Top 9 Checkmarx Competitors in 2025

As software becomes the engine of modern business, securing the software development lifecycle (SDLC) has never been more critical, and Application Security Testing (AST) is one of the best tools in teams’ arsenals to identify and remediate vulnerabilities early in the development process.

Checkmarx is one of the established names in this space, offering Static Application Security Testing (SAST) and related capabilities. While many enterprises have adopted Checkmarx as part of their AppSec strategy, it’s not without its challenges. Teams often cite issues such as slow scan times, high false positives, poor developer experience, and maintenance overhead, motivating many teams to explore more modern, developer-friendly alternatives.

Let’s review the top Checkmarx competitors on the market.

What Is Checkmarx?

Checkmarx is a legacy AST vendor best known for its SAST capabilities. Founded in 2006, it has been widely adopted by large enterprises and government organizations seeking to identify security vulnerabilities in custom code early in the development lifecycle.

Over the years, Checkmarx has expanded beyond SAST to offer additional capabilities such as software composition analysis (SCA), infrastructure-as-code (IaC) scanning, and developer education tools. The platform supports both on-premise and cloud-hosted deployments and is often used in regulated industries where compliance and auditability are priorities.

While Checkmarx remains a well-known name in the AST space, many teams are increasingly looking for faster, more developer-friendly, and AI-powered alternatives.

Key Checkmarx Product Features

Checkmarx provides a broad suite of security testing tools designed to identify risks in code, dependencies, and cloud configurations. Its key features include:

• Static Application Security Testing (SAST): The core offering, with support for many programming languages and frameworks. Focuses on scanning proprietary code for security flaws.
• Software Composition Analysis (SCA): Scans open source dependencies for known vulnerabilities and licensing issues.
• Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) Security: Identifies misconfigurations in Terraform, CloudFormation, and other IaC templates.
• Codebashing Developer Training: An integrated training module that offers in-context secure coding education.
• CI/CD and SCM Integrations: Supports integrations with Jenkins, GitHub, GitLab, Jira, and other DevOps tools.

Flexible Deployment: Offers both self-hosted and cloud deployment options, though many users note the cloud version lacks the flexibility and maturity of newer SaaS-native tools.

Pros and Cons of Checkmarx 

Checkmarx offers a solid foundation for traditional application security needs but shows its age in modern development environments. Here’s how it stacks up:

Pros:

• Language Support: Broad SAST language coverage, including support for legacy stacks.
• Integrated Training: Built-in developer education via Codebashing helps raise secure coding awareness.
• Unified Platform: Offers multiple security testing tools under one roof.

Cons:

• Performance Issues: Scan speeds can be slow, especially on large or frequently updated codebases.
• High Noise Levels: False positives are a common complaint, requiring significant manual triage.
• Developer Friction: The interface and workflow feel dated compared to modern, developer-centric platforms.
• Complex Setup & Maintenance: On-prem deployments require ongoing infrastructure and resource investment.
• Limited AI Capabilities: Lacks the automation and intelligence needed for effective triage and remediation at scale.

TLDR: While Checkmarx provides a comprehensive set of AST features, it often struggles to meet the speed, usability, and automation demands of today’s engineering-driven organizations. That’s where platforms like Cycode are redefining what modern application security looks like.

Why Look for a Checkmarx Alternative?

As we’ve said, Checkmarx has long been a trusted name in application security. But many teams are reassessing their toolsets as development velocity increases and security responsibilities shift left. 

Here are a few key reasons organizations explore alternatives.

Modern Development Requires Faster Feedback Loops

Everyone knows that the pace of software development has accelerated dramatically. Teams are now shipping faster and more frequently than ever before, and they need security tools that can keep up. 

Long scan times, delayed feedback, and complex triage cycles can become bottlenecks in continuous integration environments. As a result, many organizations are now prioritizing solutions that offer faster, more incremental scanning with results delivered directly in developers’ workflows.

Security Needs to Be Developer-First

Security has shifted left, but many tools haven’t. When findings are difficult to interpret or require handoffs to dedicated security teams, they’re often ignored or deferred. Modern teams are increasingly prioritizing solutions that make it easier for developers to understand and resolve issues. That means tools that fit into their daily workflows, offer contextual guidance, and minimize disruption.

