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Compare the Top 10 SAST Tools for Maximum Code Security

Static application security testing (SAST) tools are essential for detecting vulnerabilities early in the development process. By integrating SAST into your workflow, you can catch security flaws before they reach production. Choosing the right tool can be challenging, so here are the top options and their best use cases.

Ariel Beck writer profile image
By Ariel Beck
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Edited by Filip Dimkovski

Updated March 17, 2025.

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In Code Complete (1993), Steve McConnell emphasized writing code for people first and computers second to improve readability. At the time, cyber threats were nearly non-existent. Fast forward to today, developers face a greater challenge—writing code to defend against hackers first and users second.

This challenge is amplified by rising cybersecurity incidents stemming from insecure code. With an average of 21 minutes needed to fix a single vulnerability, manual remediation is unsustainable. Static application security testing (SAST) tools address this by automating code analysis, detecting vulnerabilities early, and enabling developers to write secure code from the start.

» Not sure about SAST? Compare SAST vs. DAST

10 Best SAST Tools for Securing Your Custom Code at a Glance

  1. Best overall: Jit
  2. Easiest to get started: Semgrep
  3. Best reporting: BlackDuck Coverity
  4. Best for Go developers: Gosec
  5. Best for small teams: Codiga
  6. Best for large codebases: SonarQube
  7. Best for companies with larger budgets: Snyk
  8. Best for cloud-native security: Spectral
  9. Best AI-powered SAST tool: DeepSource
  10. Best for multiple integrations across CI/CD and SCM tools: Checkmarx SAST
Best overall
1
Outstanding
10

Jit

Simplifies security tool integration and automation

Provides as-code security plans for a minimal, viable approach

Unifies SAST, DAST, SCA, and IaC scanning in one platform

Easiest to get started
2
Outstanding
9.9

Semgrep

Quick and lightweight static analysis across 30+ languages

Seamlessly integrates into CI/CD pipelines like GitHub and GitLab

Best reporting
3
Outstanding
9

Black Duck Coverity (Formerly Synopsis)

Ensures compliance with HIPAA, GDPR, and other regulations

Integrates with DevOps pipelines and issue-tracking systems

Show more




How Static Application Security Testing (SAST) Works

SAST verifies the source code of software to unearth possible security vulnerabilities and loopholes that could be later exploited at runtime. Unlike DAST tools, which simulate attacks from the outside in, SAST is a white-box testing method that integrates within the developer workflow and periodically scans the source code.

These scans happen in multiple ways. For example, a developer can run the SAST scans within the IDE or trigger them as code commit operations on the version control system or DevOps pipeline.

The SAST approach complements testing and vulnerability scanning methods such as DAST and software composition analysis (SCA). Each tool addresses different security aspects at different SLDC stages, so they should work together as part of a robust and scalable application security testing strategy.

a diagram of the different phases of a network


Critical Vulnerabilities Detected by SAST Tools

  • Cross-site scripting (XSS)
  • Buffer overflows
  • SQL injections
  • Insecure cryptography
  • Broken authentication
  • Vulnerable and outdated components

Key Features to Look for in SAST Tools

  • Programming language support: Ensure the tool supports all programming languages your team uses to prevent security gaps in your codebase.
  • CI/CD & IDE integration: Choose a tool that integrates seamlessly with CI/CD pipelines for automated scans and provides real-time security feedback within IDEs.
  • Rule sets & vulnerability classification: A strong SAST tool should have a comprehensive rule library for detecting common security flaws and integrate with databases like OWASP and CVE.
  • Remediation guidance: The tool should offer actionable, real-time remediation suggestions to help developers fix vulnerabilities as soon as they are identified.
  • False positives rate: High false positives create unnecessary work; instead, opt for a tool that minimizes noise and prioritizes genuine security risks.


Top 10 SAST Tools for Maximum Code Security

Best overall

1


Outstanding
10
a pink and purple web page with a cat on it

Jit

Complete DevSecOps platform with SAST set up

Ease of use and integration

Seamlessly integrates with multiple security tools, CI/CD pipelines, and cloud environments


Vulnerability detection and coverage

Supports SAST, DAST, SCA, secrets detection, and IaC scanning for comprehensive security


Reporting & remediation

Offers centralized security insights and real-time remediation guidance for developers


Automation and scalability

Automates security checks across the entire SDLC and scales efficiently across multiple projects

Jit SAST is a developer-friendly security solution that seamlessly integrates into CI/CD pipelines and developer workflows.

Designed for shift-left security, it automates static code analysis, ensuring vulnerabilities are identified and remediated early. With support for multiple security tools, Jit provides a centralized security orchestration platform for modern DevSecOps teams.

