GitHub Code Scanning vs SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) comparison

GitHub and Sonar are both solutions in the Static Application Security Testing (SAST) category. GitHub is ranked #17 with an average rating of 8.6, while Sonar is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.3. GitHub holds a 1.2% mindshare in SAST, compared to Sonar’s 23.9% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of GitHub users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 81% of Sonar users who would recommend it.

GitHub Code Scanning

Read 5 GitHub Code Scanning reviews

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408 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

SonarQube Server (formerly ...

Read 116 SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) reviews

35,651 Views
11,770 Comparison Views

81% willing to recommend

GitHub Code Scanning

SonarQube Server (formerly ...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 15, 2025

SonarQube Server and GitHub Code Scanning compete in the code analysis market. GitHub Code Scanning has an edge due to its GitHub integration, making it a convenient choice for developers, while SonarQube Server is favored for its comprehensive analysis capabilities.

Features: SonarQube Server provides extensive code quality metrics, custom rule creation, and support for over 20 programming languages, making it suitable for diverse projects. GitHub Code Scanning integrates seamlessly with GitHub, providing security vulnerability alerts within the development workflow. It also offers automated code review and code quality tracking directly linked to GitHub Actions.

Room for Improvement: SonarQube Server could improve its setup process to make it simpler and eliminate the need for on-premise configuration. More agile integration with cloud environments could enhance its usability. Licensing terms could be more flexible in dynamic CI/CD environments. GitHub Code Scanning could broaden its support for various development environments outside GitHub. Enhancing security vulnerability analysis to rival specialized tools could improve its offering. Providing advanced customization options for code quality rules can cater to teams with specific needs.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SonarQube Server requires an on-premise setup and offers customizable support catering to enterprise needs. GitHub Code Scanning's cloud-based model minimizes deployment efforts and integrates smoothly with GitHub, making it ideal for teams already using GitHub. GitHub's support caters well to GitHub-centric environments, whereas SonarQube offers personalized support options.

Pricing and ROI: SonarQube Server involves initial setup costs with flexible pricing, offering scalable ROI as projects grow. GitHub Code Scanning, with its subscription model linked to GitHub plans, provides a lower entry barrier. While SonarQube may have higher upfront costs, its ROI reflects in comprehensive code analysis. GitHub Code Scanning offers integration value and potentially lower initial costs for GitHub users.

To learn more, read our detailed GitHub Code Scanning vs. SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) Report (Updated: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

GitHub Code Scanning vs. SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube)

June 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

GitHub Code Scanning

Ranking in Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

17th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

8.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

SonarQube Server (formerly ...

Ranking in Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

1st

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

116

Ranking in other categories

Application Security Tools (1st), Software Development Analytics (1st)

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Static Application Security Testing (SAST) category, the mindshare of GitHub Code Scanning is 1.2%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) is 23.9%, down from 27.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

Featured Reviews

VishalSingh

Consulting & Solutions, BA/BD in Enterprise IT on Open Source, Red Hat & EDB at KEEN AND ABLE COMPUTERS PVT LTD

Traverses the entire network, scanning every system to determine which ports are open

You can use the tool locally on your system or in the cloud. I rate it a nine out of ten. It's a very good tool for people who want to start using GitHubCode Scanning, especially for software development or team collaboration. GitHubCode Scanning allows teams to collaborate by uploading files to repositories. For example, if someone is developing an application, they can host the code on GitHub Code Scanning. Other developers can then download the code for testing purposes. If bugs are found, fixes can be applied using the GitHub Code Scanningrepository, and everyone on the team can see the changes. Software developers often use GitHub Code Scanning for version control, and it's essential for CI/CD pipelines to work.

