Cycode vs Semgrep for AI code security

ANSWER FIRST

Cycode scores 3.7 and Semgrep 3.5 on our AI code security criteria, so Cycode ranks higher on the published weights. Cycode leads on AI code and assistant coverage, governance and policy control and remediation and ASPM depth; Semgrep leads on developer experience and pricing and buying clarity; they tie on endpoint deployment and tamper resistance. The widest gap is pricing and buying clarity, where Semgrep scores 4.0 against 1.5.

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

How do Cycode and Semgrep score side by side?

Cycode and Semgrep: editorial assessment, 0-5. Last reviewed October 2026.
Criterion	Weight	Cycode	Semgrep	Edge
Coverage of AI-generated code and AI coding assistants	25%	4.5	3.5	Cycode
Endpoint deployment and tamper resistance	20%	3.0	3.0	Tie
Governance and policy control for the CISO	20%	4.0	2.5	Cycode
Developer experience and low friction	15%	3.5	4.5	Semgrep
Pricing and buying clarity	10%	1.5	4.0	Semgrep
Remediation and ASPM depth	10%	5.0	4.0	Cycode
Weighted total		3.7	3.5

Cycode leads on 3 criteria, Semgrep leads on 2, and 1 is tied.

Cycode

diff --verdict cycode · reviewed 2026-09

@@ strengths @@

Strength:IDE guardrails intercept secrets, file context, prompts and tool calls before they reach AI services. [source]
Strength:AI-BOM tracks .cursorrules and .windsurfrules files, MCP servers and AI API keys, with commit provenance. [source]
Strength:AI Exploitability Agent confirms CVE reachability; AI Fix Agent produces PR-ready fixes. [source]
Strength:Full scanner set: SAST, SCA, secrets, containers, IaC and CI/CD posture. [source]
Strength:Cycode's AI Guardrails names Claude Code and Cursor. [source]

@@ limitations @@

Limitation:No prices published; pricing is based on active developers and AI usage. [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 Cycode and Semgrep cover AI code and coding assistants?

Cycode: The AI inventory covers code assistants such as GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Windsurf and Tabnine, plus MCP servers, models and AI secrets, alongside SAST, SCA, secrets, container and IaC scanning. IDE hooks support Cursor and Claude Code so far.

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: Cycode: Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot and Windsurf; Semgrep: Claude Code, Cursor and Windsurf.

Where do their controls run on the developer machine?

Cycode: IDE hooks enforce guardrails such as "Block Unauthorized MCPs" and "Restrict MCP Execution to Localhost Only", starting with Cursor and Claude Code; an endpoint agent and tamper resistance are 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?

Cycode: Three-state authorization (Needs Review, Authorized, Unauthorized) with violations for AI tools and MCP servers; an audit log of agent activity is not described.

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?

Cycode: IDE and MCP presence and a free trial, but no free tier.

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

How do they fix and prioritize findings?

Cycode: An AI Exploitability Agent checks reachability, an AI Fix and Remediation Agent produces PR-ready fixes, and Maestro orchestrates 120+ connectors through ConnectorX.

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

How do they compare on price?

Cycode: free tier: No (free trial offered); lowest published paid option: Contact sales; pricing unit: Active developers and AI usage.

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: Cycode pricing · Reviewed Sep 2026

Source: Semgrep pricing · Reviewed Sep 2026

Which should you choose?

Choose Cycode if remediation and ASPM depth and AI code and assistant coverage matter most: Cycode scores 5.0 and 4.5 there, against 4.0 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 3.5 and 1.5 for Cycode.

Frequently asked questions

Is Cycode or Semgrep better for AI code security?

Cycode scores 3.7 and Semgrep 3.5 on our AI code security criteria, so Cycode ranks higher on the published weights. Cycode leads on 3 of 6 criteria and Semgrep on 2; 1 is tied. Which is better depends on which criteria matter most to you; the calculator on this site re-weights them.

How do Cycode and Semgrep price their plans?

Cycode: free tier: No (free trial offered); lowest published paid option: Contact sales. 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 Cycode and Semgrep name?

On the pages we reviewed, Cycode names Claude Code, 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.

Read the full reviews

Where next?

More head-to-heads

Sources reviewed

Cycode

Semgrep

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