Several SAST tools are free to use: Semgrep Community Edition, Bandit, gosec, Find Security Bugs, SonarQube Community Build, CodeQL on public GitHub repositories, GitLab's basic SAST analyzers and Snyk's free plan with 100 SAST tests per month. Each has a catch, listed below.
Safeguard publishes this guide and sells a competing product, so we describe other tools only from their own documentation. Details are as of 19 October 2026.
Key takeaways
- Free engine does not always mean free rules, free private repos or free pull request analysis.
- Open source scanners cost nothing in licenses but cost setup and triage time.
- Hosted free plans cap usage, so check limits against your commit volume.
- Read the license before using a free tool inside a paid service.
Which SAST tools are free?
| Tool | What is free | The catch, as documented |
|---|---|---|
| Semgrep | Community Edition engine (LGPL-2.1). Team tier of AppSec Platform for up to 10 contributors on private repos | Semgrep-maintained rules are for internal business use. Community Edition analyzes within a single function or file |
| CodeQL | Code scanning and CodeQL CLI on public repositories | Private repositories need a GitHub Code Security license. Runs consume Actions minutes |
| SonarQube Community Build | Self-managed, free and open source | Sonar lists taint analysis and branch and pull request analysis under paid editions |
| Snyk Code | Free plan includes SAST at 100 tests per month | Team plan lists 1,000 tests per month |
| GitLab SAST | Free and Premium tiers include basic open-source analyzers | Advanced SAST with cross-file scanning needs Ultimate, and merge request findings are Ultimate |
| Bandit | Open source Python scanner | Python only |
| gosec | Apache-2.0 Go scanner | Go only, requires Go 1.25 or newer |
| Find Security Bugs | LGPL SpotBugs plugin for Java | Java web applications |
Is Semgrep free for commercial use?
The engine is, and Semgrep's FAQ says you can use it at work on private and proprietary code. The catch is the rules license: Semgrep-maintained rules are for internal business purposes and cannot be resold. Consultants who charge for scanning that includes them need a license.
Is CodeQL free?
For public repositories, GitHub's table shows code scanning and the CodeQL CLI available without the add-on. For private repositories they need GitHub Code Security, a paid add-on on Team or Enterprise plans. Each workflow run also uses Actions minutes.
What is the real cost of free?
Free tools cost your time. OWASP lists high false positives as a typical SAST weakness, so someone has to tune and triage. Budget a few hours in the first week and an hour or so weekly afterward. See how to reduce SAST false positives.
How do I choose a free option?
- Check your repository type: public or private.
- Check contributor and test limits against your team size and commit volume.
- Check the rules license if you sell scanning or build a product on it.
- Confirm pull request analysis is included at the free tier.
- Run two on one repository and compare.
Free also exists outside SAST. The in-browser dependency scan checks a manifest for known vulnerable packages with no login, keeps the file on your machine and handles up to 100 dependencies.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free SAST tool?
There is no sourced single best. Pick by language and host, then trial two.
Is SonarQube free?
Community Build is free and self-managed. Developer and Enterprise editions are paid.
Is Snyk Code free?
The free plan lists SAST at 100 tests per month, per Snyk's plans page.
Can I use free SAST on private repositories?
Yes with open source scanners and Semgrep. CodeQL needs a license for private repositories.
Are free tools good enough for compliance?
They can produce scan evidence, but check the specific requirement. SAST alone does not meet most frameworks.
Sources
- Semgrep FAQ: https://docs.semgrep.dev/faq/overview
- Semgrep repository README: https://github.com/semgrep/semgrep
- GitHub, About GitHub Advanced Security: https://docs.github.com/en/get-started/learning-about-github/about-github-advanced-security
- GitHub, About code scanning: https://docs.github.com/en/code-security/code-scanning/introduction-to-code-scanning/about-code-scanning
- SonarQube downloads: https://www.sonarsource.com/products/sonarqube/downloads/
- SonarQube Community Build docs: https://docs.sonarsource.com/sonarqube-community-build/
- Snyk plans: https://snyk.io/plans/
- GitLab SAST docs: https://docs.gitlab.com/user/application_security/sast/
- Bandit docs: https://bandit.readthedocs.io/en/latest/
- gosec: https://github.com/securego/gosec
- Find Security Bugs: https://find-sec-bugs.github.io/
- OWASP Source Code Analysis Tools: https://community.owasp.org/Source_Code_Analysis_Tools
Last reviewed: 19 October 2026.
