Side by side

CodeScene vs PMD

Both stand on code complexity analyzers. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.

CodeScene

Free plan APILinuxSelf-hosted+1

CodeScene combines code-quality analysis with insight into team knowledge and software delivery. Its free Community Edition is for open-source projects, while paid plans are billed yearly based on active authors.

Visit CodeScene

PMD

Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hosted+1

PMD combines broad language coverage, custom rules, and bundled duplicate detection without a listed price. Check language-specific rule coverage and version support before adopting it.

Visit PMD

The facts

	CodeScene	PMD
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Open source	Not published	Not published
Runs on	API, Linux, Self-hosted, Web	Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Windows
Lowest paid plan	Standard: €18 a month	Free or on request
Plans published	4	1
Maker	Not published	Not published
Website	codescene.com	pmd.github.io
On code complexity analyzers	#1 of 18	#3 of 18

CodeScene: what it does well

CodeHealth assesses maintainability, cognitive load, and complexity.
Team insights visualize knowledge distribution and bus factor.
Integrates with major pull and merge request platforms.
Offers managed cloud and self-managed offline deployment.
14-day trial includes all features without upfront payment.

What to know first

The Community Edition is for open-source projects.
Paid plans are billed yearly.
Paid pricing is based on active authors.
Enterprise pricing is custom and not listed.

PMD: what it does well

Free, with more than 400 built-in rules.
Custom rules can be written in Java or XPath.
Bundled CPD detects duplicated code.
Runs through several build tools and CI integrations.

What to know first

Requires Java 8 or above.
Scala support has no Scala rules.
Only the latest major version is actively developed.
Some listed IDE plugins are not actively maintained.

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