# OWASP Dependency-Check vs GitHub Dependabot: which do AI models recommend for SCA, October 2026

IT AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, Software composition analysis. Zero of fourteen models named OWASP Dependency-Check first on the direct prompt; zero named GitHub Dependabot. Page: https://it-ai-index.com/developer/software-composition-analysis/owasp-dependency-check-vs-github-dependabot/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OWASP Dependency-Check | 8% | #5 of 17 | 23% | 35 | 14 of 14 |
| GitHub Dependabot | 8% | #6 of 17 | 18% | 17 | 9 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

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

## What the models said about OWASP Dependency-Check

- "useful as a free scanner, but I'd avoid treating its results as definitive ... can produce both false positives and false negatives" (GPT-6 Luna, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "It has a higher false-positive rate than Trivy or Grype (due to CPE-based matching), so it requires more triage time." (Kimi K2, budget prompt, soft negative)
- "Basic scanning, can be noisy, and is often cited as lacking the depth and automation of commercial tools." (Perplexity Sonar, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "OWASP Dependency-Check is a free, open-source SCA tool that provides basic CVE scanning for teams with limited budgets." (Claude Haiku 4.5, budget prompt, first choice)
- "the best starting point is usually OWASP Dependency-Check because it is free and open source" (Perplexity Sonar, budget prompt, first choice)
- "the best default choice is usually OWASP Dependency-Check. It's free, open source" (GPT-5.4 mini, budget 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.