Head to head
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Up to 4 tools, same rows for each: what it is, what it really costs, the trap, and how to wire it up. The URL carries your picks — send it to anyone.
SemgrepDependabotGitleaks
Quick read
- Free with no card: Dependabot, Gitleaks.
| Field | Semgrepsemgrep.dev | Dependabotdocs.github.com | Gitleaksgithub.com |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Fast semantic static analysis across 30+ languages that matches patterns by code meaning rather than raw text, backed by a large community rule registry. The CLI is open source and runs locally or in CI with no account. Paid tiers add cross-file dataflow, reachability-aware SCA and validated secret detection. | GitHub-native bot with three jobs: alerts for vulnerable dependencies drawn from the GitHub Advisory Database, security updates that automatically open pull requests bumping to a patched version, and scheduled version updates configured in .github/dependabot.yml. Grouped updates and auto-merge rules keep pull request volume manageable. | Scans git repositories, loose files and stdin for passwords, API keys and tokens. It walks full commit history using git log -p, so it finds credentials in old commits that were later deleted from the working tree. Runs as a CLI, pre-commit hook, Docker image or GitHub Action. |
| Category | Code review, testing & security | Code review, testing & security | Code review, testing & security |
| Cost tier | mixed | free | free |
| Pricing | Semgrep Community Edition free under LGPL-2.1; hosted Free tier up to 10 contributors; Teams from $30/contributor/mo for Code or Supply Chain and $15 for Secrets; Enterprise custom | $0 on all GitHub repositories, public and private, including private repos on the free GitHub plan | $0 forever, MIT open source; the official GitHub Action needs a free license key for organisation-owned repos, none for personal accounts |
| Why builders pick it | Rules look like the code they match, so in five lines you can enforce whatever your AI keeps forgetting: every query goes through the parameterised helper, every route calls the auth middleware. | Zero-cost, near-zero-config baseline. The package.json your agent wrote will drift into known-CVE territory within months, and this is the one tool that quietly fixes it while you sleep. | The highest-value five-minute install on this list. An assistant pasting a live OPENAI_API_KEY or database URL into a committed config file is routine, and once pushed only history rewriting removes it. |
| Watch out for | Cross-file dataflow analysis, which finds most real injection paths, is a paid Pro rules feature. The free Community engine is largely single-file, so it misses taint that crosses modules. | It only knows advisories already published to GitHub's database, so brand-new malicious packages slip through; pair it with Socket. It also skips archived repos, and ungrouped updates get spammy fast. | Entropy-based detection false-positives on hashes, lockfiles and test fixtures, so budget time for a .gitleaksignore baseline. The maintainer has declared it feature complete, security patches only. |
| How to wire it up | brew install semgrep && semgrep scan --config auto | Enable under repo Settings > Code security, then add .github/dependabot.yml | brew install gitleaks && gitleaks detect --source . |
| Editor's pick | No | No | No |
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# Tool comparison — Semgrep vs Dependabot vs Gitleaks Source: Kbaise, a directory of tools that work with Lovable projects. Pick one and tell me why before writing any integration code. ## Semgrep (semgrep) - URL: https://semgrep.dev - Category: Code review, testing & security - Cost: mixed — Semgrep Community Edition free under LGPL-2.1; hosted Free tier up to 10 contributors; Teams from $30/contributor/mo for Code or Supply Chain and $15 for Secrets; Enterprise custom - What it is: Fast semantic static analysis across 30+ languages that matches patterns by code meaning rather than raw text, backed by a large community rule registry. The CLI is open source and runs locally or in CI with no account. Paid tiers add cross-file dataflow, reachability-aware SCA and validated secret detection. - Why builders pick it: Rules look like the code they match, so in five lines you can enforce whatever your AI keeps forgetting: every query goes through the parameterised helper, every route calls the auth middleware. - Trap: Cross-file dataflow analysis, which finds most real injection paths, is a paid Pro rules feature. The free Community engine is largely single-file, so it misses taint that crosses modules. - Wiring: brew install semgrep && semgrep scan --config auto - Full dossier: /api/public/tools/semgrep ## Dependabot (dependabot) - URL: https://docs.github.com/en/code-security/dependabot - Category: Code review, testing & security - Cost: free — $0 on all GitHub repositories, public and private, including private repos on the free GitHub plan - What it is: GitHub-native bot with three jobs: alerts for vulnerable dependencies drawn from the GitHub Advisory Database, security updates that automatically open pull requests bumping to a patched version, and scheduled version updates configured in .github/dependabot.yml. Grouped updates and auto-merge rules keep pull request volume manageable. - Why builders pick it: Zero-cost, near-zero-config baseline. The package.json your agent wrote will drift into known-CVE territory within months, and this is the one tool that quietly fixes it while you sleep. - Trap: It only knows advisories already published to GitHub's database, so brand-new malicious packages slip through; pair it with Socket. It also skips archived repos, and ungrouped updates get spammy fast. - Wiring: Enable under repo Settings > Code security, then add .github/dependabot.yml - Full dossier: /api/public/tools/dependabot ## Gitleaks (gitleaks) - URL: https://github.com/gitleaks/gitleaks - Category: Code review, testing & security - Cost: free — $0 forever, MIT open source; the official GitHub Action needs a free license key for organisation-owned repos, none for personal accounts - What it is: Scans git repositories, loose files and stdin for passwords, API keys and tokens. It walks full commit history using git log -p, so it finds credentials in old commits that were later deleted from the working tree. Runs as a CLI, pre-commit hook, Docker image or GitHub Action. - Why builders pick it: The highest-value five-minute install on this list. An assistant pasting a live OPENAI_API_KEY or database URL into a committed config file is routine, and once pushed only history rewriting removes it. - Trap: Entropy-based detection false-positives on hashes, lockfiles and test fixtures, so budget time for a .gitleaksignore baseline. The maintainer has declared it feature complete, security patches only. - Wiring: brew install gitleaks && gitleaks detect --source . - Full dossier: /api/public/tools/gitleaks ## Quick read - Free with no card: Dependabot, Gitleaks. ## Rules 1. Prefer the free tier when no budget was stated, and say what the ceiling is. 2. Read the full dossier before integrating. 3. Fetch /api/public/models before writing any AI model ID.
Agents can fetch the same thing: GET /api/public/compare?slugs=semgrep,dependabot,gitleaks