Backslash Security vs Semgrep for AI code security

ANSWER FIRST

Backslash Security scores 3.9 and Semgrep 3.5 on our AI code security criteria, so Backslash Security ranks higher on the published weights. Backslash leads on AI code and assistant coverage, endpoint deployment and tamper resistance and governance and policy control; Semgrep leads on developer experience, pricing and buying clarity and remediation and ASPM depth. The widest gap is governance and policy control, where Backslash scores 5.0 against 2.5.

Editorial assessment · Compiled from vendor product, docs, pricing and marketplace pages · Rated October 2026

How do Backslash Security and Semgrep score side by side?

Backslash Security and Semgrep: editorial assessment, 0-5. Last reviewed October 2026.
Criterion	Weight	Backslash Security	Semgrep	Edge
Coverage of AI-generated code and AI coding assistants	25%	4.5	3.5	Backslash
Endpoint deployment and tamper resistance	20%	4.0	3.0	Backslash
Governance and policy control for the CISO	20%	5.0	2.5	Backslash
Developer experience and low friction	15%	3.0	4.5	Semgrep
Pricing and buying clarity	10%	2.0	4.0	Semgrep
Remediation and ASPM depth	10%	3.0	4.0	Semgrep
Weighted total		3.9	3.5

Backslash Security leads on 3 criteria, Semgrep leads on 3, and 0 are tied.

Backslash Security

diff --verdict backslash-security · reviewed 2026-09

@@ strengths @@

Strength:Discovers every AI agent, MCP server, skill and plug-in across enterprise endpoints. [source]
Strength:Policies scoped by user, team, endpoint or component, with inline blocking before execution. [source]
Strength:Forensics and audit evidence for the EU AI Act, NIS2, DORA and SOC 2. [source]

@@ limitations @@

Limitation:Tamper resistance is not described on the pages reviewed. [source]
Limitation:No free product tier; AWS Marketplace lists a $75,000 annual commit. [source]

Semgrep

diff --verdict semgrep · reviewed 2026-09

@@ strengths @@

Strength:Free for up to 10 contributors and 10 private repositories. [source]
Strength:Teams priced at $30 per contributor per month (Code or Supply Chain) and $15 for Secrets. [source]
Strength:Semgrep Guardian runs an MCP server and hooks that fire on every file write in Claude Code, Cursor and Windsurf. [source]
Strength:Guardian blocks malicious dependencies and hardcoded credentials at generation time. [source]

@@ limitations @@

Limitation:No org-wide discovery of assistants or MCP servers on the pages reviewed. [source]
Limitation:GitHub Copilot is not listed for Guardian; Guardian pricing not stated. [source]

How do Backslash Security and Semgrep cover AI code and coding assistants?

Backslash Security: Discovers "every AI agent, MCP server, Skill and plug-in" across enterprise endpoints, and its AWS Marketplace listing covers IDEs, CLIs, agents, MCP servers and LLMs, naming Cursor, Windsurf and GitHub Copilot. No public support list names Claude Code or Codex.

Semgrep: Semgrep Guardian scans inside Claude Code, Cursor and Windsurf as code is written; org-wide discovery of assistants or MCP servers is not described and Copilot is not listed.

Assistants named on their public pages: Backslash Security: Cursor, GitHub Copilot and Windsurf; Semgrep: Claude Code, Cursor and Windsurf.

Where do their controls run on the developer machine?

Backslash Security: Positioned as "securing the agentic endpoint", with inline blocking before execution across enterprise endpoints and an MCP proxy; tamper resistance is not described.

Semgrep: Guardian runs on the developer machine as an MCP server, hooks on every file write and skills; tamper resistance is not described.

How much control does the security team get?

Backslash Security: Policies scoped by user, team, endpoint or component, inline blocking, and forensics and audit evidence for the EU AI Act, NIS2, DORA and SOC 2.

Semgrep: Guardian enforces checks per agent, but the pages reviewed show no central inventory or policy over which agents and MCP servers may run.

How do they fit the developer's workflow?

Backslash Security: No free product tier or self-serve start; a free, read-only AI Endpoint Exposure Assessment is offered.

Semgrep: Free for up to 10 contributors and 10 private repos, with VS Code and JetBrains support.

How do they fix and prioritize findings?

Backslash Security: The AppGraph engine runs SAST, SCA and secrets scanning; fix generation and risk prioritization are not described on the pages reviewed.

Semgrep: Semgrep Assistant auto-triages findings, and remediation guidance appears in pull requests and IDEs.

How do they compare on price?

Semgrep: free tier: Yes: up to 10 contributors; lowest published paid option: $30 per contributor per month (Code or Supply Chain); $15 (Secrets); pricing unit: Contributor.

Source: Backslash Security pricing · Reviewed Sep 2026

Source: Semgrep pricing · Reviewed Sep 2026

Which should you choose?

Choose Backslash Security if governance and policy control and AI code and assistant coverage matter most: Backslash scores 5.0 and 4.5 there, against 2.5 and 3.5 for Semgrep. Choose Semgrep if developer experience and pricing and buying clarity matter most: Semgrep scores 4.5 and 4.0 there, against 3.0 and 2.0 for Backslash.

Frequently asked questions

Is Backslash Security or Semgrep better for AI code security?

Backslash Security scores 3.9 and Semgrep 3.5 on our AI code security criteria, so Backslash Security ranks higher on the published weights. Backslash leads on 3 of 6 criteria and Semgrep on 3; 0 are tied. Which is better depends on which criteria matter most to you; the calculator on this site re-weights them.

How do Backslash Security and Semgrep price their plans?

Backslash Security: free tier: No (free read-only AI Endpoint Exposure Assessment); lowest published paid option: AWS Marketplace: $75,000 annual commit, 12 months (marketplace price). Semgrep: free tier: Yes: up to 10 contributors; lowest published paid option: $30 per contributor per month (Code or Supply Chain); $15 (Secrets). Prices as published on vendor pages and marketplace listings, reviewed 2026-10-11.

Which AI coding assistants do Backslash Security and Semgrep name?

On the pages we reviewed, Backslash Security names Cursor, GitHub Copilot and Windsurf and Semgrep names Claude Code, Cursor and Windsurf. 'Not named' means we did not find the assistant on the vendor's pages; it does not prove the tool cannot work with it.

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Where next?

More head-to-heads

Sources reviewed

Backslash Security

Semgrep

Last reviewed October 2026. Editorial assessment from public vendor material; no hands-on testing.