Gitleaks vs Semgrep Code: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)
Features, pricing, ratings, and pros & cons — compared head-to-head.
Gitleaks is a free static application security testing tool. Semgrep Code is a commercial static application security testing tool by Semgrep. Compare features, ratings, integrations, and community reviews side by side to find the best static application security testing fit for your security stack.
CST VerdictBased on our analysis of NIST CSF 2.0 coverage, core features, integrations, company size fit, here is our conclusion:
Development teams and startups with tight budgets should use Gitleaks because it catches hardcoded secrets in git repos before they reach production, and the 23,000-plus GitHub stars mean you're getting battle-tested detection rules maintained by a real community. It runs free and requires no infrastructure, so you can wire it into CI/CD in an afternoon. Skip this if your organization needs centralized secret management across multiple repositories and environments; Gitleaks finds leaks but doesn't rotate or remediate them.
Development teams shipping code across 30+ languages need Semgrep Code because it catches vulnerabilities in pull requests before merge, not in staging; the AI-powered triage cuts false positives by filtering GPT-4 findings through 900+ high-confidence rules, so developers actually fix real issues instead of ignoring alerts. Scans complete in under five minutes with native GitHub and GitLab integration, meaning security checks won't become a bottleneck in your CI/CD. Skip this if your primary concern is runtime or infrastructure risk; Semgrep Code prioritizes the ID.RA and PR.PS phases where developers can still act, not post-deployment detection.