  • Automates static code analysis across multiple languages and frameworks
  • Detects vulnerabilities such as SQL injection, XSS, and authentication flaws
  • Seamlessly integrates with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and cloud platforms
  • Provides real-time remediation guidance and prioritization of security issues
  • Supports as-code security policies and automated security workflows

“I love the notion of Jit providing as-code security plans, which are minimal and viable. The fact that Jit also automates the selection of relevant security tools and unifies the experience around them is super valuable.”

Built for developers with a focus on dev experience across platforms

Easy to find the code to remediate and fix issues fast

Orchestrates and unifies all tools

Cloud-based and easy to use

Affordable compared to enterprise options

Cannot be purchased alone - it is bundled with other scanners (i.e. SCA, secrets detection, IaC scanning) at a flat rate per developer

Easiest to get started

2


Outstanding
9.9
a screenshot of a screen shot of a web page

Semgrep

Suits companies of all sizes and can be used inside a cloud platform

Ease of use and integration

Lightweight and quick to integrate into CI/CD pipelines and IDEs with minimal setup


Vulnerability detection and coverage

Detects OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities, code injections, and misconfigurations across 30+ languages


Reporting & remediation

Provides clear, actionable security alerts with custom rule support for prioritizing critical issues


Automation and scalability

Easily automates security scans within CI/CD workflows but may not scale well for large enterprises

Semgrep is an open-source static analysis tool designed to detect security vulnerabilities, coding errors, and compliance issues in source code. It supports over 30 programming languages and allows developers to create and customize security rules tailored to their specific codebase.

With its lightweight architecture and seamless CI/CD integration, Semgrep empowers teams to shift security left without slowing development.

  • Quickly scans source code for security vulnerabilities and misconfigurations
  • Detects OWASP Top 10 risks, including XSS, command injection, and SSRF
  • Custom rule creation for tailored security enforcement
  • Integrates with CI/CD pipelines for automated scanning on every commit
  • Lightweight and fast, making it ideal for developer-first security workflows

“One of the things that I love most about Semgrep is how easy it is to use. As a static analysis tool, it has a reputation for being intimidating or difficult to integrate into existing workflows. But with Semgrep, developers don't have to worry about that. It seamlessly integrates with many popular code editors, version control systems, and continuous integration tools.”

Free and open-source

Highly customizable with plugins and extensions

User-friendly and intuitive

Extensive black box scanning

Good for beginners and experienced testers

Steep learning curve for advanced features

Limited integrations for certain workflows

Best reporting

3


Outstanding
9
black duck security advertises deepen more actionable rights than cves

Black Duck Coverity (Formerly Synopsis)

Great SAST with comprehensive coverage

Ease of use and integration

Deep integration with CI/CD pipelines and IDEs but requires initial setup effort


Vulnerability detection and coverage

Covers OWASP Top 10, CWE Top 25, and compliance frameworks like HIPAA and GDPR across 22+ languages


Reporting & remediation

Provides in-depth security reports, compliance tracking, and detailed audit trails


Automation and scalability

Incremental scanning speeds up large-scale analysis, making it suitable for enterprise security teams

Coverity is a powerful enterprise-grade SAST tool designed for security and compliance-driven organizations. It provides deep vulnerability detection and compliance automation while integrating with enterprise workflows.

  • Advanced security analysis for compliance-heavy industries
  • Identifies OWASP Top 10 and critical vulnerabilities
  • Incremental scanning for large-scale applications
  • Enterprise integrations with DevOps and CI/CD pipelines
  • REST API support for automation

“We had seamlessly integrated this SAST tool (Coverity) into our CI/CD Pipeline, and the vulnerabilities were being notified to the respective developer via mail. It provides a mechanism to audit the findings and efficiently mark false positives.”

Enterprise-grade compliance and security features

Comprehensive vulnerability detection

Scalable for large teams and complex applications

Higher cost

Requires setup and customization for smaller teams

Best for Go developers

4


Excellent
8.5
Gosec community project

Gosec

Suited for any size of Go language project

Ease of use and integration

Designed specifically for Go projects with simple integration into CI/CD pipelines


Vulnerability detection and coverage

Identifies Go-specific vulnerabilities, insecure functions, and misconfigurations


Reporting & remediation

Generates concise security reports but lacks advanced remediation guidance


Automation and scalability

Works well for small to medium-sized Go projects but is limited to a single language

Gosec is an open-source static analysis tool built for Go developers, providing fast and effective vulnerability detection tailored to Go applications.