Intelligent Prioritization Is Now Essential

With more code, more dependencies, and more scanning, teams are drowning in findings. But not all issues carry equal risk. Rather than surfacing everything, many organizations now want tools that help them focus on what truly matters based on context, exploitability, and potential business impact. 

Consolidation Is a Growing Priority

Application security tooling has grown increasingly fragmented. Organizations now rely on dozens of tools for SAST, SCA, secrets detection, IaC scanning, and pipeline security, each with its own dashboard and data model. This not only increases operational overhead, but makes it harder to get a clear view of risk across the SDLC. Unsurprisingly, teams want platforms that offer a single plane of glass.

AI Is Changing the Game

Security teams are under pressure to do more with less, and that’s where AI is starting to play a significant role. Teams are no longer satisfied with tools that only detect issues. They want help understanding what to fix first, how to fix it, and where security risk overlaps with business risk. Platforms that incorporate AI to streamline triage, reduce noise, and accelerate remediation are becoming increasingly attractive.

While legacy platforms like Checkmarx have introduced AI-assisted features to help with remediation, what’s driving real interest amongst modern teams is solutions that were built from the ground up with AI at their core. Not just an enhancement, but a foundational element of how triage, prioritization, and remediation are handled.

Top Checkmarx Competitors

Looking for deeper scanning? Better prioritization? More scalable workflows? There are several Checkmarx alternatives worth considering. Let’s start with Cycode.

Cycode

Cycode is an AI-native application security platform built for modern DevSecOps workflows and trusted by organizations like UBS, Elastic, Broadcom, and Flexport. It combines next-gen SAST, SCA, secrets detection, ASPM, IaC security, and CI/CD pipeline scanning and is backed by powerful AI for triage, prioritization, and remediation.

Here’s a quick look at why it stands out:

• Offers code-to-runtime risk visibility and ownership mapping
• Powered by proprietary scanners
• Fast, accurate scans with low false positives
• Developer-first workflows via PRs, IDEs, and native integrations
• Strong in secrets detection, infrastructure scanning, and remediation automation
• Consolidates key AppSec capabilities into a single, unified platform
• Best-in-class AI for automated triage, contextual risk scoring, and guided remediation

Unlike traditional tools, Cycode doesn’t just find problems. It helps teams fix what matters most, faster.

Snyk

Snyk is one of widely adopted developer-first security platforms, originally focused on open source vulnerabilities (SCA) and later expanding into container security, IaC, and limited static analysis. 

It’s popular among engineering teams because of its:

• Strong in SCA, container, and IaC scanning
• Fast CLI tools and dev-friendly UX
• Deep GitHub/GitLab integration

Limitations: Limited SAST depth; lacks native static analysis for proprietary code, high false positives

Want to learn more? Compare Checkmarx vs Snyk vs Cycode.

Veracode

Veracode is a long-standing name in the AST space, known for its cloud-delivered SAST and SCA offerings, with a strong focus on compliance and governance. 

It can be a solid fit for large organizations because of its: 

• Full SAST and SCA suite with language coverage
• Built-in manual triage support
• Compliance-focused scanning and reporting

Limitations: Slower performance and outdated workflows compared to modern platforms

Want to learn more? Compare Checkmarx vs Vercacode vs Cycode.

GitHub Advanced Security (GHAS)

GHAS brings security scanning directly into the GitHub platform, offering native SAST, SCA, and secrets detection for teams using GitHub Enterprise. While powerful within that ecosystem, it’s not a standalone AppSec solution. 

Still, it does offer:

• Native SAST, SCA, and secrets detection
• Excellent developer experience for GitHub users
• Minimal setup with GitHub-hosted code

Limitations: GitHub-only; lacks broader AppSec platform functionality

Semgrep

Semgrep is a fast, rule-based static analysis tool built with developers in mind. It allows teams to write and customize rules to detect security and code quality issues in real time. 

It can be well-suited for engineering teams looking for: 

• Fast scans with open-source rule support
• Highly customizable
• Growing dev community and adoption

Limitations: Limited to static analysis; lacks remediation, SCA, and visibility layers

SonarQube & SonarCloud

SonarQube and its cloud-based counterpart, SonarCloud, are widely used for static code analysis with a focus on maintainability, bugs, and code quality. 

