SAST TOOLS
SAST tools: how to choose a static application security testing tool
Static application security testing (SAST) tools read your source code to find vulnerabilities before the code runs. They are not all built the same way. This guide sorts the best-known SAST tools into three families, lists what to evaluate before you pick one and shows, with facts from each vendor's own site, where Nurbak fits.
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Rule and pattern based
Semgrep, CodeQL and SonarQube match code against rules or queries. They are fast, predictable and easy to run in CI, and Semgrep and CodeQL let you write your own rules or queries.
Commercial suites
Checkmarx, Veracode and Snyk Code bundle SAST into broader platforms with policy, reporting and enterprise support.
AI reasoning based
Nurbak's own AI model reads the code across files and reasons about how data flows, which helps with logic flaws such as IDOR that rules struggle to express.
Where Nurbak fits
A SAST for teams on GitHub that want exploitable findings with file, line and CWE, fixes as pull requests and a price per repo, not per developer.
What to evaluate in a SAST tool
Languages and frameworks
Check that the tool understands your languages and the frameworks you actually use, since routing and ORM conventions change where the risky code lives.
False positives
A tool that floods the team with noise gets ignored. Ask how findings are ranked and how much triage each one needs.
Taint and data-flow analysis
The useful findings follow untrusted input from a request to a dangerous sink, across functions and files, not just a single suspicious line.
Business logic like IDOR
Missing authorization checks and IDOR are hard to express as patterns. Ask how the tool finds them. More on AI SAST.
CI and pull request integration
Findings should show up where developers work: on the pull request, in CI and in the repo, not in a dashboard nobody opens.
Where your code is analyzed
Locally, in your CI, in the vendor's cloud or on a self-hosted model. For private code this is often the deciding question.
Fixes, not only alerts
Some tools only describe the problem. Others propose a patch. Nurbak opens a pull request with the fix and a security regression test.
Pricing model
Per contributor, per committer, per line of code or per repo. The same team can pay very different amounts depending on the model.
What else you need
SAST covers your own code. You still need dependency checks (SCA) and a secret scanner.
SAST tools compared
Facts taken from each vendor's official site when this page was written. Plans change, so where a detail is not published we write "See their site". We don't publish benchmarks.
| Tool | Approach | Where the analysis runs | Pricing model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semgrep | Rule-based static analysis with custom rules. The Community Edition is open source under LGPL 2.1 and supports 30+ languages | Semgrep says that when it runs locally or fully in your CI, your source code does not leave your environment | Free for up to 10 contributors and 10 repos. Teams from USD 30 per contributor per month for Code |
| CodeQL | Semantic engine that lets you query code as though it were data. Default engine of GitHub code scanning | See their site | Free for research and open source. Private repos need GitHub Code Security, USD 30 per active committer per month |
| SonarQube | Static analysis with an open source Community Build | See their site | Based on lines of code analyzed, with a free tier up to 50k lines of code |
| Checkmarx One | Commercial AppSec platform that includes Checkmarx SAST | SaaS on Checkmarx One, plus the on-premises CxSAST | Not published. See their site |
| Veracode | Commercial static analysis of source code, binaries or both | See their site | Not published. See their site |
| Snyk Code | SAST product in the Snyk platform, with IDE and CLI integration | See their site | Free plan with 100 Snyk Code tests per month, Team from USD 25 per month, Enterprise with credits per active contributor |
| Nurbak | Its own AI model reasons over the code across files. Also covers dependencies, secrets and CI and IaC config | Nurbak's self-hosted model on ephemeral infrastructure. Code is not sent to OpenAI or Anthropic for analysis | Per repo: USD 79 per month for 1 repo, USD 199 per month for up to 5, Enterprise above 5 |
How Nurbak works as a SAST tool
Create an account and connect GitHub. Public and private repos both work.
Pick a repo. Nurbak's own model analyzes it on ephemeral infrastructure.
Get a 0 to 100 security score and findings with file, line, CWE and a plain-language explanation.
Open a pull request with the fix and a security regression test in one click.
On a plan, the repo is rescanned daily, so new code gets checked too.
SAST tools FAQ
What are SAST tools?
Static application security testing tools analyze source code, and sometimes compiled code, without running it, to find vulnerabilities such as SQL injection, XSS or hardcoded secrets. They run early, in the IDE, on pull requests or in CI, so problems are caught before they reach production.
What are the best SAST tools?
There is no single best tool. Semgrep and CodeQL are popular when you want to write your own rules or queries, SonarQube when you also care about code quality, Checkmarx, Veracode and Snyk Code when you need an enterprise suite, and Nurbak when you want an AI that reads your code like a pentester and opens fixes as pull requests. Our Semgrep alternative, SonarQube alternative and Snyk alternative pages go deeper.
What is the difference between SAST and DAST tools?
SAST tools read the code from the inside, so they point to the exact file and line. DAST tools test the running application from the outside, like an attacker would. They find different bugs and work best together. Nurbak is SAST and does not test running apps. See SAST vs DAST.
Are there free or open source SAST tools?
Yes. The Semgrep Community Edition is open source under LGPL 2.1, SonarQube has an open source Community Build, and CodeQL is free for research and open source projects. Nurbak's first scan is free and shows the 3 most important findings in full, plus 1 free fix PR.
Is an AI SAST tool better than a rule-based one?
They are good at different things. Rules are predictable and cheap to run on every commit. An AI model that reasons over the code can catch logic flaws like IDOR or a missing authorization check that are hard to write as a rule. Many teams use both. More on AI SAST.
Is my code sent to a third-party AI?
The analysis runs on Nurbak's own self-hosted model, so your code is not sent to OpenAI or Anthropic to be analyzed. The infrastructure is ephemeral and every step is recorded in a hash-chained audit trail. Only if you ask for a fix pull request and give explicit consent is the fix generated with Claude.
How much does Nurbak cost compared with other SAST tools?
Nurbak charges per repo, not per developer: USD 79 per month for 1 repo and USD 199 per month for up to 5 repos with daily scans, with an Enterprise plan above 5. Other tools charge per contributor, per committer or per line of code, so compare with your own team size. See pricing.
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