Static application security testing · October 2026 Edition
Semgrep vs SonarQube
Four of fourteen models named Semgrep first on the direct prompt; three named SonarQube. Both were named by all fourteen models and Semgrep carries 63 labels and SonarQube 62, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in three categories this edition.
SonarQube
accepted challengerNamed in four categories this edition.
First-choice share36%22%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate5%18%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#1#2A position in a field of 10; printed, not drawn.
Labels6362A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, Semgrep reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.Snyk Code was named alongside these two in nine of the fourteen direct answers. Semgrep vs Snyk Code · Semgrep vs Snyk · Semgrep vs CodeQL
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; every quote names the model and the prompt it came from. Both figures come from the static application security testing page.
By framing
How many of the fourteen models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
SemgrepFirst choices, of fourteen modelsSonarQubeDirect43
Paraphrase45
Comparative403 against SonarQube
Budget-constrained93
Scale-constrained10
Negative403 against Semgrep · 8 against SonarQube
Bars are first choices, 0 to 14 each sideModels that argued againstA model can name both, so the two sides of a row do not sum to fourteen.
Across every category in the October 2026 Edition, Semgrep and SonarQube were named in the same answer 143 times, of the 208 answers naming Semgrep and the 189 naming SonarQube. In those answers SonarQube took the first choice twelve times and Semgrep sixty.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where Semgrep and SonarQube stood in it.
| Model | DirectSO | ParaphraseSO | ComparativeSO | Budget-constrainedSO | Scale-constrainedSO | NegativeSO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | SO | SO | SO | |||
| GPT-5.4 mini | | SO | SO | SO | ||
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | | SO | SO | SO | | |
| Perplexity Sonar | | SO | SO | |||
| Grok 4.20 | SO | SO | SO | SO | SO | SO |
| Mistral Small | | SO | SO | SO | ||
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | SO | SO | SO | SO | SO | |
| Llama 4 Maverick | SO | |||||
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | SO | SO | SO | SO | SO | |
| Kimi K2 | SO | SO | SO | SO | | SO |
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | SO | SO | SO | | ||
| MiniMax M2.5 | | SO | SO | SO | SO | |
| GPT-6 Luna | | | SO | SO | SO | |
| Muse Glimmer 30B | SO | SO | SO | SO | SO |
SemgrepSO SonarQube first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Semgrep on the left and SonarQube on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where Semgrep and SonarQube stood in it.
Semgrep first, SonarQube an alternative
4 of 14 modelsSonarQube was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.GPT-5.4 miniSemgrep alternatives: Checkmarx One, Snyk Code, Veracode Static Analysis
Perplexity SonarSemgrep alternatives: Checkmarx One, Snyk Code
Kimi K2Semgrep, Snyk Code alternatives: SonarQube
GPT-6 LunaSemgrep alternatives: GitHub Advanced Security, Snyk
SonarQube first, Semgrep an alternative
3 of 14 modelsSemgrep was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Qwen 3.7 FlashSonarQube alternatives: Semgrep, Snyk Code
GLM 4.7 FlashXSonarQube alternatives: Checkmarx One, Codacy, DeepSource, GitHub Advanced Security, OpenText Fortify, Semgrep, Snyk Code, Veracode Static Analysis
Muse Glimmer 30BSonarQube alternatives: Semgrep
Neither was the first choice, one was named
5 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.Gemini 3.5 FlashAikido Security alternatives: GitHub Advanced Security, GitLab SAST, Semgrep, Snyk Code
Grok 4.20Snyk Code alternatives: Semgrep, SonarQube
Mistral SmallSnyk alternatives: Aikido Security, Semgrep
DeepSeek V4 FlashSnyk Code alternatives: CodeAnt.ai, Semgrep, SonarQube
MiniMax M2.5Snyk alternatives: Semgrep, Veracode Static Analysis
Neither was named
2 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.Claude Haiku 4.5no first choice
Llama 4 MaverickSnyk Code
Bold names in an answer are the products the judge labeled a first choice; a model naming several gives each of them that label. The full answer text for every row is in the record.
By buyer segment
The same question asked on behalf of a different buyer. Each standing is computed within its segment and they are never added together. The figures above are the mid-market standing, which is the one the category orders by.
Small business
Semgrep leads by thirty-nine points.
Semgrep53%#1 of 13SonarQube14%#2 of 13
The full small business standing →Mid-marketThe figures above
Semgrep leads by fourteen points.
Semgrep36%#1 of 10SonarQube22%#2 of 10
The full mid-market standing →Enterprise
The order flips: SonarQube leads at enterprise.
SonarQube9%#3 of 10
Semgrep4%#5 of 10What the models said about Semgrep
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of seven in this category shown.
“Semgrep OSS and Bandit are fast and low false-positive for obvious patterns, but miss vulnerabilities that span multiple functions... insufficient as sole nightly security scanners” Muse Glimmer 30B · negative prompt · soft negative
“Semgrep Community Edition as your only deep security scanner: It can be useful for fast checks and custom rules, but its analysis is limited to a file/function context” GPT-6 Luna · negative prompt · soft negative
“Checkmarx, Veracode, and Semgrep have all struggled with this because their rule-based engines flag anything that could be a vulnerability” Claude Haiku 4.5 · negative prompt · soft negative
“Semgrep as the primary scanner across all languages... For most budget-constrained companies, Semgrep OSS + SonarQube Community Edition... is the most commonly recommended starting point” Muse Glimmer 30B · budget prompt · first choice
“Tools like Semgrep are generally preferred for modern CI/CD because they are lightweight, customizable, and run significantly faster.” GLM 4.7 FlashX · negative prompt · first choice
“look for developer-friendly alternatives like Semgrep, where rules are written in YAML and read like standard code” Gemini 3.5 Flash · negative prompt · first choice
What the models said about SonarQube
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.
“Noisiest out-of-box (40-60%+ FPs on Java/TS; OWASP F1-score ~27% in some evals)... avoid for security-only if you can't invest in config” Grok 4.20 · negative prompt · hard negative
“Tools originally designed for *general code quality* (like SpotBugs, SonarQube's default rules) are often very weak at security-specific detection” DeepSeek V4 Flash · negative prompt · soft negative
“A code-quality scanner treated as comprehensive security coverage... verify the actual security rules for your languages, frameworks, and edition.” GPT-6 Luna · negative prompt · soft negative
“The best SAST tool for a company with a limited budget is Semgrep's free tier, SonarQube Community, Snyk Code's Team plan, or DeepSource.” Llama 4 Maverick · budget prompt · first choice
“The Best All-Around Choice: SonarQube (by SonarSource) This is the most balanced recommendation for most mid-sized companies.” Qwen 3.7 Flash · paraphrase prompt · first choice
“For many mid-sized B2B companies, SonarQube or Snyk offer good balance between cost, ease of use, and effectiveness.” Claude Haiku 4.5 · paraphrase prompt · first choice
Also compared
Semgrep vs Snyk CodeSemgrep vs SnykSemgrep vs CodeQLSemgrep vs GitHub Advanced SecuritySemgrep vs Veracode Static AnalysisSemgrep vs Checkmarx OneSonarQube vs Snyk CodeSonarQube vs SnykSonarQube vs CodeQLSonarQube vs GitHub Advanced SecuritySonarQube vs Veracode Static AnalysisSonarQube vs Checkmarx OneAll twenty-eight head-to-head pages and the full SAST standing
Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category, each against each. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.