Instead of PMD
PMD alternatives
PMD gives developers a free way to inspect source code across many languages, with more than 400 built-in rules, Java or XPath customization, and CPD for duplicate-code detection. It works from the command line or through Maven, Ant, Gradle, and bld, and its GitHub Action can publish SARIF results and fail builds by violation count. Support for Linux, macOS, Windows, and self-hosted setups suits teams that want control over where analysis runs.
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MATLAB Grader
by MATLAB GraderFree plan LinuxMacWeb+1Instructors grading MATLAB assignments — MATLAB Grader centers on browser-based assignments, automatic grading, feedback, and learner results rather than PMD's source-rule analysis.
Free plan Visit site - 2
DeepSource
Free plan APILinuxMac+3Teams wanting AI pull-request review — DeepSource adds AI-assisted pull-request reviews, autofix patches, secrets and dependency scanning, and infrastructure-as-code checks beyond PMD.
Free plan · paid from $24/user/mo (annual) · 14-day trial Visit site - 3
Infer
Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hosted+1Java and C-family bug detection — Infer focuses on interprocedural bugs, memory safety, concurrency, and complexity in Java, C, C++, Objective-C, and Erlang.
Free plan Visit site - 4
Qodana
Free plan APIExtensionLinux+4IDE-to-CI quality and security gates — Qodana connects IDE and CI analysis with baselines, quality gates, taint analysis, duplicate detection, and license checks.
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Semgrep Code
Free plan Open source APIExtensionLinux+4Application security in pull requests — Semgrep Code combines deterministic and AI security detection, remediation guidance, and 35+ language support instead of PMD's general rule analyzer.
From $15/user/mo Visit site - 6
Snyk Open Source
Free plan APILinuxMac+2Open-source dependency security — Snyk Open Source analyzes dependency vulnerabilities and licenses, monitors projects continuously, and creates upgrade pull requests rather than scanning source rules.
Free plan · paid from $25/mo Visit site - 7
Clang Static Analyzer
Free plan LinuxMacWindowsC, C++, and Objective-C analysis — Clang Static Analyzer provides path-sensitive symbolic analysis for C-family programs and integrates with Xcode and clang-tidy, unlike PMD's multi-language scope.
Free plan Visit site - 8
CodeScene
Free plan APILinuxSelf-hosted+1 - 9
Codacy
Free plan ExtensionWeb - 10
Qlty Cloud
Free plan APIExtensionLinux+3 - 11
Understand
Free plan APIExtensionLinux+3 - 12
CAST Highlight
Free trial APILinuxMac+2 - 13
Visual Studio
Free plan APIWindows - 14
cccc
Free plan LinuxMacWindows - 15
Code Complexity
Free plan LinuxMacWindows - 16
Code Inspector
Free plan LinuxMacWindows - 17
CognitiveAnalyzer
Free plan LinuxMacWindows - 18
NDepend
Free trial APIExtensionLinux+2 - 19
Lizard
Free plan LinuxMacWindows - 20
complexity
Free plan Mac - 21
sccache
Free plan LinuxMacWindows - 22
Cognitive Code Analysis
Free plan - 23
SourceMeter
Paid LinuxWindows4.1 Visit site
Readers may still look elsewhere when they need pull-request review, dependency security, classroom grading, or analysis focused on a smaller language family. PMD requires Java 8 or above, has no free trial because its plan is free, and older major versions leave active development; some IDE integrations are not actively maintained. Before switching, compare supported languages and issue types, custom-rule needs, duplicate detection, IDE and CI connections, deployment options, and whether a paid service is acceptable. The alternatives below emphasize teaching workflows, AI-assisted review, security analysis, or focused C-family checking.