- Semgrep is a rules-based SAST engine. Semgrep Community Edition stays LGPL-2.1, and the Opengrep fork (also LGPL-2.1) keeps the engine plus rules fully open source after the December 2024 Semgrep Rules License change. Snyk is a multi-product platform where SAST (Snyk Code), SCA (Snyk Open Source), IaC (Snyk IaC), and Container (Snyk Container) share a single dashboard.
- Snyk Code uses the DeepCode AI engine optimised for speed and signal-to-noise. Semgrep uses pattern-matching across abstract syntax trees, which makes custom rule writing significantly easier than Snyk's closed engine.
- Semgrep covers 35+ languages across GA, beta, and experimental tiers. Snyk Code supports around 17 languages but adds Snyk Open Source, Container, and IaC scanning in the same workflow if you want a single platform.
- Semgrep AppSec Platform pricing starts at $30 per contributor per month for the Teams plan. Snyk Team is $25 per contributing developer per month for the Open Source plan, with a 5-developer minimum and a 10-developer cap; Snyk Code is sold separately on top.
- The pair is not really apples to apples. Semgrep is the right SAST engine when rule transparency and CLI-first workflows matter; Snyk is the broader platform when SAST, SCA, IaC, and Container in one buy is the goal.
Which Is Better: Semgrep or Snyk?
Semgrep wins for SAST engine transparency and custom rules. Snyk wins for one-platform coverage across SAST, SCA, IaC, and Container.
Semgrep is a rules-based SAST engine: open-source via Opengrep (LGPL-2.1), with a paid AppSec Platform that starts at $30 per contributor per month.
Snyk is a multi-product AppSec platform where Snyk Code (SAST), Snyk Open Source (SCA), Snyk IaC, and Snyk Container share one dashboard. The Team tier starts at $25 per contributing developer per month.
A direct head-to-head needs care because Semgrep is a SAST engine while Snyk is a multi-product platform. The closest like-for-like comparison is Semgrep vs Snyk Code (the SAST scanner inside the Snyk platform).
On that engine-vs-engine angle, Semgrep is the more transparent option. The rules engine is open source via Opengrep, the rule set is publicly inspectable, and custom rules are first-class. Snyk Code uses a closed AI engine optimised for low false positives and speed.
The harder choice is the platform layer. If your team needs SAST plus SCA, IaC, and Container in one tool, Snyk’s bundle is the more convenient buy. If you want best-of-breed in each category, Semgrep is the SAST and you handle SCA with another tool.
Key Differences
| Dimension | Semgrep | Snyk |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | SAST engine + AppSec Platform (rules, secrets, supply chain) | Multi-product platform (Code SAST, Open Source SCA, IaC, Container) |
| Open source | Opengrep (LGPL-2.1) is the OSS fork of Semgrep CE | Snyk CLI is OSS; products (Code, Open Source, IaC, Container) are commercial |
| SAST engine | Pattern matching on AST, custom rules in YAML | DeepCode AI symbolic execution (closed) |
| Languages | 35+ for Semgrep Code (rules-based, easy to extend) | ~17 for Snyk Code; 1000+ package managers for Snyk Open Source |
| IDE plugins | VS Code, JetBrains, Vim, Emacs | VS Code, IntelliJ, Visual Studio, Eclipse, Cursor, Windsurf |
| Pricing | Teams plan from $30 per contributor per month | Open Source Team from $25 per contributing developer per month |
| Best for | Custom-rule SAST, transparency, CI-first workflows | One-platform AppSec across SAST, SCA, IaC, Container |
Head-to-Head
How does each engine actually work?
Semgrep is rules-based. The engine matches patterns against the abstract syntax tree of the source code, with rules written in YAML using a Python-like syntax. Custom rules are the core feature, and the public rules registry (semgrep.dev/r) hosts thousands of community-maintained rules.
Snyk Code is closed-engine. It uses the DeepCode AI symbolic-execution engine that Snyk acquired in September 2020, with rules curated by Snyk’s research team. Custom rules exist but are far less central to the product than they are in Semgrep.
If rule transparency is part of your AppSec governance story (auditors asking “show me the rule that catches X”), Semgrep is the easier answer.
Which languages does each cover?
Semgrep Code supports 35+ languages across GA, beta, and experimental maturity tiers. The GA list includes Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Java, Go, Ruby, C, C++, C#, Kotlin, Swift, PHP, Scala, Rust, and Terraform.
Snyk Code supports around 17 languages with full SAST analysis: Apex, C/C++, COBOL, Dart/Flutter, Elixir, Go, Groovy, Java/Kotlin, JavaScript, .NET (C# and VB.NET), PHP, Python, Ruby, Rust, Scala, Swift/Objective-C, and TypeScript.
