# Mend.io vs GitHub Dependabot: which do AI models recommend for SCA, October 2026

IT AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, Software composition analysis. Seven of fourteen models named Mend.io first on the direct prompt; zero named GitHub Dependabot. Page: https://it-ai-index.com/developer/software-composition-analysis/mend-io-vs-github-dependabot/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mend.io | 14% | #3 of 17 | 19% | 37 | 14 of 14 |
| GitHub Dependabot | 8% | #6 of 17 | 18% | 17 | 9 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- Claude Haiku 4.5: mend.io first (first choices: Mend.io) (alternatives: Black Duck, Endor Labs, FOSSA, Snyk Open Source, Sonatype Lifecycle)
- Perplexity Sonar: mend.io first (first choices: Mend.io) (alternatives: Black Duck, Snyk Open Source, Sonatype Lifecycle)
- Mistral Small: mend.io first (first choices: Mend.io) (alternatives: GitHub Advanced Security, Insignary Clarity)
- Llama 4 Maverick: mend.io first (first choices: Mend.io)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: mend.io first (first choices: Mend.io) (alternatives: GitHub Advanced Security, Snyk Open Source)
- Kimi K2: mend.io first (first choices: Mend.io, Snyk Open Source) (alternatives: GitHub Advanced Security, GitHub Dependabot, Sonatype Lifecycle, Trivy)
- Muse Glimmer 30B: mend.io first (first choices: Mend.io) (alternatives: Snyk Open Source, Sonatype Lifecycle)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Aikido Security) (alternatives: Endor Labs, Mend.io, Snyk Open Source)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: neither first, one named (first choices: Snyk Open Source) (alternatives: Mend.io, Sonatype Lifecycle)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Snyk Open Source) (alternatives: Mend.io, Sonatype Lifecycle)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: neither first, one named (first choices: GitHub Advanced Security, Snyk Open Source) (alternatives: Black Duck, Endor Labs, FOSSA, Mend.io, Sonatype Lifecycle)
- GPT-6 Luna: neither first, one named (first choices: Snyk Open Source) (alternatives: GitHub's built-in supply-chain tools, Mend.io, Sonatype Lifecycle)
- GPT-5.4 mini: neither named (first choices: Snyk Open Source) (alternatives: FOSSA, OWASP Dependency-Check, OWASP Dependency-Track)
- MiniMax M2.5: neither named (first choices: Snyk Open Source, Sonatype Lifecycle) (alternatives: Black Duck, FOSSA, GitHub Advanced Security)

## What the models said about Mend.io

- "This is the tool that surfaces most frequently in negative developer feedback" (DeepSeek V4 Flash, negative prompt, hard negative)
- "Aggressive automation often creates noise by suggesting unnecessary updates or upgrades that introduce breaking changes." (Claude Haiku 4.5, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "you do not need a high-end enterprise Software Composition Analysis (SCA) tool (like Black Duck, Mend, or Sonatype)" (Gemini 3.5 Flash, budget prompt, soft negative)
- "For most mid-market B2B companies balancing security, compliance, and developer experience, Mend.io is the most frequently recommended choice." (Claude Haiku 4.5, direct prompt, first choice)
- "the best Software Composition Analysis (SCA) tool for a mid-market B2B company is Mend.io" (Qwen 3.7 Flash, direct prompt, first choice)
- "The best software composition analysis tool for a mid-market B2B company is Mend.io" (Llama 4 Maverick, direct prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about GitHub Dependabot

- "Useful for alerts, but sources warn about false positives, limited transitive analysis, and limited remediation automation in this basic form." (Perplexity Sonar, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "a reasonable choice for GitHub-based dependency alerts and updates, but don't assume it gives complete coverage of your software supply chain" (GPT-6 Luna, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "Free/native, but basic (no deep reachability/licenses), prone to stale alerts" (Grok 4.1 Fast, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "GitHub Dependabot is the zero-excuse baseline: dependency alerts and automated update PRs free on every repo" (Muse Glimmer 30B, budget prompt, first choice)
- "Best low-budget starting point: GitHub Dependabot if your code is already on GitHub." (GPT-6 Luna, budget prompt, first choice)
- "the best place to start is GitHub Dependabot (if you're on GitHub) or Trivy" (GLM 4.7 FlashX, budget prompt, first choice)

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category. Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category. Published under CC BY 4.0; the output is the models' output, and nothing here is a recommendation by the index.