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Sthembiso Zondi

Head of Software Engineering at ronaldmariah@gmail.com

Consistent improvements in code quality and security with effective integration and reliable technical support

The features of SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) that I find most useful are the suggestions received from reviewing the code. When they review the code, they provide suggestions on how to fix it, and we find those very useful from a development perspective. We use SonarQube Server's (formerly SonarQube) centralized management and visualization of code quality metrics on the dashboard because that's the executive dashboard that we send to the executives to show where we are in terms of quality, security, and where the company can improve. We use that for organizational improvement purposes. The ability to tailor metrics tracking in SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) has been beneficial to my team. There are team-specific dashboards which are related to specific repositories they utilize, and we have that aggregative dashboard that shows the whole organization's performance. We can drill down per specific repository, which makes it easier for the team to improve specific things.

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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

"The solution helps identify vulnerabilities by understanding how ports communicate with applications running on a system. Ports are like house numbers; to visit someone's house, you must know their number. Similarly, ports are used to communicate with applications. For example, if you want to use an HTTP web server, you must use port 80. It is the port on which the web application or your server listens for incoming requests."

"We use GitHub Code Scanning mostly for source code management."

"GitHub Code Spaces brings significant value with its simplicity and ease of use."

"It's very scalable, very easy to handle, and very intuitive."

"The static code analysis capability in GitHub Code Scanning is a very powerful feature, providing the ability to identify vulnerabilities and ensure code quality."

"The most valuable feature of this solution is that it is free."

"This has improved our organization because it has helped to find Security Vulnerabilities."

"Issue Explanations: Documentation with detailed samples. Helps in growing technical knowledge and re-writing logic to conforming solutions."

"It provides you with many features, as it does with the premium model, but there are still extra features that can be purchased if needed."

"We have the software metrics that SonarQube gives us, which is something we did not have before. This helps us work towards aiming coding standards to empower us to move in the direction of better code quality. SonarQube provides targets and metrics for that."

"We've configured it to run on each commit, providing feedback on our software quality. ]"

"This solution has the capability to analyze source code in almost all the languages in the market."

"The solution's user interface is very user-friendly."

More SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) pros

Cons

"GitHub Code Scanning should add more templates."

"When running code scans, GitHub Code Scanning provides recommendations for probable fixes. However, integrating a feature where developers receive real-time highlights of vulnerabilities when checking in or merging a PR would be beneficial."

"One area for improvement could be the ability to have an AI system digest the reports generated from code scanning and provide a summary. Currently, the reports can be extensive, and users may overlook details, such as outdated libraries, which could be highlighted for attention."

"At times it becomes very annoying as it highlights certain things which are intuitive. They require code coverage for those aspects as an extra overhead."

"There are sometimes security breaches in our code, which aren't be caught by SonarQube. In the security area, SonarCube has to improve. It needs to better compete with other products."

"SonarQube could be improved by implementing inter-procedural code analysis capabilities, allowing for a more comprehensive detection of defects and vulnerabilities across the entire codebase."

"If the product could assist us with fixing issues by giving us more pointers then it would help to resolve more of the warnings without such a commitment in terms of time."

"We did have some trouble with the LDAP integration for the console."

"After scanning our code and generating a report, it would be helpful if SonarQube could also generate a solution to fix vulnerabilities in the report."

"The pricing could be reduced a bit. It's a little expensive."

"It should be user-friendly."

"Any suggestions for potential improvements may include bill of materials functionality."

More SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The minimum pricing for the tool is five dollars a month."

"GitHub Code Scanning is a moderately priced solution."

"The price point on SonarQube is good."

"The solution is cheaper than other products."

"I am satisfied with the pricing."

"SonarQube is a fairly affordable solution for a larger scale if you have a specific role or specific department for secure code."

"People can try the free licenses and later can seek buying plugins/support, etc. once they started liking it."

"On the pricing side, it's 3,000 Euros for 1 million lines of code."

"SonarQube price is a little bit higher than Kiuwan's. Kiuwan also gives a little bit of flexibility in terms of pricing."

"The development license cost is reasonable, and we've had no concerns about SonarQube when it comes to cost."

More SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Government

Financial Services Firm

16%

Computer Software Company

15%

Manufacturing Company

13%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about GitHub Code Scanning?