  • Optimized for Go programming language
  • Free and open-source with active community support
  • CI/CD pipeline integration for continuous security testing
  • Lightweight and fast scanning capabilities
  • Custom rule creation for enhanced security

Specialized for Go developers

Open-source and free to use

Fast and efficient scanning with minimal overhead

Limited to Go language

Lacks enterprise features for compliance tracking

Best for small teams

5


Excellent
8.5
Codiga Platform

Codiga

Full-featured standalanone SAST tool

Ease of use and integration

Easy setup with integration into popular IDEs like VS Code and JetBrains


Vulnerability detection and coverage

Covers OWASP 10, SANS-CWE525, and supports 12+ programming languages


Reporting & remediation

Provides real-time security feedback within IDEs, helping developers fix vulnerabilities as they code


Automation and scalability

Automates security scanning within CI/CD but is better suited for small to mid-sized teams

Codiga is an easy-to-implement static analysis tool that supports a wide range of programming languages, helping developers quickly identify and resolve vulnerabilities with real-time feedback and predefined rules.

  • Predefined rules for OWASP10, SANS-CWE525, and others
  • IDE integrations for real-time code analysis
  • Custom rule creation using Python
  • Quick and simple setup for smaller teams

“I like how easy it is to use and the ability to use it on multiple computers. As a developer, I work in several places, and having all my snippets available is great. In addition, I also like how I can share code with others, including building up a library that we can use.”

Easy setup and IDE integration

Predefined security rules for common vulnerabilities

Real-time feedback for rapid security fixes

Limited advanced features

Not suitable for large enterprise environments

Best for large codebases

6


Excellent
8.2
SonarCube SaaS Tool

SonarQube

Widely-used SAST for complex software projects

Ease of use and integration

Works with major CI/CD platforms like GitHub, GitLab, and Azure DevOps, with SonarLint for IDE-based scanning


Vulnerability detection and coverage

Supports 30+ languages and features deep static analysis, including taint analysis for complex security flaws


Reporting & remediation

Provides detailed reports with risk prioritization and recommended remediation steps


Automation and scalability

Incremental scanning improves performance, making it scalable for enterprise environments

SonarQube is a widely adopted SAST tool that provides in-depth security and code quality analysis for enterprise teams. It integrates with CI/CD pipelines and IDEs, offering real-time feedback on code security and maintainability.

  • Supports 30+ languages with built-in security rules
  • Industry-leading taint analysis and security hotspot detection
  • Seamless integration with DevOps tools and IDEs
  • Incremental scanning for optimized performance on large projects
  • Cloud and on-premise deployment options

“I like everything about SonarQub. It is the best tool to make your code bug-free and optimized. It analyzes your code very fast and provides a proper path of the issue in your code and also provides suggestions on how to solve it.”

Deep security analysis with extensive language support

Works across IDEs and CI/CD pipelines

Scales well for large enterprise applications

Configuration can be complex for first-time users

Advanced features require a paid plan

Best for companies with larger budgets

7


Excellent
8
Snyk homepage

Snyk

Quickly identifies and categorizes vulnerabilities

Ease of use and integration

Developer-friendly with IDE integrations and seamless setup for GitHub, AWS, Azure, and other CI/CD pipelines


Vulnerability detection and coverage

Supports 15+ programming languages and detects vulnerabilities in both custom code and open-source dependencies


Reporting & remediation

Provides real-time security feedback with auto-fix suggestions for rapid remediation


Automation and scalability

Continuously monitors dependencies but may become costly at an enterprise scale

Snyk is a developer-first security platform that provides real-time vulnerability detection and remediation, with seamless integrations into IDEs and CI/CD pipelines. It helps secure both custom code and open-source dependencies.

  • IDE security scanning for real-time feedback
  • Open-source vulnerability detection and SCA support
  • CI/CD pipeline integrations for automated security checks
  • Language server protocol support for deeper security insights
  • Auto-remediation suggestions for fast fixes

“Snyk quickly identifies and categorizes the vulnerabilities. As you create the code, it highlights the problems, improving both the security and the quality of the code. The best aspect is that you can begin using it for nothing.”

Developer-friendly with in-IDE security scanning

Strong open-source vulnerability detection (SCA)

Provides automated fix suggestions for faster remediation

Requires a paid plan for advanced features

Some setup complexity for enterprise integrations

Best for cloud-native security

8


Excellent
8
Spectral homepage

Spectral

SAST for multi-cloud deployment

Ease of use and integration

Built for cloud-native security with integrations for AWS, Azure, and GitHub


Vulnerability detection and coverage

Detects misconfigurations, hardcoded secrets, and compliance issues using AI-driven models


Reporting & remediation

Provides contextualized risk prioritization with automated remediation suggestions


Automation and scalability

Works across multi-cloud deployments but requires fine-tuning for AI-based detections

Spectral is a full-stack SAST tool focused on cloud-native security. It scans applications for vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and compliance issues, providing automated remediation for multi-cloud environments.

