-C. Facebook deploys the tool within its own Android and iOS apps to analyze and validate the correctness of its source code.
Why I picked Infer: I chose Infer for this list because it supports Java, C, and Objective-C — languages that mobile developers use to develop Android and iOS apps. The fact that it’s open source means that developers continuously contribute to making it even better.
Infer Standout Features and Integrations:
Features I liked about Infer are its broad coverage of common issues. In my testing, the tool identified common issues that often cause mobile apps to crash, such as null point exceptions and memory leaks. Performance was never an issue either, even with large code bases.
Integrations are available natively with compilers Javac, Clang, and GCC. Other systems that support Infer include Gradle, Maven, and xcodebuild.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Open-source and available for free
- Supports various languages such as C, C++, and Java
- Accurate bug detection
Cons:
- Steep learning curve
- Limited use outside of iOS and Android app code analysis
Synopsys Coverity is a static code analysis tool that helps DevOps teams identify and address security risks early in the software development cycle. It offers cloud and on-premise deployment options.
Why I picked Synopsys Coverity: Synopsis Coverity made it on my top list of code analysis tools for its accuracy in identifying vulnerabilities like buffer overflows, input validation errors, and memory leaks. I especially liked how the Code Sight IDE plugin provided extensive details about the vulnerabilities it detected and guidance on how to fix them.
Synopsys Coverity Standout Features and Integrations:
Features that make Synopsys Coverity worth considering to me include its Rapid Scan tool that can scan infrastructure-as-code (IaC) configurations and comprehensive reporting that provides risk assessments of your entire application portfolio.
Integrations are available natively for DevOps tools like GitHub, Eclipse, Jenkins, Azure Pipelines, and Jira. You can also use its REST APIs to integrate other applications.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Provides detailed reports
- Able to scan lines of code quicker than other tools
- Real-time detection helps deal with errors quickly
Cons:
- User interface is difficult to navigate
- Complicated to integrate with other tools
Qodana, developed by JetBrains, is a static code analysis tool catered to development teams aiming to maintain high code quality through its extensive inspections and quick-fix capabilities.
Why I picked Qodana: It supports over 60 programming languages, including Java, JavaScript, TypeScript, PHP, Kotlin, Python, Go, and C#. It offers customizable inspections, enabling teams to align analyses with specific business needs, and helps maintain secure codebases by detecting vulnerable dependencies. The integration with CI/CD systems like GitHub Actions, GitLab, TeamCity, and Jenkins, along with automated quick fixes and flexible quality gates, ensures consistent code quality.
Qodana Standout Features and Integrations:
Features include data-flow analysis to identify complex issues like null pointer dereferences and resource leaks, duplication analysis to detect and manage duplicate code, and taint analysis to assess the flow of untrusted user input, helping prevent vulnerabilities such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting.
Integrations include TeamCity, YouTrack, Azure DevOps, IntelliJ, Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab, .NET, Visual Studio, Azure Pipelines, CI/CD systems, and Docker.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Automatic quick-fixes
- Supports over 60 programming languages
- Accurate code analysis with contextual feedback
Cons:
- Requires integration setup which can be complex
- False positives can be challenging to manage
Other Code Analysis Tools
There are a few other code analysis tools that didn’t quite make my list, but they’re worth having a closer look at:
- Veracode Static Analysis
For vulnerability scanning and coverage
- Fortify Static Code Analyzer (SCA)
For enterprise security
- SonarQube
For maintaining code quality
- DeepSource
Issue and security reporting features
- JSHint
For debugging JavaScript code
- Helix QAC
For ensuring security compliance
- CodeScene
For managing technical debt
- CodeRabbit
For contextual code feedback
- CodeSonar
Integration capabilities
- FindBugs
For finding defects in Java code
Selection Criteria for Code Analysis Tools
Here’s a summary of the criteria that I used to select the best code analysis tools on the market:
Core Functionality
I prioritized code analysis tools with the following core functionalities that do the following:
- Identify issues, like syntax errors and security vulnerabilities, as you code
- Suggest quick fixes for common coding errors
- Enable you to enforce coding standards across your team
- Allow you to work with DevOps platforms like GitLab and GitHub
- Provide automated code reviews and line-by-line coverage
Key Features
To carry out the core functionalities above, code analysis tools need to have these key features:
- Static analysis engine: The best code analysis tools use static analysis engines that can detect bugs and security vulnerabilities early in the development cycle.
- IDE plugins: One feature I greatly appreciated during my testing is the ability to get real-time feedback as I code. IDE plugins helped me fix vulnerabilities and maintain code quality across my projects.
- Rule-based checks: Another key feature I looked for when selecting code analysis tools is rule-based checks, which help enforce coding standards and best practices.
- Rating system: Knowing where to start when a scan reveals many problems can be overwhelming. Code analysis tools that offered a rating system helped me determine which issues to tackle first.
- Report generator: Finally, the best code analysis tools can generate reports that provide a high-level view of the overall code quality of your projects.
Usability
Platforms with steep learning curves can affect user adoption rates. That’s why I prioritized code analysis tools that developers could use right away without having to spend hours setting them up. I also looked for tools that integrate with popular IDEs and code editors, as this would enable developers to get feedback on their code without disrupting their workflow.
People Also Ask
Here are answers to the most common questions about code analysis tools:
What is the most used code analysis tool?
What is the difference between SAST and DAST tools?
What techniques do static code analysis tools use?
Final Thoughts
About 79% of organizations admit to shipping applications with known vulnerabilities. Over half (54%) say they did so to meet critical deadlines. These practices are putting companies and their customers at risk.
With the right code analysis tools, you don’t have to compromise on security to deliver safe and efficient software. Use this list to find a solution that’s right for your company.
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