We use GitHub Code Scanning mostly for source code management.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for GitHub Code Scanning?

The organization pays for the license of GitHub Code Scanning, but specific price details are unknown.

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What needs improvement with GitHub Code Scanning?

When running code scans, GitHub Code Scanning provides recommendations for probable fixes. However, integrating a feature where developers receive real-time highlights of vulnerabilities when check...

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Is SonarQube the best tool for static analysis?

I am not very familiar with SonarQube and their solutions, so I can not answer. But if you are asking me about which tools that are the best for for Static Code Analysis, I suggest you have a look...

See all answers

Which gives you more for your money - SonarQube or Veracode?

SonarQube is easy to deploy and configure, and also integrates well with other tools to do quality code analysis. SonarQube has a great community edition, which is open-source and free. Easy to use...

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How would you decide between Coverity and Sonarqube?

We researched Coverity, but in the end, we chose SonarQube. SonarQube is a tool for reviewing code quality and security. It helps to guide our development teams during code reviews by providing rem...

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Comparisons

Coverity vs GitHub Code Scanning

Compared 29% of the time

SonarQube Cloud (formerly SonarCloud) vs GitHub Code Scanning

Compared 13% of the time

Aikido Security vs GitHub Code Scanning

Compared 10% of the time

Polaris Software Integrity Platform vs GitHub Code Scanning

Compared 5% of the time

OWASP Zap vs GitHub Code Scanning

Compared 4% of the time

More GitHub Code Scanning Competitors

Coverity vs SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube)

Compared 13% of the time

Checkmarx One vs SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube)

Compared 12% of the time

GitHub Advanced Security vs SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube)

Compared 11% of the time

SonarQube Cloud (formerly SonarCloud) vs SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube)

Compared 7% of the time

Veracode vs SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube)

Compared 7% of the time

More SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

June 2025

Download GitHub Code Scanning product report

Buyer's Guide

SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube)

May 2025

SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) report

Download SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube) product report

Also Known As

No data available

Sonar

Interactive Demo

Demo not available

GitHub

Sonar

Overview

Code scanning is a feature that you use to analyze the code in a GitHub repository to find security vulnerabilities and coding errors. Any problems identified by the analysis are shown in GitHub.

GitHub

SonarQube Server enhances code quality and security via static code analysis. It detects vulnerabilities, improves standards, and reduces technical debt, integrating into CI/CD pipelines.

SonarQube Server is a comprehensive tool for enhancing code quality and security. It offers static code analysis to identify vulnerabilities, improve coding standards, and reduce technical debt. By integrating into CI/CD pipelines, it provides automated checks for adherence to best practices. Organizations use it for code inspection, security testing, and compliance, ensuring development environments with better maintainability and fewer issues.

What are the key features of SonarQube Server?

Support for 20+ languages: Extensive programming language support suitable for diverse coding environments.
Custom coding rules: Allows for tailored rule sets to match specific coding standards.
Flexible quality gates: Define criteria for code acceptance at various intervals.
CI/CD integration: Seamless integration with Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment tools.
Rich interface: User-friendly dashboard with detailed visual insights.

What benefits should users expect from SonarQube Server?

Improved code quality: Enhanced analysis contributes to fewer bugs and improved coding practices.
Security enhancements: Identifies and mitigates security vulnerabilities pre-emptively.
Maintainability: Reduces technical debt, yielding long-term development efficiency.
Customizable: Flexibility in configuration aligns with specific project needs.

Many industries implement SonarQube Server to uphold coding standards, maintain security protocols, and streamline their software development lifecycle. In sectors like finance and healthcare, adhering to regulations and ensuring reliable software is critical, making SonarQube Server invaluable. It is often integrated into CI/CD pipelines, ensuring that code changes meet set standards before deployment. This approach enhances productivity and maintains compliance with industry-specific requirements.

Sonar

Buyer's Guide

GitHub Code Scanning vs. SonarQube Server (formerly SonarQube)

June 2025

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