Snyk Open Source covers 1000+ package managers across every major language ecosystem, and Snyk IaC and Snyk Container add their own coverage.
For SAST language reach in a single tool, Semgrep wins. For total coverage across SAST + SCA + IaC + Container in one tool, Snyk wins.
Is Semgrep still open source after Opengrep?
Semgrep CE remains LGPL-2.1, but in December 2024 Semgrep introduced a Semgrep Rules License that restricted commercial use of vendor-maintained rules.
A consortium of security vendors responded in January 2025 with Opengrep, an LGPL-2.1 fork of the engine maintained under foundation governance. Opengrep is the live OSS option going forward.
The Snyk CLI is open source and the Snyk vulnerability database is published as snyk.io/vuln. The actual scanning engines (Snyk Code, Snyk Open Source, Snyk IaC, Snyk Container) are commercial products sold via the Snyk platform.
Open-source-first teams generally pick Opengrep or Semgrep AppSec Platform; one-platform teams pick Snyk.
How much do Semgrep and Snyk cost?
Semgrep AppSec Platform’s Teams plan starts at $30 per contributor per month, with the Secrets product priced at $15 per contributor per month on top. The Free Edition covers up to 10 contributors. The Enterprise plan is quote-based and adds managed rules, supply chain coverage, and SOC 2 compliance reporting.
Snyk Open Source pricing starts at $25 per contributing developer per month on the Team plan, with a 5-developer minimum and a 10-developer maximum. Larger teams move to Enterprise. Snyk Code is sold separately on top of any plan.
The Snyk Free tier covers up to 100 Snyk Code tests, 100 Snyk Container tests, 200 Snyk Open Source (SCA) tests, and 300 Snyk IaC tests per month — enough to evaluate each product but not for a production pipeline.
For published-pricing transparency on the Team tier, Semgrep is more straightforward to procure. For larger teams, both vendors negotiate enterprise contracts.
Which IDE integration is better?
Semgrep has plugins for VS Code, JetBrains, Vim, Emacs, and Sublime Text. The VS Code plugin shows findings inline with quick-fix suggestions on supported rules.
Snyk’s IDE plugins (VS Code, IntelliJ, Visual Studio, Eclipse, Cursor, Windsurf) cover all four products. Snyk Code findings, Snyk Open Source vulnerabilities, Snyk IaC misconfigurations, and Snyk Container issues all surface in the same panel.
For SAST-only IDE work, Semgrep is sharp. For all-in-one AppSec inside the IDE, Snyk has more reach.
How do they fit into CI and automation?
Semgrep is CLI-first. Drop semgrep ci into any pipeline and it runs with the rules from your config or the Semgrep AppSec Platform. The standalone CLI works without any cloud account.
Snyk is also CLI-friendly via snyk test and snyk monitor, but the workflow is platform-driven. Most teams use the Snyk dashboard for triage, prioritisation, and reporting rather than parsing CLI output.
For teams that want PR-cycle SAST gating without a SaaS dashboard, Semgrep is the lighter touch. For teams that want a managed platform with dashboards, Snyk is the natural fit.
When to Choose Each
Choose Semgrep when
- You want a transparent, customisable SAST engine where you can write your own rules.
- Your stack is broad (35+ languages) and you need uniform SAST coverage.
- Open-source-first development matters, and Opengrep gives you a fully OSS path.
- You handle SCA, IaC, and Container with separate tools and prefer best-of-breed.
- CLI-first CI workflows are part of how you ship.
Choose Snyk when
- You want SAST + SCA + IaC + Container in a single platform with one dashboard and one bill.
- Developer UX inside the IDE, across all AppSec issues, is part of the requirement.
- You need a curated vulnerability database with enterprise support and remediation guidance.
- The team prefers a managed SaaS dashboard for triage over CLI output parsing.
- Snyk Code’s lower-false-positive AI engine is more important to you than rule transparency.
Choose both when
- Semgrep is the SAST engine of choice for custom rules, and Snyk handles SCA, IaC, and Container alongside it. Disable Snyk Code to avoid duplicate SAST findings.
Related comparisons
- Snyk vs SonarQube — Two platforms competing on the SAST + dependency-scanning bundle.
- Semgrep vs SonarQube — Custom-rule SAST engine vs all-in-one quality platform.
- Semgrep vs CodeQL — Two SAST query engines compared on language coverage and rule writing.
- Snyk alternatives — Wider field of platforms competing with Snyk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Semgrep better than Snyk?
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Founder, AppSec Santa
9+ years in application security. Reviews and compares 201 AppSec tools across 12 categories to help teams pick the right solution. More about me →