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Semgrep

Name: Semgrep
Author: IndiAI Tools Editorial Team

Find and enforce code rules with AST-based code-assistant scanning

Free | Freemium | Paid | Enterprise ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ 4.3/5 💻 Code Assistants 🕒 Updated April 22, 2026

IA Reviewed by the IndiAI Tools editorial team How we review →

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Quick Verdict

Semgrep is an AST-driven code scanning and rule-enforcement tool for developers and security teams that finds patterns, secrets, and policy violations across 30+ languages. Ideal for engineering teams who need customizable, repeatable static checks in CI and pull requests, Semgrep offers a free open-source CLI and a cloud SaaS with tiered paid plans (team, business, enterprise). It emphasizes community-shared rules and precise pattern matching rather than regex heuristics, making it accessible for security engineers and devs at startups through enterprises.

Semgrep is an open-source and commercial code-analysis tool that scans source code using AST-aware, pattern-based rules to detect bugs, security issues, and policy violations. The tool’s primary capability is structural code matching — writing rules that match syntax and semantics across languages — which distinguishes it from regex or token-only scanners. Semgrep serves developers, security engineers, and CI/CD teams by enabling PR-time scans, custom rule libraries, and a shared rule registry. The Semgrep code-assistant model includes a free CLI for local scans and a cloud offering with free and paid tiers, making it accessible for single developers up to large enterprises.

About Semgrep

Semgrep is a source code analysis tool that began as an open-source project and grew into a commercial offering focused on developer-first static analysis. Originating from the team around r2c and the Semgrep project, it positions itself between code search and heavyweight static analyzers by offering pattern-driven, AST-aware scanning that runs locally or as a cloud service. Its core value proposition is precise, low-noise detection: rules look at code structure rather than plain text, which reduces false positives for common security and correctness checks. Semgrep supports many mainstream languages and integrates directly into developer workflows so issues are found earlier.

Key features include the semgrep CLI and the Semgrep App/Cloud for centralized management. The semgrep CLI runs local and CI scans, supports --config flags and rules written in Semgrep's pattern language, and can auto-ignore/inline exceptions. The Semgrep Rules Registry hosts thousands of community and curated rules (community rule counts are sizeable and continuously growing), letting teams adopt vetted checks for OWASP, SANS, and other frameworks. The cloud product adds PR scanning with GitHub/GitLab/Bitbucket integration, issue tracking, and alerting; the rules editor in the web UI enables authoring and testing rules against repository snapshots; and policies allow grouping rules for compliance and gating merges.

Pricing splits between the free open-source CLI and the Semgrep Cloud SaaS. The free/open-source option gives unlimited local scans and rule authoring, with public repo scanning available in the Cloud free tier. Paid Cloud tiers (approximate current pricing) start with Team plans billed per user/month and unlock private repository scanning, retention, and SLA-level support; Business plans raise analysis concurrency and retention; Enterprise provides SSO, on-prem or VPC deployment, and dedicated support for a custom price. Open-source projects and small teams can often start on the free tier, while organizations needing private repo enforcement move to Team or higher.

Semgrep is used by security engineers and developers to shift left on vulnerability detection and policy enforcement. Example roles: a Security Engineer using Semgrep to catch misconfigurations and secrets before merge, and a Senior Backend Engineer using it to enforce input validation patterns across microservices. It fits workflows such as PR scanning, CI gate checks, and codebase-wide audits. Compared with heavyweight commercial SAST like Checkmarx or purely vulnerability-focused tools like Snyk, Semgrep excels at quick rule authoring and precise pattern checks, though enterprises may still pair it with other scanners for binary analysis.

What makes Semgrep different

Three capabilities that set Semgrep apart from its nearest competitors.

✨ Uses AST-aware pattern language so rules match code structure rather than raw text.
✨ Public Rules Registry enables sharing and importing thousands of community rules quickly.
✨ Web rule editor and policy grouping let teams author, test, and enforce rules centrally.

Is Semgrep right for you?

✅ Best for

Security engineers who need PR-time detection and policy enforcement
Backend developers who need custom code-pattern checks in CI
SREs who need to block unsafe configurations before deploy
Open-source maintainers who need free, reproducible static checks

❌ Skip it if

Skip if you require binary or runtime instrumentation SAST only.
Skip if you need language-level taint modeling beyond Semgrep’s current scope.

