GitHub Advanced Security vs Semgrep

GitHub Advanced Security and Semgrep are both developer security solutions. GitHub Advanced Security gitHub-native security scanning with CodeQL SAST, secret scanning, and Dependabot dependency management, while Semgrep lightweight, open-source static analysis with intuitive pattern-matching rules and fast scan performance. The best choice depends on your organization's size, technical requirements, and budget.

Choose GitHub Advanced Security if zero-friction integration for GitHub-native development teams is your priority and development teams already using GitHub that want native, zero-friction security scanning integrated directly into their pull request workflow. Choose Semgrep if open-source core engine with no licensing costs for CLI usage matters most and security-conscious development teams that want fast, customizable static analysis with the ability to write organization-specific security rules.

Semgrep starts at Free (open-source CLI) / Team from $40/developer/month / Enterprise custom (per-developer (monthly)). GitHub Advanced Security starts at Free for public repos / $49/committer/month for GitHub Enterprise (per-active-committer (monthly)). As always, the sticker price only tells part of the story. Factor in add-ons, implementation costs, and what's actually included at each tier.

It depends on how deeply GitHub Advanced Security is embedded in your stack. Most teams run both in parallel for a few weeks before cutting over. Check whether Semgrep supports importing your existing configs or policies. That's usually the biggest time sink.