What Semgrep CE does well
- • Free and OSS (LGPL-2.1) — no license cost.
- • Polyglot rule engine — write a rule once, run on multiple languages with the same syntax.
- • Fast — written in OCaml, very performant on large repos.
- • Excellent custom rule authoring — pattern-based DSL is one of the best in the industry.
- • Active community contributing rules to the Semgrep Registry with an engineering blog covering taint flow and rule design.
Where the choice differs
| StaticCodeAudit | Semgrep CE | |
|---|---|---|
| Rules out-of-the-box | 697 curated, all CWE/WCAG-mapped | Variable — depends on registry packs you pull |
| ISO 27001 / ASVS / NIST matrices | Built-in | Not bundled (you assemble it) |
| Self-contained HTML report | Yes — 12+ charts, brand-able | SARIF/JSON; HTML via 3rd-party tools |
| Historical baseline comparison | Built-in (10 snapshots) | Manual / via Semgrep AppSec Platform (paid) |
| Custom rule authoring | DSL .sca + interactive wizard | DSL pattern-based (excellent) |
| Languages | 8 (Python, JS/TS, HTML, Java, C#, PHP, YAML, Dockerfile) | 25+ |
| License cost | €990 → €30 K+/year | Free (CE) / paid (AppSec Platform) |
| Compliance reporting effort | Click "Generate" | Build it yourself |
Comparison based on Semgrep CE / Semgrep Registry as of May 2026. Source: semgrep.dev.
Pick StaticCodeAudit if…
- ✅ You need a compliance binder ready to hand to an auditor — ISO 27001 Annex A matrix, ASVS verifications, WCAG 2.1 mapping, all in one HTML.
- ✅ You don't want to build the rule pack and the report layer yourself.
- ✅ You're OK paying for a maintained, curated, branded commercial product instead of an OSS toolkit.
- ✅ You want historical baseline comparison without paying for an AppSec platform.
Pick Semgrep CE if…
- ✅ You have engineers who love writing rules and want maximum flexibility on the DSL.
- ✅ You only need findings in JSON/SARIF — no HTML report, no compliance matrix.
- ✅ Your team already has a SAST orchestration pipeline (DefectDojo, GitHub code scanning) and you just want a fast scanner.
- ✅ Budget is the primary constraint and you have time to assemble the rule packs you need.
Architecture in one sentence each
StaticCodeAudit
A single binary, runs offline, ships 697 curated rules already mapped to CWE / WCAG / ISO 27001 / ASVS / NIST CSF. You launch ./run_audit.py (or the binary) and get an HTML report ready to attach to an audit binder.
Semgrep CE
Also a CLI that runs locally (no source code uploaded if you stay on CE). Strong YAML-based rule DSL. You bring your own rules or pull packs from the Semgrep Registry. The community editions ships without compliance matrices or self-contained HTML reports — these are in the paid Semgrep AppSec Platform.
Both tools share the offline philosophy if you stay on Semgrep CE. The real choice is between « I'll author my rules and assemble compliance evidence » (Semgrep) and « I want curated coverage + audit-ready report on day one » (StaticCodeAudit).
Concrete pricing scenarios (annual)
Semgrep CE is free (OSS, Apache-2.0). The paid Semgrep AppSec Platform adds dashboard, baseline comparison, organisation rules, support; pricing is per-developer and starts in the same range as other SaaS SAST (~$40/dev/mo published; Enterprise on quote). StaticCodeAudit is a flat annual fee at every tier — no seat counting.
| Scenario | StaticCodeAudit | Semgrep |
|---|---|---|
| Solo / freelance 1 developer, ~50 K SLOC |
990 €/year (Solo tier, curated + audit report) | Free (CE) — bring/write your own rules |
| Startup / small team 10 developers, ~500 K SLOC |
3 990 €/year (Team, flat) | Free (CE) or Semgrep AppSec Platform (~$40 × 10 × 12 = $4 800/year for managed) |
| Mid-market / regulated 30 developers, ~2 M SLOC |
11 990 €/year (Team Plus, flat) | Semgrep AppSec Platform Enterprise (custom; published list pricing in 5-figure range) |
Semgrep CE: free under Apache 2.0. Semgrep AppSec Platform pricing: semgrep.dev/pricing. Conversion 1 € ≈ 1.07 USD (May 2026 indicative).
Frequently asked questions
Is Semgrep CE truly free and offline-capable?
Yes. Semgrep Community Edition is OSS (Apache 2.0), runs entirely as a local CLI, and does not phone home for analysis itself. The paid Semgrep AppSec Platform adds a cloud dashboard on top. So if your only concern is « offline scanning », Semgrep CE matches that — the choice then becomes about curated rules vs. DIY.
Why pay for StaticCodeAudit when Semgrep CE is free?
You're paying for three things Semgrep CE leaves to you: (1) the 697 curated rules with explicit metadata (CWE, OWASP, ISO Annex A, ASVS v5, NIST CSF) — assembling that catalogue costs serious time; (2) the self-contained branded HTML report with 12+ charts and historical baseline comparison; (3) bundled compliance matrices ready to attach to an audit. If you have an in-house security team to curate Semgrep rules and build reporting, Semgrep CE is a fine path.
Can I import Semgrep rules into StaticCodeAudit (and vice versa)?
Not directly today. The two DSLs differ: Semgrep uses YAML pattern-matching with AST queries, StaticCodeAudit uses .sca with regex/AST/taint modes. Migration is rule-by-rule, but the concepts map (source → sink, sanitizers, severity, language). The --create-rule wizard accelerates re-writing.
What about language coverage?
Semgrep advertises 30+ languages. StaticCodeAudit covers 8 (Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, HTML, Java, C#, PHP, YAML, Dockerfile). If you scan Go, Rust, Ruby, Kotlin, Swift or C/C++, Semgrep is broader today.
Can I run both side by side?
Yes, they're independent CLIs with no conflict. Many teams run Semgrep CE for « detect anything pattern-matchable » and a curated SAST like StaticCodeAudit for « ship the compliance evidence ». Output overlap is normal; deduplication happens at triage based on CWE.
See what 697 curated rules + matrices look like
Open the live demo report — generated on a real codebase, all charts interactive, ISO/ASVS/WCAG matrices included.
Open the live report Book a walkthrough