  • Multi-cloud security scanning and contextualized insights
  • Supports AWS, Azure, GitHub, GitLab, and CI/CD integrations
  • AI-driven vulnerability detection and risk prioritization
  • Automated remediation workflows for faster security fixes
  • Developer-friendly interface with real-time alerts

“I like the daily scan of all our repositories; it helps us to fix important security issues in the code. Also, the support team is very good.”

Built for cloud-native security and multi-cloud deployments

AI-driven analysis enhances vulnerability detection

Provides contextualized risk prioritization for faster fixes

Higher learning curve for complex configurations

AI-based detections may require fine-tuning for accuracy

Best AI-powered SAST tool

9


Great
7.9
DeepSource SAST analysis engine

DeepSource

Automatic issue remediation with AI

Ease of use and integration

Quick setup with built-in analyzers and integrations for GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket


Vulnerability detection and coverage

AI-powered static analysis with support for OWASP, MITRE, and CWE security frameworks


Reporting & remediation

Provides clear security insights with an AutoFix engine that automatically patches vulnerabilities


Automation and scalability

Supports automated scanning in CI/CD but has limited enterprise adoption compared to industry leaders

DeepSource is an AI-powered SAST tool that enhances static code analysis with automated fixes. It aims to reduce false positives while maintaining security compliance.

  • AI-driven vulnerability detection with low false positives
  • Compliance with OWASP, MITRE, and CWE standards
  • AutoFix engine for automated vulnerability remediation
  • Simple and quick setup for developers
  • Cloud-based and self-hosted deployment options

“I've used Deepsource for several years and found it easy to set up and work with. Their config generator tool is an excellent idea and would be invaluable for many other pieces of software! The number of analyzers keeps increasing, supporting more languages and functionality.”

AI-powered scanning with reduced false positives

Automated remediation via AutoFix

Supports multiple security standards for compliance

Limited community support compared to open-source alternatives

AI-generated fixes may require manual validation

Best for multiple integrations across CI/CD and SCM tools

10


Great
7.8
Checkmarx SAST

Checkmarx

Finds bugs in the initial phase of deployment

Ease of use and integration

Enterprise-grade SAST with deep integrations into CI/CD and DevOps environments


Vulnerability detection and coverage

Covers dozens of programming languages and frameworks with support for incremental scanning


Reporting & remediation

Delivers in-depth security insights, detailed reports, and compliance tracking


Automation and scalability

Scales efficiently for large enterprise environments but requires significant resources for setup

Checkmarx SAST is an enterprise-grade static analysis tool offering deep security insights for large-scale applications. It integrates with DevOps workflows and enables incremental scanning for continuous security monitoring.

  • Enterprise-grade vulnerability scanning and compliance tracking
  • Supports dozens of languages and frameworks
  • Incremental scanning for faster performance
  • Advanced security analytics and reporting tools
  • Deep integration with CI/CD and SCM tools

My overall experience with Checkmarx has been above average. Since this tool helps perform a security assessment of the application, it can find bugs in the initial phase of code deployment itself.”

Powerful enterprise security solution

Supports incremental scanning for speed and efficiency

Deep DevOps and CI/CD integrations

Higher cost compared to other SAST tools

Can be resource-intensive for large codebases




Beyond Code Quality: Why Do You Need a SAST Tool?

A SAST tool does more than just find vulnerabilities—it streamlines the entire security workflow, from detection to remediation. It also scans infrastructure as code (IaC) and dependent modules to ensure complete security coverage. By automating security-as-code practices, SAST enforces security rules and minimizes human error.

Key Benefits of SAST

  • End-to-end security workflow: Detect, report, and remediate vulnerabilities efficiently.
  • Expanded security coverage: Scans IaC configurations and dependent modules.
  • Automated security enforcement: Codifies best practices and prevents critical risks.
  • Faster, safer development: Reduces manual code review efforts without slowing teams down.

» Learn how IaC security can protect your applications from vulnerabilities

Find & Fix Code Vulnerabilities With Jit SAST

Strengthen your code security with Jit SAST and detect vulnerabilities before production.

Detect vulnerabilities early

Seamless CI/CD integration

Automated security checks



Shift Left Your Application Security Checks with SAST

“Shift left” is more than a strategy—it's a proactive approach to embedding security within development rather than leaving it for later stages. Integrating SAST early fosters a security-first mindset, reducing risks before they escalate.

With cyber threats growing more sophisticated, adopting SAST is no longer optional—it’s essential for maintaining secure, reliable software. Jit empowers dev teams to seamlessly integrate SAST and other security tools across the entire SDLC, simplifying security processes without slowing development. Start securing your code today.

» Avoid the hassle of choosing a tool: Book a demo to try Jit SAST for free