Here’s what appeals to some organizations:

• Strong for code smells, bugs, and quality gates
• Seamless integration into CI/CD
• Good visualization for dev teams

Limitations: Focused more on quality than security; lacks comprehensive AppSec features

Fortify by OpenText

Fortify is a legacy application security platform with deep roots in static and dynamic analysis. 

It’s widely used in highly regulated industries and offers broad language support and compliance features, here’s why: 

• Mature SAST and DAST capabilities
• Broad language and compliance support
• Trusted by large enterprises and government organizations

Limitations: Heavy, high-maintenance deployments not built for modern DevOps environments

Synopsys Coverity

Coverity, part of Synopsys’s software integrity portfolio, is known for highly accurate static analysis, particularly in C/C++ and embedded systems. 

Here’s why it’s commonly used by teams with large, monolithic codebases and safety-critical requirements:

• Precise static analysis for legacy and embedded code
• Ideal for compliance-heavy and safety-critical use cases
• Strong in code audit and formal verification contexts

Limitations: Dated UX and workflows; limited CI/CD and developer tooling integration

Prisma Cloud

Prisma Cloud is a comprehensive cloud-native application protection platform (CNAPP) with some AppSec capabilities that excels in runtime security, IaC scanning, and cloud workload protection.

Here’s what makes it an attractive option for security teams:

• Strong in IaC and container scanning
• Includes runtime and workload protection
• Integrated with Palo Alto’s broader security ecosystem

Limitations: AppSec coverage is limited; best suited for broader cloud security use cases

Contrast Security

Contrast Security offers instrumentation-based solutions like IAST and RASP, which detect and protect against vulnerabilities in real time during application execution. 

Here’s what makes it well-suited for some teams: 

• Real-time runtime vulnerability detection
• Focus on exploitability and production behavior
• Useful complement to static scanning tools

Limitations: Narrow focus; not a full-spectrum AST or shift-left solution

How to Choose the Best Alternative for Checkmarx

With so many options on the market, choosing the right Checkmarx alternative depends on your team’s priorities. Whether you’re aiming for faster scans, better developer adoption, or broader risk coverage, the best solution is one that aligns with your workflows, goals, and long-term AppSec strategy.

Identify Your Primary Use Cases

Start by clarifying what you need most: Is it SAST for proprietary code? Open source (SCA)? Secrets detection? CI/CD visibility? Many tools excel in one or two areas but fall short elsewhere. The more specific you are about your goals, the easier it is to narrow the field.

Evaluate Developer Experience

Security tools are only useful if developers use them. Look for platforms that integrate seamlessly with pull requests, IDEs, and existing workflows. Clear findings, helpful remediation guidance, and low-friction onboarding are essential for driving adoption and reducing resistance from engineering teams.

Consider AI and Automation Capabilities

Manual triage doesn’t scale. The best modern platforms use AI to prioritize risks, reduce noise, and accelerate remediation. Look for tools that go beyond basic detection—platforms that help you fix issues faster and focus on what actually matters to the business.

Assess Integration and Deployment Fit

Your Application Security platform should meet you where you are—whether you’re cloud-native, hybrid, or on-prem. Confirm support for your CI/CD systems, source code managers, ticketing tools, and other critical parts of your pipeline. Bonus if the platform offers flexibility without adding deployment complexity.

Think Beyond the Scan

Scanning is just the beginning. The best alternatives give you context—linking code issues to runtime risk, identifying ownership, and helping teams understand impact. Look for solutions that bring security, dev, and ops closer together through centralized visibility and unified workflows.

Cycode Is the Best Checkmarx Competitor for Enterprises

Cycode isn’t just another alternative. It’s a fundamentally different approach to application security. 

Built as an AI-native platform from day one, Cycode addresses the complexity and fragmentation that legacy tools like Checkmarx struggle to solve.

Let’s recap what makes Cycode stand out as the best Checkmarx competitor for enterprises:

• Unifies application security across the SDLC with a single platform
• Combines proprietary, high-fidelity scanners with third-party ingestion
• Delivers full risk visibility, no matter where issues are found
• Aligns security and development through shared context and workflows
• Maps risks from code to runtime for smarter prioritization
• Assigns ownership automatically to streamline remediation
• Surfaces what actually matters, reducing alert fatigue and wasted effort

Book a demo today to learn more and see first-hand how Cycode accelerates secure development without slowing down innovation.