Application Security Testing (AST) tools are critical for ensuring software applications remain secure against vulnerabilities. When comparing AST tools, Snyk and GitHub Advanced Security are two prominent options for teams focused on secure development practices. This article highlights their respective capabilities, key differences, strengths, and weaknesses to help you make an informed decision.
For enterprises requiring a complete solution that combines superior scanning capabilities (including SAST, SCA, Secrets, and more) with integrations and platform extensibility, read on to the end to learn why Cydode’s Complete Application Security Posture Management (ASPM) platform may be the best GitHub Advanced Security and Snyk alternative for your needs.
What is Snyk?
Snyk is a developer-first security platform designed to integrate security into developer workflows. Initially focused on Software Composition Analysis (SCA) for identifying vulnerabilities in open-source dependencies, Snyk has expanded to include scanning for code, container images, infrastructure as code (IaC), and more.
Snyk’s emphasis on developer workflows and “shift-left” security has led to wide adoption among agile DevOps teams.
What is GitHub Advanced Security?
GitHub Advanced Security is a security suite integrated into the GitHub platform. It includes SAST, SCA, and secret scanning to identify vulnerabilities, prevent exposed secrets, and secure third-party dependencies.
Built for teams already leveraging GitHub Enterprise, GitHub Advanced Security simplifies integrating security into the GitHub ecosystem and developer workflows.
What is Cycode?
Cycode is a Complete Application Security Posture Management (ASPM) platform. It combines native application security testing (SAST, SCA, IaC, and Container) and pipeline security scanning (Secrets, Code Leak Detection, CI/CD) with extensive third-party integrations, deep risk intelligence (including exposure path analysis and owner mapping), and automated remediation to shorten the lifecycle of high-risk vulnerabilities at scale.
For enterprises managing risk across complex environments, Cycode consolidates and supplements security tools to deliver more resilience and a lower cost of ownership.
Key Features of Snyk
Snyk’s strength lies in its developer-first approach. It integrates well with IDEs, CI/CD pipelines, and repositories to provide fast feedback to developers. This makes it well-suited for organizations looking for an agile security solution with a good developer experience.
- Dependency scanning: Identifies vulnerabilities in open-source libraries and dependencies, helping teams proactively address risks.
- Developer-friendly integrations: Embeds security seamlessly into developer workflows, ensuring minimal disruption and maximum adoption.
- Fast feedback: Delivers actionable insights in real-time, enabling developers to fix vulnerabilities faster and more efficiently.
- Container and IaC security: Analyzes container images and infrastructure configurations to secure the entire development environment.
Key Features of GitHub Advanced Security
GitHub Advanced Security’s strengths lie in its native integration with the GitHub environment and workflows. The Advanced Security offering enhances development workflows with built-in security capabilities.
- Seamless GitHub Integration: Built directly into the GitHub platform for easy adoption by development teams.
- CodeQL for Static Analysis: A query-based code analysis tool that identifies vulnerabilities in proprietary code.
- Dependency Reviews: Highlights security issues in dependencies during pull requests.
- Secret Scanning: Detects and alerts on exposed secrets in code repositories.
Key Features of Cycode
Cycode’s strengths lie in its high-quality native AST and pipeline security suite augmented by extensive integrations with third-party scanners and SDLC tools. This unifies visibility and taps into deep context to power risk-based prioritization and rapid remediation of software vulnerabilities at scale.
- Proprietary Pipeline & AST Scanning: Secure code, software supply chains, and pipelines including detection of exposed secrets across all developer tools
- Third-Party Integration: Unified visibility, prioritization, and remediation across any security ecosystem via ConnectorX
- Risk Intelligence Graph & Change Impact Analysis: Risk-based prioritization with exposure path analysis and proactive assessment of every code change
Developer Experience: Accurate detection, risk prioritization, and AI assistance in developer workflows equals fewer tasks, faster fixes, and less effort
Snyk vs GitHub Advanced Security vs Cycode: 3 Key Differences
- Platform Support and Ecosystem:
- Snyk: Supports multiple version control systems (e.g., GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket) and integrates across diverse CI/CD pipelines, IDEs, and other tools.
- GitHub Advanced Security: Native integration with the GitHub ecosystem without requiring external tools but exclusively for GitHub repositories.
- Cycode: Unifies security across the entire SDLC and integrates with SCMs, CI/CD tools, artifact registries, and cloud environments while also ingesting contextual data from vulnerability management, log management, and more.
- Feature Scope:
- Snyk: Offers a broader range of security solutions including dependency, container, and infrastructure as code (IaC) security.
- GitHub Advanced Security: Focuses on code security, secret scanning, and dependency management within GitHub
- Cycode: Combines AST, supply chain, and pipeline security with deep insights and context into risks that other platforms miss.
- Security Focus:
- Snyk: Prioritizes developer-friendly workflows for teams looking for security coverage across applications, dependencies, containers, and infrastructure.
- GitHub Advanced Security: Offers built-in code and dependency security tools for teams already using GitHub for development.
