Checkmarx vs SonarQube: What are the differences?

Key Differences between Checkmarx and SonarQube

Checkmarx and SonarQube are both popular tools for static application security testing, but there are several key differences that set them apart.

1. Integration with development process: Checkmarx is a highly integrated tool that seamlessly integrates with various development environments, build servers, and issue tracking systems. It provides developers with early feedback on vulnerabilities and helps them fix issues during development. SonarQube, on the other hand, is primarily an open-source code quality platform that integrates with various development tools, but it may require additional configuration and setup to enable seamless integration.

2. Analysis capabilities: Checkmarx focuses specifically on security vulnerabilities and provides powerful code analysis capabilities to identify potential security flaws such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting, and more. It offers a wide range of security-centric features and provides detailed security vulnerability reports. SonarQube, on the other hand, is a more comprehensive code quality platform that covers not only security but also other code quality aspects like maintainability, reliability, and more. It provides a holistic view of code quality but may not offer the same level of depth and specificity in security analysis as Checkmarx.

3. Rule customization and extensibility: Checkmarx offers a highly customizable rule set, allowing organizations to define and enforce their own security policies. It provides the flexibility to tailor the analysis based on specific requirements and customize the severity levels of vulnerabilities. SonarQube also offers rule customization, but it may not have the same level of flexibility and extensibility as Checkmarx when it comes to security-focused rule customization.

4. Deployment options: Checkmarx offers both on-premises and cloud-based deployment options, enabling organizations to choose the deployment model that best suits their needs. SonarQube, being an open-source platform, predominantly focuses on on-premises deployments, although there are community-supported cloud-based options available as well.

5. Language support: Checkmarx supports a wide range of programming languages, including Java, C/C++, .NET, Python, and more. It provides comprehensive analysis capabilities for these languages. SonarQube also supports multiple programming languages and offers a robust ecosystem of plugins, but the depth of analysis may vary depending on the language and plugin availability.

6. License and cost: Checkmarx is a commercial tool and requires a license for usage. It offers different pricing models based on the organization's needs. SonarQube, on the other hand, is an open-source tool and is free to use. However, it should be noted that SonarQube also offers a commercial version called SonarQube Developer Edition that provides additional features and support.

In summary, Checkmarx excels in providing deeply integrated security-focused analysis with customizable rules, whereas SonarQube offers a broader range of code quality analysis capabilities, customizable to a certain extent, alongside security scanning. The choice between the two ultimately depends on the specific requirements, priorities, and budget of the organization.