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CodeQL vs PMD: catalog facts
CodeQL	PMD
Freemium Free for research and open source code; other use falls under GitHub's CodeQL terms.	Free Free to download and use, with source code published on GitHub.
Command line	Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line
Queries follow data flow from source to sink across a codebase Finds every variant of a known bug pattern	Large built-in rule set for Java, with support for other languages Extensible with custom rules and rulesets
Free use is limited to research and open source code Writing custom queries means learning the QL language	Command-line tool with no graphical interface of its own Rulesets need tuning to avoid noisy reports on large codebases
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Closed source	Open source
License: GitHub CodeQL Terms and Conditions	License not stated
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 24, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 1, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.