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CAST Highlight
What CAST Highlight is
CAST Highlight is SaaS software for assessing portfolios of custom business applications. It analyzes source code and reports application health, resiliency, technical debt, private data risks, software risk, complexity and size. Cloud Insights helps teams assess cloud maturity and effort, container readiness, potential blockers and boosters, and suitable cloud-native services. SCA Insights covers open-source security and license risks, component obsolescence, recommendations, and SBOM creation and importing. The product also identifies applications for AI augmentation, suggests AI services or LLMs, and assesses agent readiness, blockers and fixes.
The Extensions Marketplace lists plugins for Azure DevOps, GitHub, Jira, BitBucket and VS Code; product information also names Microsoft Teams, Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot for instant answers. CAST says the ISO 27001-certified SaaS platform stores analysis results in a client-reserved cloud hosted on AWS, Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud. Its Code Reader creates result files for the portal, while CAST says source code and database scripts are not uploaded to the cloud. A 14-day trial provides a preloaded sample portfolio and views covering application health, AI opportunities, cloud maturity, software composition and green software insights. Annual subscriptions include concierge services from a dedicated specialist, except the single-application Complete Insights plan.
Who it suits
CAST Highlight suits portfolio managers overseeing organization-wide IT portfolios and application owners contributing scans and survey answers. It is also relevant to teams assessing cloud readiness, open-source risks or AI opportunities across custom applications.
What it does well
- Reports application health, resiliency, technical debt and private data risks.
- Cloud Insights includes container readiness and cloud-native service recommendations.
- SCA Insights supports SBOM creation and importing.
- Identifies AI augmentation opportunities and assesses agent readiness.
- Analysis results are stored in a client-reserved cloud.
- Annual subscriptions include concierge services from a dedicated specialist.
What to know first
- There is no free plan; the trial lasts 14 days.
- Each application portfolio requires its own subscription.
- Larger portfolios require contacting CAST.
- Annual subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled with 60 days’ notice.
Limits
The trial lasts 14 days and uses a preloaded sample portfolio. The Complete Insights single-application plan covers one named application and does not include concierge services; larger portfolios require contacting CAST.
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud Insights | $30.8k/year; tiered by application portfolio size · Up to [Select]; Core · Cloud Insights | $30,800 a year |
| SCA Insights | $33k/year; tiered by application portfolio size · Up to [Select]; Core · SCA Insights | $33,000 a year |
| Complete Edition | $44k/year; tiered by application portfolio size · Up to [Select]; Core · Ask CAST · AI Acceleration Insights · Cloud Insights · SCA Insights · Green Insights · SBOM Manager Extension | $44,000 a year |
| Complete Insights (single application) | $6.8K/year per named application · Single named application · no concierge services | $6,800 a year |
As castsoftware.com lists them, read 4 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Getting started
- Visit the CAST Highlight website.
- Start the 14-day trial, which includes a preloaded sample portfolio.
- Use the Code Reader on Windows, Linux or Mac to create result files for the portal.
- Choose a subscription for the application portfolio; larger portfolios require contacting CAST.
- For an annual subscription, plan for automatic renewal unless you cancel with 60 days’ notice.
Verdict
Choose CAST Highlight if your organization needs portfolio-level analysis of custom applications across software risk, cloud readiness, open-source risks or AI opportunities. Look elsewhere if you need a free plan or want to share one subscription across portfolios owned by different companies or owners.
Questions
Is there a free plan or trial?
There is no free plan. CAST offers a 14-day trial with a preloaded sample portfolio.
What does the trial include?
It provides views of application health, AI opportunities, cloud maturity, software composition and green software insights.
How much do the plans cost?
Complete Insights (single application) costs $6,800 a year. Cloud Insights is $30,800 a year, SCA Insights is $33,000 a year, and Complete Edition is $44,000 a year.
Which platforms are supported?
Listed platforms are API, Linux, macOS, web and Windows. The Code Reader is available for Windows, Linux and Mac; its Windows requirements specify Windows 10 or later.
Does CAST Highlight upload source code to the cloud?
CAST says analysis does not require uploading source code or database scripts. The Code Reader creates result files for upload to the portal.
Can one subscription cover multiple portfolios?
Each application portfolio needs its own subscription. Subscriptions cannot be shared across portfolios belonging to different companies or owners.
Facts from CAST Highlight's own pages
- AI features
- The product identifies applications for AI augmentation, recommends suitable AI services or LLMs, and assesses agent readiness, blockers, and fixes. · castsoftware.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Cloud planning
- Cloud Insights includes cloud maturity and effort estimates, container readiness, cloud blockers and boosters, and cloud native service recommendations. · castsoftware.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Headquarters
- New York, United States, and Paris, France · castsoftware.com, 28 Sept 2026
- Integrations
- The CAST Highlight Extensions Marketplace lists plugins for Azure DevOps, GitHub, Jira, BitBucket, and VS Code; the product page also names Microsoft Teams, Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot for instant answers. · castsoftware.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Intended users
- CAST describes the platform for organization-wide IT portfolios, with portfolio managers administering instances and application owners contributing scans and survey answers. · help.castsoftware.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Open source risk
- SCA Insights covers open source security and license risks, recommendations, component obsolescence, and SBOM creation and importing. · castsoftware.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Product purpose
- CAST Highlight is SaaS application portfolio analysis software that assesses custom business applications and reports metrics including software risk, complexity, and size. · help.castsoftware.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Renewal
- Annual subscriptions automatically renew unless cancelled with 60 days’ notice. · castsoftware.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Security
- CAST says the SaaS platform is ISO 27001 certified and stores analysis results in a client-reserved cloud hosted on AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud; source code and database scripts are not uploaded. · castsoftware.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Source analysis
- The product analyzes source code to surface application health, software resiliency, technical debt, and private data risks. · castsoftware.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Source code handling
- The Code Reader creates result files for upload to the portal, while CAST states the analysis process does not require uploading source code or database scripts to the cloud. · castsoftware.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Subscription limits
- Each application portfolio requires its own subscription, subscriptions cannot be shared across portfolios belonging to different companies or owners, and larger portfolios require contacting CAST. · castsoftware.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Support
- Annual subscriptions include complementary concierge services from a dedicated CAST specialist for kickoff, setup, interpreting results, best practices, e-learning, certification, and follow-up. · castsoftware.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Supported systems
- The Code Reader is available for Windows, Linux, and Mac, and the documented requirements specify Windows 10 or later for the Windows option. · help.castsoftware.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Trial
- CAST offers a 14-day trial with a preloaded sample portfolio and views of application health, AI opportunities, cloud maturity, software composition, and green software insights. · castsoftware.com, 4 Oct 2026
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