{}Best AI Code Security

Semgrep vs Snyk for AI code security

ANSWER FIRST

Semgrep scores 3.5 and Snyk 4.1 on our AI code security criteria, so Snyk ranks higher on the published weights. Semgrep leads on pricing and buying clarity; Snyk leads on AI code and assistant coverage and governance and policy control; they tie on endpoint deployment and tamper resistance, developer experience and remediation and ASPM depth. The widest gap is AI code and assistant coverage, where Snyk scores 5.0 against 3.5.

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

How do Semgrep and Snyk score side by side?

Semgrep and Snyk: editorial assessment, 0-5. Last reviewed October 2026.
CriterionWeightSemgrepSnykEdge
Coverage of AI-generated code and AI coding assistants25%3.55.0Snyk
Endpoint deployment and tamper resistance20%3.03.0Tie
Governance and policy control for the CISO20%2.54.0Snyk
Developer experience and low friction15%4.54.5Tie
Pricing and buying clarity10%4.03.5Semgrep
Remediation and ASPM depth10%4.04.0Tie
Weighted total3.54.1

Semgrep leads on 1 criteria, Snyk leads on 2, and 3 are tied.

Semgrep

Verdict for Semgrep: strengths and limitations

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]

Snyk

Verdict for Snyk: strengths and limitations

diff --verdict snyk · reviewed 2026-09

@@ strengths @@

  • Strength:Free plan with SCA, SAST, IaC and container scanning and IDE, CLI and SCM integrations. [source]
  • Strength:Team plan published at a starting price of $25 a month for up to 10 developers. [source]
  • Strength:Evo Agentic Development Security names Claude, Cursor, Codex, Windsurf, Antigravity, Kiro and Qodo. [source]
  • Strength:Evo can evaluate, steer or block risky agent activity before it executes. [source]

@@ limitations @@

  • Limitation:Coding agent security requires an Enterprise Platform Subscription. [source]
  • Limitation:Secrets scanning and prioritization method not described on the pages reviewed. [source]

How do Semgrep and Snyk cover AI code and coding assistants?

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.

Snyk: Evo Agentic Development Security names Claude, Cursor, Codex, Windsurf, Antigravity, Kiro and Qodo, discovers MCP servers, skills and tools, and secures code inside the agent. Snyk Studio's MCP server lists Copilot among supported AI tools.

Assistants named on their public pages: Semgrep: Claude Code, Cursor and Windsurf; Snyk: Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf, OpenAI Codex and Kiro.

Where do their controls run on the developer machine?

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

Snyk: Evo coding agent security is metered per active machine per day and can evaluate, steer or block agent activity; an endpoint application and tamper resistance are not described on the pages reviewed.

How much control does the security team get?

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

Snyk: Evo can evaluate, steer or block risky agent activity across discovered MCP servers, skills and tools. It requires an Enterprise subscription, and audit reporting on agent activity is not described on the pages reviewed.

How do they fit the developer's workflow?

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

Snyk: The Free plan includes IDE, CLI and source control integrations, and Snyk Studio brings scanning into AI tools through an MCP server.

How do they fix and prioritize findings?

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

Snyk: Risk Score weighs reachability, exploit maturity, business impact, EPSS and CVSS, and AI remediation uses an agentic retry loop. Ingestion of third-party scanner findings is not confirmed on the pages reviewed.

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.

Snyk: free tier: Yes: Free, $0; lowest published paid option: Team from $25 a month (up to 10 developers); pricing unit: Enterprise credits (1 credit = $1).

Source: Semgrep pricing · Reviewed Sep 2026

Source: Snyk pricing · Reviewed Sep 2026

Which should you choose?

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

Frequently asked questions

Is Semgrep or Snyk better for AI code security?

Semgrep scores 3.5 and Snyk 4.1 on our AI code security criteria, so Snyk ranks higher on the published weights. Semgrep leads on 1 of 6 criteria and Snyk on 2; 3 are tied. Which is better depends on which criteria matter most to you; the calculator on this site re-weights them.

How do Semgrep and Snyk price their plans?

Semgrep: free tier: Yes: up to 10 contributors; lowest published paid option: $30 per contributor per month (Code or Supply Chain); $15 (Secrets). Snyk: free tier: Yes: Free, $0; lowest published paid option: Team from $25 a month (up to 10 developers). Prices as published on vendor pages and marketplace listings, reviewed 2026-10-11.

Which AI coding assistants do Semgrep and Snyk name?

On the pages we reviewed, Semgrep names Claude Code, Cursor and Windsurf and Snyk names Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf, OpenAI Codex and Kiro. '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

Semgrep

Snyk

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