CodeSonar vs HCL AppScan comparison

CodeSecure and HCLSoftware are both solutions in the Application Security Tools category. CodeSecure is ranked #32 with an average rating of 7.0, while HCLSoftware is ranked #15 with an average rating of 8.3. CodeSecure holds a 1.5% mindshare in AS, compared to HCLSoftware ’s 2.7% mindshare. Additionally, 87% of CodeSecure users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 83% of HCLSoftware users who would recommend it.

CodeSonar

Read 7 CodeSonar reviews

1,826 Views
1,129 Comparison Views

87% willing to recommend

HCL AppScan

Read 43 HCL AppScan reviews

3,489 Views
2,442 Comparison Views

83% willing to recommend

CodeSonar

HCL AppScan

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024

HCL AppScan and CodeSonar are leading solutions in the application security sector. While both offer unique advantages, CodeSonar seems to have an edge in advanced analysis capabilities.

Features: HCL AppScan offers comprehensive security testing abilities and robust integration options. It is also recognized for providing extensive security features. CodeSonar is noted for its deep static analysis, support for large codebases, and the ability to identify complex code vulnerabilities.

Room for Improvement: HCL AppScan users suggest enhancements in usability, performance speed, and intuitive design. CodeSonar reviews mention the need for improved reporting outputs, expanded language support, and greater programming language compatibility.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: HCL AppScan is praised for straightforward deployment and efficient customer service. CodeSonar offers detailed support and customization options, though its deployment can be complex, requiring more initial investment.

Pricing and ROI: HCL AppScan has an accessible initial setup cost with a satisfactory ROI, owing to its feature set. CodeSonar, with a higher initial cost, provides significant long-term ROI for complex projects where intricate static analysis is crucial, making its pricing worthwhile.

To learn more, read our detailed CodeSonar vs. HCL AppScan Report (Updated: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

CodeSonar vs. HCL AppScan

June 2025

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Helped 860,592 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

CodeSonar

Ranking in Application Security Tools

32nd

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Static Code Analysis (10th)

HCL AppScan

Ranking in Application Security Tools

15th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Static Application Security Testing (SAST) (15th), Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) (1st)

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Application Security Tools category, the mindshare of CodeSonar is 1.5%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of HCL AppScan is 2.7%, up from 2.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Security Tools

Featured Reviews

Mathieu ALBRESPY

Intigration Developer at ez-Wheel

Nice interface, quick to deploy, and easy to expand

This is the first time I've used this kind of software. It was the only one we could apply to analyze with MISRA rules. At my new company, I tried to use Klocwork. I tried to use it, just once so I cannot compare it exactly with CodeSonar. I also have a plugin for my Visual Studio and I try to make it work. It's not easy, however, I don't think that we have this kind of functionality with CodeSonar. It can do some incremental analysis. However, since this feature is also available on CodeSonar, it would be a good idea to have a plugin on Visual Studio just to have a quick analysis.

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Sthembiso Zondi

Head of Software Engineering at ronaldmariah@gmail.com

Has a straightforward setup process and valuable security features

We use AppScan primarily for security testing and performance monitoring across our systems The product's features for comprehensive code analysis (static) and live environment testing (dynamic) have significantly enhanced our ability to identify and address vulnerabilities, improving overall…

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"What I like best about CodeSonar is that it has fantastic speed, analysis and configuration times. Its detection of all runtime errors is also very good, though there were times it missed a few. The configuration of logs by CodeSonar is also very fantastic which I've not seen anywhere else. I also like the GUI interface of CodeSonar because it's very user friendly and the tool also shows very precise logs and results."

"The most valuable features of CodeSonar were all the categorized classes provided, and reports of future bugs which might occur in the production code. Additionally, I found the buffer overflow and underflow useful."

"There is nice functionality for code surfing and browsing."

"CodeSonar’s most valuable feature is finding security threats."

"The most valuable feature of CodeSonar is the catching of dead code. It is helpful."

"It has been able to scale."

"The tool is very good for detecting memory leaks."

"It has certainly helped us find vulnerabilities in our software, so this is priceless in the end."

"The product has valuable features for static and dynamic testing."

"We leverage it as a quality check against code."

"The UI was very intuitive."

"Technical support is helpful."

"The HCL AppScan turnaround time for Burp Suite or any new feature request is pretty good, and that is why we are sticking with the HCL."

"It provides a better integration for our ecosystem."

"The solution is cheap."

More HCL AppScan pros

Cons

"It was expensive."

"It would be beneficial for the solution to include code standards and additional functionality for security."

"In a future release, the solution should upgrade itself to the current trends and differentiate between the languages. If there are any classifications that can be set for these programming languages that would be helpful rather than having everything in the generic category."

"There could be a shared licensing model for the users."

"The scanning tool for core architecture could be improved."

"CodeSonar could improve by having better coding rules so we did not have to use another solution, such as MISRA C."