- Cycode: Empowers developers and security teams to fix what matters faster with unified visibility from proprietary and third-party scanners and deep risk assessment.
| Cycode | Snyk | GitHub Advanced Security | |
| AST Coverage | SAST, SCA, IaC, and Container | SAST, SCA, IaC, and Container | SAST, SCA |
| Pipeline & Secrets | Best-in-class secrets security across SDLC, collaboration, and other developer tools | No | Limited to GitHub |
| Software Supply Chain Security | Dependency, SBOM, and CI/CD security | Dependency and SBOM but lacks CI/CD security | Limited to dependency check within GitHub |
| Platform Integrations | Extensive integrations into SDLC tools | Extensive integrations into SDLC tools | Limited to GitHub |
| ASPM | Extensive third-party integrations and connect any tool with ConnectorX | Limited integrations for runtime context | No |
| Best For | Enterprises seeking complete visibility and risk reduction across code, supply chain, secrets, and more | Teams looking for developer-centric code security with alternative solutions for pipeline security and ASPM | Teams exclusively using GitHub looking for built-in security tools |
Snyk Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Integration with Developer Tools: Snyk embeds security checks directly into developers’ existing workflows, such as IDEs and CI/CD pipelines, enabling seamless adoption and minimal disruption.
- Vulnerability Detection: Provides immediate feedback and actionable solutions, empowering developers to identify and fix vulnerabilities early in the software development lifecycle.
- Ease of Use: Snyk’s intuitive interface and straightforward setup allow teams to onboard quickly, focusing on core development tasks without steep learning curves.
- Strong Support for Open-Source Security: Specializes in dependency analysis, ensuring teams can proactively manage risks in their software supply chain.
Cons:
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- Limited Enterprise Governance Features: Snyk’s focus on developers makes it less suited for organizations with stringent compliance and governance requirements.
- Less Comprehensive Testing: While excellent for open-source and container security, Snyk lacks advanced capabilities like IAST, which limits its coverage for runtime vulnerabilities.
- Cost Scaling: Pricing can become expensive for larger teams or enterprises with extensive needs.
- Limited extensibility and visibility: Snyk’s lack of certain scan types and limited integrations with third-party scanners require additional tools to unify visibility and cover gaps in vulnerability detection.
GitHub Advanced Security Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Native Integration with GitHub: Built directly into the GitHub platform, GitHub Advanced Security eliminates the need for additional tools, simplifying adoption for teams already using GitHub.
- CodeQL for Proprietary Code Scanning: Offers advanced static analysis tailored for detecting vulnerabilities in custom codebases, leveraging a robust query language.
- Dependency Insights During Pull Requests: Provides security feedback on dependencies in real-time, ensuring issues are addressed before merging code.
- Secret Scanning: Detects and alerts on exposed secrets in repositories, reducing the risk of accidental data leaks.
Cons:
- GitHub-Centric: Designed exclusively for GitHub users, making it less effective for teams using alternative version control systems.
- Requires GitHub Enterprise for Full Features: Advanced Security features are only available with GitHub Enterprise, which can be cost-prohibitive for smaller teams.
- Dependency on GitHub Workflows: Teams not fully leveraging GitHub’s ecosystem may find limited value in its security features.
- Limited scope and customization: GitHub Advanced Security offers a relatively narrow feature set that only includes SAST, SCA, and Secrets scanning within GitHub Enterprise and Azure DevOps. Organizations may find the predefined rules and scans restrictive compared to more specialized third-party tools.
Cycode Pros and Cons
Cycode: The Best Alternative to Snyk and GitHub Advanced Security
Both Snyk and GitHub Advanced Security provide valuable AST capabilities, but they come with limitations. Snyk excels at developer-friendly security but lacks advanced proprietary code scanning. GitHub Advanced Security offers robust tools for GitHub users but is less effective for teams outside its ecosystem.
Cycode’s Complete Application Security Posture Management (ASPM) solution best serves the needs of developers and enterprise security teams by combining superior AST scanners and developer experience with an enterprise-grade and extensible platform, risk-based prioritization, and workflow automation. Highlights include:
- Comprehensive AST coverage: Stop code risk before it starts and deliver safe code faster. Cycode’s proprietary scanners – including SAST, SCA, Secrets, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), Container, Source Code Leakage, and CI/CD posture – empower you to secure your code, software supply chain, and cloud-native infrastructure.
- Complete ASPM platform: Save developers time and fix what matters faster. Beyond its suite of proprietary scanners, Cycode unifies data from over 100 third-party security tools and leverages its Risk Intelligence Graph (RIG) to distill millions of findings into the few most critical risks. Cycode maps those risks to root causes and owners and automates workflows to simplify AppSec complexity, power risk-based prioritization, and accelerate remediation.
- Lower total cost of ownership: Identify tool overlaps, consolidate, and build the foundation for your future-fit security program. Cycode delivers a complete solution that empowers enterprise customers to adapt and optimize their security ecosystems for today and tomorrow.
Learn more about Cycode’s AST capabilities or get a demo to explore the full solution.
