To compare scanners fairly, run each one on the same three repositories for a week, seed a few known vulnerable packages, and score the same five things: coverage, noise, speed, fix guidance and fit with your workflow. Demos on sample projects tell you very little.
Day 1: choose the test set
Pick three repositories: one typical, one with an awkward build or monorepo layout, and one old one with neglected dependencies. Add a throwaway branch where you deliberately install two or three packages with known advisories. This gives you ground truth.
Day 2: run and record
Run every tool on the same commits. Record the finding count, run time, and whether your seeded packages were found. A tool that misses a seeded issue has a coverage gap, whatever its marketing says.
Day 3: audit the noise
Take ten random findings per tool and classify each as correct and relevant, correct but not relevant, or wrong. Count the share in each bucket. Reachability or exploit context should move findings from the second bucket into a labelled lower priority.
Day 4: test the fix path
For five findings, see what the tool tells you. A fixed version? A pull request? A note that no fix exists? Try one fix and run your tests.
Day 5: test the workflow
Add it to a pull request check. Is the comment readable? Can you suppress a finding with a reason and an expiry? Can a developer who is not a security person act on it?
Score it
- Found seeded issues
- Share of useful findings
- Time to scan
- Fix guidance
- Workflow fit
Set the weights before you look at results, so a flashy interface does not rewrite your priorities.
Things a trial cannot show
Long term support quality, how the vendor handles a data question, and behaviour at your full scale. Ask for references on those, and read the data handling terms.
Keep the trial honest
Tell each vendor the same rules and give each the same inputs. Avoid letting a sales engineer run the tool for you on a prepared project, because you will learn about their skill rather than the product. If a tool needs heavy setup before it works, record the hours. Setup cost is part of the price you pay even when the licence is free.
Write your conclusion in a short note with the scores and the reasons. Three months later, when someone asks why you chose it, the note answers.
Try it yourself
Click through it at your own pace, or open it full screen.
Look at what a finding record contains, and use it as a checklist for what to compare.
Where Safeguard fits
If you want one candidate in your test, Safeguard offers a free scan that works on your own repository.
Quick check
How many tools should I trial?
Two or three. More than that and the comparison work outgrows the decision.
Last reviewed: 19 October 2026.