"In terms of areas for improvement, the use case for CodeSonar was good, but compared to other tools, it seems CodeSonar isn't a sound static analysis tool, and this is a major con I've seen from it. Right now, in the market, people prefer sound static analysis tools, so I would have preferred if CodeSonar was developed into a sound static analysis tool formally, in terms of its algorithms, so then you can see it extensively used in the market because at the moment, here in India, only fifty to sixty customers use CodeSonar. If the product is developed into a sound static analysis tool, it could compete with Polyspace, and from its current fifty customers, that number could go up to a hundred."

"The solution's scalability can be a matter of concern because one license runs on one machine only."

"In future releases, I would like to see more aggressive reports. I would also like to see less false positives."

"They could incorporate AI to enhance vulnerability detection and improve the product's reporting capabilities."

"I would love to see more containers. Many of the tools are great, they require an amount of configuration, setup and infrastructure. If most the applications were in a container, I think everything would be a little bit faster, because all our clients are now using containers."

"The solution could improve by having a mobile version."

"One thing which I think can be improved is the CI/CD Integration"

"IBM Security AppScan Source is rather hard to use."

"I think being able to search across more containers, especially some of the docker elements. We need a little tighter integration there. That's the only thing I can see at this point."

More HCL AppScan cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The application’s pricing is high compared to other tools."

"Pricing is a bit costly."

"The solution's price depends on the number of licenses needed and the source code for the project."

"Our organization purchased a license to use the solution."

"HCL AppScan is expensive."

"The solution is cheap."

"The solution is moderately priced."

"Pricing was the main reason that we went ahead with this solution as they were the lowest in the market."

"AppScan is a little bit expensive. IBM needs to work a little bit on the pricing model, decreasing the license cost."

"The tool was expensive."

"The price is very expensive."

"The price of HCL AppScan is okay, in my opinion. You just buy HCL AppScan and don't pay anything anymore, meaning it is just a one-time purchase."

More HCL AppScan pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

23%

Computer Software Company

12%

University

10%

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

18%

Financial Services Firm

14%

Government

12%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about CodeSonar?

CodeSonar’s most valuable feature is finding security threats.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for CodeSonar?

The application’s pricing is high compared to other tools. I rate its pricing a four out of ten.

See all answers

What needs improvement with CodeSonar?

Our license model allows one user per license. Currently, we have limitations for VPN profiles. We can’t share the key with other users. There could be a shared licensing model for the users. It wi...

See all answers

What do you like most about HCL AppScan?

The most valuable feature of HCL AppScan is its integration with the SDLC, particularly during the coding phase.

See all answers

What needs improvement with HCL AppScan?

AppScan needs to improve its handling of false positives. It also requires enhancements in customer support, similar to what Veracode provides. Regularly scheduling calls with clients to discuss fe...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for HCL AppScan?

The primary use case for AppScan is for security purposes. I compare AppScan with other tools such as Veracode. We use AppScan for vulnerability detection and auto-remediation of vulnerabilities wi...

See all answers

Comparisons

SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) vs CodeSonar

Compared 55% of the time

Coverity vs CodeSonar

Compared 23% of the time

Polyspace Code Prover vs CodeSonar

Compared 7% of the time

Axivion Static Code Analysis vs CodeSonar

Compared 3% of the time

Understand vs CodeSonar

Compared 3% of the time

More CodeSonar Competitors

Acunetix vs HCL AppScan

Compared 14% of the time

SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) vs HCL AppScan

Compared 13% of the time

Veracode vs HCL AppScan

Compared 10% of the time

OWASP Zap vs HCL AppScan

Compared 7% of the time

Checkmarx One vs HCL AppScan

Compared 7% of the time

More HCL AppScan Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Application Security Tools

June 2025

Download CodeSonar product report

Buyer's Guide

HCL AppScan

June 2025

Download HCL AppScan product report

Also Known As

No data available

IBM Security AppScan, Rational AppScan, AppScan

Overview

GrammaTech enables organizations to develop software applications more efficiently, on-budget, and on-schedule by helping to eliminate harmful defects that can cause system failures, enable data breaches, and ultimately increase corporate liabilities in today’s connected world. GrammaTech is the developer of CodeSonar, the most powerful source and binary code analysis solution available today. Extraordinarily precise, CodeSonar finds, on average, 2 times more serious defects in software than other static analysis solutions. Designed for organizations with zero tolerance for defects and vulnerabilities in their applications, CodeSonar provides static analysis for applications where reliability and security are paramount - widely used by software developers in avionics, medical, automotive, industrial control, and other mission-critical applications. Some of GrammaTech's customers include Toyota, GE, Hyundai, Kawasaki, LG, Lockheed Martin, NASA, Northrop Grumman, Panasonic, and Samsung.

CodeSecure

IBM Security AppScan enhances web application security and mobile application security, improves application security program management and strengthens regulatory compliance. By scanning your web and mobile applications prior to deployment, AppScan enables you to identify security vulnerabilities and generate reports and fix recommendations.

HCLSoftware

Sample Customers

Viveris, Micrel Medical Devices, Olympus, SOFTEQ, SONY

Essex Technology Group Inc., Cisco, West Virginia University, APIS IT

Buyer's Guide

CodeSonar vs. HCL AppScan

June 2025

Free Report: CodeSonar vs. HCL AppScan

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