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CodeSonar vs HCL AppScan comparison

CodeSecure and HCLSoftware are both solutions in the Application Security Tools category. CodeSecure is ranked #31, 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
  • 2,581 Views
  • 1,781 Comparison Views
87% willing to recommend
HCL AppScan
Read 43 HCL AppScan reviews
  • 4,632 Views
  • 3,381 Comparison Views
83% willing to recommend
 

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.

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To learn more, read our detailed CodeSonar vs. HCL AppScan Report (Updated: July 2025).
Buyer's Guide
CodeSonar vs. HCL AppScan
July 2025
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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
31st
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
7
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
43
Ranking in other categories
Static Application Security Testing (SAST) (15th), Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 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 - PeerSpot reviewer
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 - PeerSpot reviewer
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

"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."
"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."
"The tool is very good for detecting memory leaks."
"There is nice functionality for code surfing and browsing."
"You can easily find particular features and functions through the UI."
"It is easy it is to use. It is quick to find things, because of the code scanning tools. It's quite simple to use and it is very good the way it reports the findings."
"There's extensive functionality with custom rules and a custom knowledge base."
"The solution is easy to install. I would rate the product's setup between six to seven out of ten. The deployment time depends on the applications that need to be scanned. We have a development and operations team to take care of the product's maintenance."
"The solution offers services in a few specific development languages."
"This solution saves us time due to the low number of false positives detected."
"It highlights, with several grades of severity, the types of vulnerabilities, so we can focus on the most severe security vulnerabilities in the code."
"It has certainly helped us find vulnerabilities in our software, so this is priceless in the end."
More HCL AppScan pros
 

Cons

"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."
"It was expensive."
"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."
"There could be a shared licensing model for the users."
"CodeSonar could improve by having better coding rules so we did not have to use another solution, such as MISRA C."
"It would be beneficial for the solution to include code standards and additional functionality for security."
"The scanning tool for core architecture could be improved."
"The pricing has room for improvement."
"Scans become slow on large websites."
"The solution's scalability can be a matter of concern because one license runs on one machine only."
"​IBM Security AppScan Source is rather hard to use​."
"Many silly false positives are produced."
"AppScan needs to improve its handling of false positives."
"AppScan is too complicated and should be made more user-friendly."
"The solution needs to improve in some areas. The tool needs to add more languages. It also needs to improve its speed."
More HCL AppScan cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The application’s pricing is high compared to other tools."
"Pricing is a bit costly."
"Our organization purchased a license to use the solution."
"The solution's price depends on the number of licenses needed and the source code for the project."
"Our clients are willing to pay the extra money. It is expensive."
"The product is moderately priced, though it's an investment due to extensive code analysis needs."
"The tool was expensive."
"I rate the product's price a seven on a scale of one to ten, where one is low, and ten is high. HCL AppScan is an expensive tool."
"The solution is moderately priced."
"The price is very expensive."
"HCL AppScan is expensive."
"The solution is cheap."
More HCL AppScan pricing and cost advice
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
24%
Computer Software Company
11%
University
11%
Aerospace/Defense Firm
5%
Computer Software Company
17%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Government
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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Earn 20 points
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

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SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) vs CodeSonar
Compared 50% of the time
Coverity vs CodeSonar Logo
Coverity vs CodeSonar
Compared 24% of the time
Polyspace Code Prover vs CodeSonar Logo
Polyspace Code Prover vs CodeSonar
Compared 7% of the time
Axivion Static Code Analysis vs CodeSonar Logo
Axivion Static Code Analysis vs CodeSonar
Compared 3% of the time
Understand vs CodeSonar Logo
Understand vs CodeSonar
Compared 3% of the time
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Acunetix vs HCL AppScan Logo
Acunetix vs HCL AppScan
Compared 12% of the time
SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) vs HCL AppScan Logo
SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) vs HCL AppScan
Compared 12% of the time
Veracode vs HCL AppScan Logo
Veracode vs HCL AppScan
Compared 11% of the time
OWASP Zap vs HCL AppScan Logo
OWASP Zap vs HCL AppScan
Compared 7% of the time
Checkmarx One vs HCL AppScan Logo
Checkmarx One vs HCL AppScan
Compared 7% of the time
More HCL AppScan Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Application Security Tools
July 2025
CodeSonar reportDownload CodeSonar product report
Buyer's Guide
HCL AppScan
August 2025
HCL AppScan reportDownload 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
July 2025
Free Report: CodeSonar vs. HCL AppScan
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