✅ Pros

Precise AST-based matching reduces false positives compared with regex scanners
Large public rule registry accelerates adoption with thousands of rules
CLI and Cloud options let teams run scans locally, in CI, or as managed SaaS

❌ Cons

Rule authoring has a learning curve; complex patterns require familiarity with AST patterns
Enterprise features and higher analysis concurrency require paid tiers or custom quotes

Semgrep Pricing Plans

Current tiers and what you get at each price point. Verified against the vendor's pricing page.

Plan	Price	What you get	Best for
Free	Free	Unlimited local scans; Cloud public repo scans; basic CI integrations	Open-source projects and individual developers
Team	$20/user/month (approx.)	Private repo scans, PR checks, basic retention and support	Small engineering teams enforcing PR policies
Business	$40/user/month (approx.)	Higher concurrency, longer retention, SSO basics, priority support	Mid-size orgs with compliance needs
Enterprise	Custom	VPC/on-prem deployment, dedicated SLAs, unlimited rules & support	Large enterprises needing SSO and dedicated deployment

Best Use Cases

Security Engineer using it to reduce PR security findings by 60% before merge
Backend Developer using it to enforce 100% rule coverage for input validation across services
DevOps Engineer using it to block misconfigured IaC commits in CI pipelines

Integrations

GitHub GitLab Bitbucket

How to Use Semgrep

1
Install the semgrep CLI

Run pip install semgrep or download the binary from semgrep.dev/install. Installing gives you the semgrep command; success looks like semgrep --version returning a version string.
2
Run a quick repository scan

From your repo root run semgrep --config=auto or semgrep --config=p/ci to scan with community rules. Success is a console report listing findings, file paths, and matching rule IDs.
3
Connect repository to Semgrep Cloud

In the Semgrep App, click Integrations → Connect GitHub/GitLab, authorize the repo, and enable PR scanning. Success: new PRs show Semgrep checks and inline comments.
4
Author and test a custom rule

In the web UI use Rules → New Rule to paste a semgrep YAML pattern, run it against a repository snapshot, and iterate until matches are correct; success is expected matches and minimal false positives.

Semgrep vs Alternatives

Bottom line

Choose Semgrep over Snyk if you need precise, AST-pattern rule authoring and a community rules registry for custom policy enforcement.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Semgrep cost?+

Semgrep Cloud pricing starts with a Free plan. The open-source semgrep CLI is free for unlimited local scans. Paid Cloud tiers add private repo scanning, longer data retention, concurrency, and support; team pricing is commonly listed per-user per-month (approximate public pricing examples exist). Enterprise contracts and on-prem/VPC options use custom quotes—contact sales for exact terms.

Is there a free version of Semgrep?+

Yes — Semgrep provides a free open-source CLI. You can run unlimited local scans and write rules without charge. The Semgrep Cloud also offers a free tier for public repositories and basic features. Paid Cloud tiers unlock private repository scanning, longer retention, and enterprise features such as SSO and dedicated support.

How does Semgrep compare to Snyk?+

Semgrep favors AST-pattern scanning over Snyk's dependency-vulnerability focus. Semgrep excels at custom code-pattern checks and quick rule authoring for source code, while Snyk centers on open-source dependency and IaC vulnerability management. Many teams run both: Semgrep for bespoke code policies and Snyk for dependency vulnerability coverage and remediation suggestions.

What is Semgrep best used for?+

Semgrep fits code scanning and custom rule enforcement. It's best for catching insecure code patterns, secrets, and policy violations in PRs and CI. Teams use it to codify code review rules, enforce OWASP/SANS checks, detect secrets, and perform large-scale codebase audits with reusable rules from the public registry.

How do I get started with Semgrep?+

Install semgrep locally and run a scan against your repo root. Use semgrep --config=auto or select p/ci to leverage community rules. For team use, connect your repository in the Semgrep App, enable PR scanning, and import rules from the Rules Registry. Iterate on rules until matches are accurate and add them to your CI pipeline.